What's the trick to a well run project?

It's not magic. It's heading off the unexpected with prior planning.

Proper planning and well-run logistics are the difference between an enjoyable project and a hot mess.

What separates successful well-oiled operations from haphazard shitshows (or ones that never even get their start) is good project management. Giving advance consideration to all the angles requires imagination, creativity, and the ability to anticipate problems before they arise.

These preparations will help you predict both a budget and a timeline — a useful tool when enlisting the labor of friends and family. Otherwise, you might be prepared for a lot of resentment and a lack of support come next time.

Your checklist.

If you’re building a shed in your suburban backyard, I don’t expect you to approach your build with the same fine tooth comb that we did when building a remote cabin. But you might give it a shot. With a little prep you can avoid trips back and forth to the store, confusion about what step comes next, or grinding to a halt because the necessary tool has to be ordered online.

That said, here’s a checklist to run though:

Materials.

Assess the materials you’ll need and start calling around. Price them out. Find out what’s available. This might necessitate adjusting your plans. You can substitute just about everything, but best to make those adjustments early. You don’t want to paint yourself into a corner by starting down the wrong path and finding out at the last minute that your material of choice doesn’t exist. (Or that you don’t have the budget.)

Site access.

How's the road and walk in? Do you have somewhere for materials to be delivered and staged? A safe and comfortable work area? All projects will be constrained not just by the materials available in your area, but by the ability to actually receive those materials. If the window delivery truck can’t get near your project and you have to carry the windows in from down the hill, maybe you’ll want to consider smaller windows.

Our cabin was 4x4 accessible only, and even then, not quite to the build site. The foundation footings had to be hand dug and materials carried the final stretch to be staged in a small work area. These constraints dictated a lot of design and material choices.

Site preparation.

What sort of foundation or footings will you be laying down? Does the earth need to be moved or leveled? If you need to hire a pro to move dirt or pour concrete or bring in utilities, call them now. You may find they have a preferred season, or that they’re booked up for the year. Better to know those details before you get carried away buying concrete and lumber. (Also, read up on site planning.)

Your build process.

Start thinking through the steps of the build in their (theoretical) order of operations.

I mean, really think about them. Picture it. The site prep, the foundation, the framing, closing in the exterior, finishing the interior. Can you find mistakes in the order, or certain minor tasks that need to be completed before the next stage? Scrutinize all parts of the process to avoid kicking yourself later, wishing you’d done a thing sooner.

An example of the above: On our cabin build I wanted to add a metal brace between the loft beam and rafter, which mounted to a fixture on the rafter.

A couple weeks in advance of our big wall-raising weekend where 25+ friends would gather to lend a hand, it occurred to me that this metal bracket has recessed bolts going through the top of the rafter, and that I wouldn’t be able to install them onto the rafter once the plywood was capping it. Realizing this day-of would have thrown a wrench into the works and wasted a lot of the manpower we’d gathered that weekend.

We installed the bracket in advance of the wall raising and the big weekend went off without a hitch. Catching those details before they become problems comes with thinking through all the build steps. A lot.

Consider your build in bite-sized stages.

Basically this is all about scheduling manageable chunks and setting yourself up for success on the next stage/weekend.

When we built our cabin, we started the foundation in the spring, ensuring good weather for the exterior build and and leaving the interior for winter. The next build weekend we brought in the materials for the floor joists and subfloor sheathing and assembled them. Nothing else, so as to not crowd the tight job site.

With the floor built (and it now a usable work area) we started to bring in additional materials and organized them according to when we’d next need to use them. Molly dedicated a weekend to cutting and labeling every piece of the framing lumber and we stacked it in organized piles for another day.

The next work weekend we assembled the walls, one atop the other on the flat subfloor, in an order and orientation that would make it easy to remove and stage them come wall-raising.

When it came time for the wall raising everything was in place. We stood them up over the weekend, put the rafters on and capped the roof. 

Sketchup (or any other software, or a pen and paper).

Obviously a key to our notable weekend output is thinking through every step of the work, but the real trick is how much time I’ve spent “building” the project on paper or on my computer. I’ve come to love Sketchup (a free 3D modeling program) as it allows me to digitally assemble all the layers of a project. When it comes time to build it for real, I’ve already constructed and deconstructed the cabin so many dozens of times on my laptop that it feels intimately familiar.

A detailed Sketchup file for the cabin allowed me to create a cut list, to label every piece, and to print and work from framing diagrams.

(And if you don't feel like going digital, a scale model with wood scraps hot glue will go a long way.) 

Get organized.

My dedication to all the aforementioned prep work has meant is that all the materials are on site when the work begins. Every tool needed is present and easily located. No one is scrambling on a last minute run to the hardware store because I don’t have the right size drill bit or the correct number of bolts. I have a a clear plan and all the pieces and people to make it happen. I’ve considered most sticking points and even have a few backup plans should things take a turn.

Always be knolling.

Final thoughts.

So why do all this? Seems like a lot of effort.

Time is precious. And time is money, especially when hiring contractors. If you’re doing projects way out in the woods with only a couple days to put in good work, those need to be productive days.

Relationships are precious too. If you’re enlisting the help of volunteers, you’ll want to respect their time and effort and show them a good time — not break their spirits.

The shared sense of accomplishment that comes with a construction project can be a uniquely rewarding experience, and good planning will incentivize helpers (and you) to come back for the next effort.

Basically—and this comes from a lot of experience—a well run project has a better shot at being a fun project.