Planning works in an occupied building

Building in a place that stays open is a different job from building on an empty site. People are still coming and going, the business still has to run, and the program has to fit around both. Most of the work happens before anyone picks up a tool.

Walk it with the people who run it

Before we start, we walk the site with the building, venue or village manager. We agree work hours, quiet times, access routes and where materials will go. At Aveo Minkara that meant no noisy work before 10am and none on weekends.

Stage it so the rest keeps working

We break the job into areas so the rest of the building stays usable. At RFBI Hawkins we refurbish resident bathrooms two at a time and hand each pair back before the next starts. At Whiddon in Narrabri we did one resident room at a time.

Put the noisy work where it hurts least

Demolition and other noisy, dusty work goes early, after hours, or at whatever time suits the site. On one office job, demolition ran from 5 to 7am so the building wasn't disturbed.

Keep fire safety tight

Fire isolations get booked with the building for each work day and closed out at the end of every day. In Narrabri, the flooring installer booked them with the Village Managers for every flooring day.

Tell people before it happens

Building management, tenants and residents should know what's closed, when, and who to call before the trades turn up. We send a weekly report with photos, so nobody's guessing.

Order early

Long lead times and surprises behind the walls are what usually push a program out. Ordering early and making decisions early leaves room to deal with the surprises.

If you've got works coming up in a building that has to stay open, Dylan, Matt or Neil can walk it with you.