Wow remodeling customers with a project closeout manual

Upon completion of commercial construction or remodeling projects, a project closeout manual or package is almost always required.

A project closeout manual is a generic name for a compilation of the various documents a general contractor provides the owner once a project is complete.

It typically includes contractor and equipment warranties, as-built record documents, operation and maintenance manuals, and other related information that will help the owner manage the property.

Although your residential and small commercial customers won’t require a project closeout manual as part of the job, providing one will certainly convey your company’s professionalism.

And if you’re competing for a job, showing the customer a sample of the project closeout manual you provide at the end of projects, may just tip the scales in your favor and help you win the job.

While construction projects vary widely in makeup, the basic components of a project closeout manual remain the same. Include as many of the following in your project closeout manuals as are appropriate.

Warranties

Provide a warranty. The typical warranty for commercial construction work is one year for all labor, materials and equipment you provided under your contract. If anything goes wrong in the first year, you agree to repair, fix or replace the faulty item. If you provided any equipment or appliances with the job, each unit will have its own warranty, which may be longer or shorter than one year depending on the item.

After the one-year warranty period ends, the owner can use the equipment specific warranties to get equipment replaced or repaired if needed, but that will be their responsibility at that point.

In addition to the warranty for the work you do, include similar 1-year warranties from any subcontractors and suppliers that provided materials or equipment. Not only will this give you the necessary recourse to get a subcontractor back to fix a problem, but it will also allow the owner to contact a subcontractor directly.

Be careful how you word your warranty. Be sure to include that you are not responsible from abuse or normal wear and tear. Your warranty is for work that should not have failed or was defective. The one-year period should usually begin when all of the work is complete.

Record drawings

Some time referred to as “as-builts,” these are marked-up drawings that show all the construction details that may have changed from, or were not previously indicated, on the construction plans. Some examples are electrical as-builts that indicate how devices and fixtures were circuited.

Plumbing and HVAC as-builts may indicate where a specific shut-off valve was installed. Typically any important component, valve or j-box that is not easily visible should be shown on an as-built. These record drawings can be a lifesaver if there is a leak or short-circuit in the future.

Operation and maintenance manuals

From simple items like a sink, faucet or light fixture to more complex equipment, such as a furnace or condensing unit, your customer needs to know how to operate and maintain them, as well as how and when to replace parts. Operation and maintenance manuals (O&M) explain how to do that.

Depending on the items, an O&M manual should explain what components need regular maintenance or replacement.

They might also include “exploded” views that will help the owner to disassemble the component, plus information on where to buy replacement parts. Something as common as replacing a filter or faucet cartridge is so much easier using a manual.

Permits and subcontractor directory

The project closeout manual should include any permits, certificates of occupancy or inspection records you got for the job. The owner may need to reference them in the future.

And since you probably created a list to keep track of any subcontractors or suppliers you used on the project, provide a list to the customer. Include names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

How to organize the closeout manual

Make up two 3-ring binders, one for you and one for the customer. Put the name and address of the project, as well as your company’s name and number on the front. Start with a simple table of contents and used tabbed dividers to separate each section.

Start with your documents – warranties, drawings, permits, etc. – and then include the subcontractor directory. For each subcontractor, provide their warranty information, any O&M info they provided, and any as-built drawings. Any format works as long as you are consistent.

–By Bruce Webb, general contractor