Preventing Budget Overruns: How to Avoid Window Shade Change Orders

Incorporating building details such as window shades in early project specs can help teams make more educated design choices and protect project budgets. However, when clients make decisions about these types of details early on, it creates the possibility for a required change later.

Window shade change orders occur when a client or another stakeholder changes the specs after the project is in motion. These types of requests are a natural part of any building project, but change orders related to window shade installations can be problematic, particularly when they have a ripple effect on adjacent trades.

Mitigating change orders for window shades can help reduce risks related to project overruns. Contexture can help teams get the details right in the design and spec phase to cut down on unnecessary change decisions later.

How Window Shade Changes Impact Adjacent Trades

Adjacent trades are often negatively impacted by window shade change orders. For example, if electrical stakeholders have already submitted quotes, a later clarification regarding the scope of automated window shades can make that information obsolete and require electrical professionals to adjust their quotes.

Or, if drywall soffit work is completed without proper blocking and change orders for window shades now require a recessed pocket, you'll need to tear out work that's already done and install new drywall.

However, you can't simply reduce the impact of window shade installation by adding these details at the tail end of the project. This can result in shades appearing like hurried "add-on" attachments that don't integrate into the surrounding materials.

Not considering shades during design and spec phases can also mean clients decide on sustainability, convenience, or aesthetic goals later without an easy way to integrate wiring or support structures for the relevant shade products.

The Financial and Aesthetic Costs of Poor Planning

Historically, Contexture has found that poor planning and missing information in project specs lead to project budget overruns of around 30% — and that's above a 10% contingency usually included to accommodate necessary change orders.

But there's another reason for avoiding trade disruptions during installation: keeping projects on time. Shades are often thought about in the final push of a building project, but if products aren't immediately available or you need changes from adjacent trades to accommodate shade preferences, it can put deadlines in jeopardy. Teams may find themselves pushing up against dates when the building needs to be occupied with incomplete shade installations.

Even when projects wrap up on time and within budget, poor shade planning can negatively impact occupant comfort. For instance, white shades are a popular decision because clients believe they will help in maintaining a bright space or easily match any wall or trim color. However, white shades don't offer the glare control you might want in some commercial or office spaces, and they can be disruptive to exterior aesthetics because they are so visible. Evaluating the color and openness of shade selections against other design choices throughout the project can help ensure satisfaction with the end product.

Change Order Mitigation Analysis: How Contexture Can Help

Contexture works with clients to conduct change order analysis for shading systems. Through a deep project review that leverages our expertise, we try to bring forward every potential challenge or change the project may involve that can be foreseen. By identifying these potential hiccups and providing a roadmap of alternatives, we help reduce unnecessary change orders and support fast, cost-effective solutions for necessary ones.

For example, we provide the cost for a specified product. But we will also offer details about why another product might be a better choice so the client has an opportunity to make a positive change early on in the process (rather than later when it might become costlier to do so).

Our team also suggests concerns for integration and adjacent trade work, and we work to flush out designs to ensure the client's ideation will work in practical applications. An example is in the energy efficiency of shade designs. Through daylight and glare analysis, we can model the specified glazing and fabric together to understand the impact that fabric will have on their building. We can help a client select the right fabric that meets their design intent to balance their desire for an eco-friendly building with their preferences for certain visual styles.

All too often, shades choices are addressed late in the design or construction. So if something does come up, there may not be enough time to make changes to accommodate the appropriate shade solution. Our Design-AssistSM for commercial shade projects and our expertise help support better project specs and early change decisions that reduce costs and ensure on-time project completion.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls With Early Coordination

Window shade change order mitigation helps you avoid common pitfalls of projects. It's critical to ensure clear communication between trades during the design phase — what the client decides about shades impacts electrical, and impacts to electrical can impact other trades. The knock-on effect can trickle through the entire project quickly, derailing trades and increasing costs.

At Contexture, our Elevated Submittals process includes change order mitigation. We go above and beyond with graphics and information to explain suggested changes and help clients and other stakeholders make data-backed decisions that are less likely to spawn change orders in the future.

We also understand that integrating window shades into building design is important to success. Architects, engineers, clients and others should consider shades in the same way they consider glazing selections. Shades are a high-performance product that impacts how the building looks from the exterior and functions on the interior. They aren't simply fixtures that can be slapped on in the final phase of a project.

Closing Thoughts: Ensuring Seamless Shade Integration

Addressing window shades early in the design phases of building projects can help reduce change orders and related costs. Early discussions around shades also let clients and other stakeholders make decisions about aesthetics and performance that can drive more accurate quotes from adjacent trades. The alternative is often rework, increased costs and missing project milestones due to unnecessary change orders.

Contexture's Design-Assist services and change order mitigation analysis can help you prevent costly issues by making proactive decisions early in the project. If you're interested in mitigating change orders for window shades, driving cost savings and other positive outcomes for your project, connect with Contexture today to find out about our project support services.