The quality of home construction and wastage of materials are the main issues that concern developers, contractors, consultants, authorities and property buyers. Most people have their set of criteria and scores for the assessment of the construction quality. Construction site records help to reduce the wastage of materials and improve the quality of work and solve the dispute between the house owner and contractor.
Following are the construction site records which need to be maintained by the owner and contractor:
01. Records of construction Contract Agreements:
Contract agreements or documentation include all sets of construction drawings, amendments, and a copy of permission of local government authorities. They should be maintained at construction sites till the completion of construction of the home. It is advisable to maintain these records for such a long time as it will help when you carry out maintenance or repair work in future. These contract agreements of house provide guidelines for all the activities carried out at the construction site.
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02. Records of Construction Progress Report:
The progress reports of construction of the home help to track the construction activities from time to time and help in effective planning, scheduling and controlling the activities. These detailed records of progress reports need to be approved by the concerned authorities and should be maintained at the site till the completion of construction of the home.
03. Records of Construction Site Diary:
Works diary should indicate contract agreement number, the name of work, the amount of contract, date of commencement of work, date of completion and extension time granted. Authentic records of work diary help when there is a dispute of delay in work.
Following records need to be maintained on a daily basis in the works diary, as it serves as an authentic construction site records:
- Details of weather change at the site.
- Numbers of labours employed on site.
- The stock of materials brought to the site.
- Tools/plants and Types of vehicle being used at the site and its output.
- Items of works completed and approved on the particular date.
- Visits of house owner/client and their remarks if any.
- Sample approval registers.
04. Records of Construction Work Approval:
Records of work approval should be maintained at the construction site for all the activities. It consists of an index page with details of all items of works to be done as per the contract agreements and other pages with approval and progress details of each work. It helps to track the progress of each activity of construction. It also helps to pre-plan the other remaining activities which start after completion of the current activity.
Before starting the construction activities, it is necessary to take the approval of the activities from owner/client. Some contractors works hazardously, and the quality of construction work suffer due to the limited knowledge of construction practice. Acquiring work approval helps to minimise the errors at construction site done by the contractor. It will also help to maintain the quality of work at construction site.
05. Records of Construction Materials:
Before commencing the home construction, the construction materials need to be approved by the client. Test results of materials are also important records to be maintained at construction site as a proof of construction quality. Records of test results include the characteristic and properties of various materials such as cement, sand, aggregates, water, steel reinforcement used at the construction site. Records of tests results also include the results of concrete cubes, concrete cylinders, slump tests etc. The approved records of construction materials are maintained till the completion of the work.
Test results of all the construction materials are recorded in the record book and should be maintained on the construction site to improve the quality of work. The records of materials are also maintained with details of receipts, daily consumptions and remaining balance at the site.
06. Records of Construction Deviation or Changes:
During the construction of the home, there are deviations or changes in the contract documents or work activities as required by the clients. These changes can be in a drawing, specifications or additional works.
A record of deviation orders and amendments to contract agreement together with their financial effect should be maintained along with approval or signatures from the clients. If these changes involve any extension of time of the contract, it should also be recorded. It will also help when you carry out maintenance or repair activity in future.
07. Records of Construction Measurement Books and its Hidden Measurements:
Records of measurement books are important for a contractor to maintain and help during billing claims. Any extra work done is also recorded in this book with notes.
The construction site records need to be maintained regularly as they help to achieve the quality of work and ultimately saves money for future maintenance and repairing. If the records are properly maintained, there would not be any need to go to the arbitration for any dispute resolution. If recourse to arbitration is sought by any party, the justice will be possible due to both the parties as all the site records will be available to trace the happening of events during the period of construction.
