Welty brings a wealth of knowledge to every project; from a minor renovation, to an expansion, to a new building — or an entire campus of new buildings. But just to give you an idea of how we add value to every step, let's walk through the basic process of constructing a school.
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Educators use lesson plans; the building process starts with a Master Plan. Even at this early stage Welty is applying our expertise to identifying cost savings, meeting government regulations, and hitting your diversity goals. We may even be able to help identify funding sources.
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When the general outline is in place, we can start to answer the important question, "How much will it cost?" With too many builders, this is like nailing the proverbial "Jell-O" to the cafeteria wall. Welty believes there's just no excuse for this. Once we've established the scope of the project, the price won't change. All of our projects come within budget.
Why? Because we "do our homework," (if you'll pardon the pun). We consult with experts like market analysts, land use planners, architects and engineers as early as possible, so we know from the start that the budget is feasible. Then we review progress against benchmarks every day to make sure the budget is met.
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Prioritizing the initiative means that we get the whole team to "zoom out" from their individual contributions to see the big picture. Whatever may come up during construction, each person will be optimizing his or her effort toward the common target.
Welty can play one of several roles in the construction process — Construction Manager, General Contractor, Design/Builder — depending on the nature of the project, and your goals. So at this point you'll select a Delivery Method to define how we and the other major players will interact with each other.
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We pay great attention to the Design stage. Welty works with the architect. We test the drawings and specifications to make sure they don't bust the budget. We find ways to add value and reduce cost here, now; instead of on the fly, in the field.
And here is where we start the process of ensuring that your school will meet LEED® and other quality requirements. Our professionals perform Constructability Reviews to confirm that your new facilities will be easy to maintain and energy-efficient. We're looking to reduce not only your construction cost, but your operating costs as well.
We hope you're already starting to see how Welty's deep experience is applied thoughtfully and intentionally to your project.
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The next phase is Preconstruction. Now that we know exactly what's being built, we can translate project requirements into schedules to complete them. We solicit bids. Welty uses local tradesmen whenever possible because their reputation is on the line, too. Transportation costs can be minimized. And area subcontractors have another motivation: their commitment to the community.
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All this intense planning and thinking has led us to the moment when we can actually begin construction. So much of the work has already been done, and problems have been solved before they happened, reducing both time and frustration.
As construction progresses, Welty is communicating with everyone consistently. We're keeping a close eye on timelines, and making sure that everyone is on the same page. We're proactively looking to anticipate potential obstacles and head them off. And yet, this is the real world — sometimes surprises happen. When they do, we collaborate even more closely to make sure that budgets, deadlines and quality are not affected.
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Move-in day. Welty is still there, helping to cut your downtime during the move. We'll train your facility managers and key staff on how to run the new building systems. And we'll be back in 9 months, prior to the expirations of warranties, to give everything a thorough inspection once again.
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Those are the "ABCs" of building with Welty. By the time we get to Z, you have a new facility; your board, staff, students and community are delighted; and Welty is proud to have had a part in bringing your vision to life.
After all, you're the teachers.
