Why renovations run late, and how real scheduling prevents it

Our founder, Johnpaul Guminkiriza, started Jopie because he saw a gap. Too many projects he watched were not delivered on time, and it was rarely the crews' fault. It was scheduling: someone booked tile before the waterproofing had cured, or the cabinets arrived after the countertop template, or the inspector was not booked until the drywall crew was already standing in the room. He believed he could do it better, but for a long time he was limited to showing people how. Starting Jopie was the way to do it himself.

That belief comes from his years as a site engineer, project manager and director, and from his membership of the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMI has a precise way of describing how tasks relate to each other. You do not need a certificate to use it, so here it is in homeowner language, with renovation examples.

What are the four types of task dependency?

Type	Rule	Renovation example
Finish-to-start (FS)	Task B cannot start until task A finishes	Tile cannot start until the waterproofing membrane has cured and passed a flood test. Paint cannot start until drywall sanding is finished.
Start-to-start (SS)	Task B cannot start until task A has started	Electrical and plumbing rough-in can begin as soon as framing begins, one room behind the framers, rather than waiting for all framing to end.
Finish-to-finish (FF)	Task B cannot finish until task A finishes	Plumbing and electrical rough-ins must both be finished before the rough-in inspection can be completed. Touch-up painting cannot finish until flooring install is finished.
Start-to-finish (SF)	Task B cannot finish until task A starts	Rare. Your temporary kitchen setup cannot be shut down until the new kitchen is actually in use.

Most jobs use finish-to-start by default, which is the safe but slow way to plan. The skill is knowing where you can safely overlap tasks with start-to-start and finish-to-finish links so the job compresses without cutting corners.

Where does moisture fit in the schedule?

Moisture is the clearest example of a finish-to-start rule you must not break. In a basement or bathroom, the moisture check and any waterproofing have to finish before framing, drywall or tile can start. Otherwise you are building over a problem you cannot see, and fixing it later means tearing out finished work.

Picture a basement where the slab looks dry on a sunny Tuesday. A crew that is racing the schedule frames the walls, hangs drywall and tiles the floor. Three months after move-in, a musty smell appears at the base of one wall, and the baseboard starts to lift. The repair now means removing the finished surfaces, drying the structure, fixing the source and rebuilding everything. That is a composite scenario, not a client story, but it is exactly the situation the dependency prevents.

We have lived a smaller version of it. A job booked as painting only turned out to have leaks inside some of the walls. We brought in a plumber to repair the leak, replaced the damaged drywall, redid screws, mudding and sanding, and only then painted. Paint was the last task in the chain, not the first, even though it was the only task on the quote. Read why prep decides how long paint lasts and our basement guide.

What is the critical path, and why should you care?

The critical path is the longest chain of dependent tasks. Any delay on it delays the whole job; delays elsewhere may not matter. On a kitchen renovation it is often: demolition, then rough-ins, then inspection, then drywall, then cabinet install, then countertop template, then countertop fabrication, then final plumbing and electrical. Long-lead items like custom cabinetry and countertops sit on that path, which is why we order them early.

What causes late renovations in practice?

• Trades booked in the wrong order, or booked before the work they depend on is ready.
• Long-lead materials ordered too late, such as cabinets, windows and special tile.
• Inspections not planned in, so crews wait for an inspector.
• Hidden conditions that nobody planned time for. See change orders.
• Decisions made late by the owner, which stop the chain until they are made.

How careful scheduling shortens a job

On a recent whole-home renovation involving demolition of the kitchen, bathroom floors and some walls, then a rebuild, paint and tile, we quoted four months. With detailed planning across trades, suppliers and everyone involved, we finished in three. It did not come from rushing. It came from overlapping the tasks that can safely overlap and never overlapping the ones that cannot. We also keep a lessons-learned register that we review after each phase, so every job improves the next. Early finish should not change the price, which is explained in our payment schedule guide.

Questions to ask any contractor about scheduling

1. Can I see a written schedule with dates and dependencies, not just a start and end date?
2. What are the long-lead items, and when will you order them?
3. When are inspections booked, and what waits for them?
4. What is the plan if we find a hidden problem?
5. Who updates the schedule, and how often will I see it?

Keep reading

• Living through a renovation: schedules, supervision and site etiquette
• Expecting the unexpected: how professional builders handle change orders
• Basement renovation in Hamilton: what to know before you start

Sources

• Project Management Institute

This guide is general information from a contractor, not legal advice. Rules, prices and ranges change, so confirm current details before you sign a contract.