DOUBLING THE LABOUR AT WHYTELEAFE HOUSE WITHOUT DISRUPTING THE BUILD
LOCATION: Whyteleafe, London · SCHEME: 160+ one, two and three-bedroom apartments in two phases · CLIENT: Comer Homes Group · DURATION: 2 years · TRADES: dry-lining, plastering, tiling, labour and management
THE CHALLENGE
The scheme was built in two phases. The original plan was that once phase 1 reached first fix, half the labour would move to second fix while the other half started first fix on phase 2. The client wanted the same rhythm and speed across both phases, which meant doubling the labour on every trade to deliver the same quantity of work. Their wider challenge was that individual trades can’t always raise their labour to match.
WHAT WE DID
About a quarter of the way through the build, with half of phase 1 complete, we doubled the labour across dry-lining, plastering and tiling.
More people and new teams. We added individuals to existing teams and brought in new ones, allocating them to different areas. That meant nobody’s work already under way was disrupted, and the trades under our management could work in parallel.
Same plan, more teams. We copied the plan and sequence across every team, so the work was done the same way and caused less friction with other trades on site.
Quality held. We measured our teams against each other, so they competed on both quality and speed.
More checks, clearer reporting. We increased the frequency of material and quality checks, and reported back to the client more often for transparency.
Same contact. The client dealt with the same person throughout, so there was no re-explaining or catching up.
THE RESULT
We pushed the project to the capacity of the client and the trades around us, keeping both phases moving.
WHAT TO ASK ANY CONTRACTOR
Programmes change. Ask what happens when yours does: can they add labour across all their trades together, and keep the quality up while they do it?
