We’ve all grown used to instant results. Need something? Click a button and it’s at your door in 48 hours (or possibly less!). But while that kind of immediacy works for online shopping, it doesn’t translate to building restoration or capital maintenance. The term I heard elsewhere and have started using ad-nauseum is “Amazon Effect”. It is the expectation that every service can be delivered on demand has created unrealistic timelines for complex projects that require real planning.
It has permeated our lives, and in many instances, it is great. Need to go food shopping, but you need to finish this season of Love Island – Instacart. Need to get to the airport but forgot to schedule a car – Uber. Care was in an accident and needs to get to work – Carvana. Results, instantly, everywhere! Unfortunately, some tasks and projects need to unfold the “old-fashioned” way to get the best results. You wouldn’t want wine that is only 2 days old!
When property issues are postponed until they’re urgent, the consequences snowball. A small leak in the spring doesn’t magically get better. It requires assessment to determine where it is coming from, then a design to address the issues, and a contractor to repair those issues. If the problem is ignored until late September, by the time the issue is figured out, it may be too cold to implement the repairs until the spring. That can lead to larger issues as the water infiltration continues or worsens.
Many people underestimate how long a typical exterior restoration project takes before a single hammer hits the wall. While every building is different, most projects follow a similar sequence:
- Investigation and Assessment (4–6 weeks): This phase involves site visits, probing, testing, and documentation to determine the root causes of distress. It’s the foundation for everything that follows. Extensive laboratory testing or computer modeling can delay this timeframe quite a bit for more intricate projects, but we find the above timeframe suits about 80% of the time.
- Design and Document Preparation (2–3 months): Once the conditions are understood, the design team develops repair drawings, specifications, and bid packages that define the work scope. Again, more intricate projects or large-scale re-cladding efforts may take significantly longer, but the above is a good rule of thumb.
- Bidding and Contractor Selection (1–2 months): Qualified contractors review the documents, submit bids, and clarifications are resolved before a contract is awarded. This largely depends on factors such as time of year, how quickly the Ownership group meets to discuss items, and how much back and forth there is over the contract. To shorten this timeframe, it is often important to have a standard contract included in the specifications and hold special meetings to discuss the bids.
- Regulatory Approvals (1 week to 3 months): Depending on the building’s status and location, this step can range from a quick sign-off to a lengthy process involving municipal permits, board reviews, or landmark approval.
- Construction Phase: Only after these steps are complete does actual repair work begin—and even then, it’s subject to weather conditions, contractor availability, and coordination with building operations.
Add it up, and even a straightforward project can take six months from start to mobilization.
That timeline means one thing: if you want work to begin in the spring, you need to start now. Fall and winter are ideal seasons to begin investigations and design. Conditions are still accessible, engineers have more flexibility for testing and evaluation, and there’s time to develop documents and secure bids before spring. By the time temperatures rise, permits can be in place, contractors lined up, and the work can proceed without delay.
Waiting until March to “start thinking about it” almost guarantees losing an entire construction season. That delay doesn’t just push the project back—it often pushes costs up.
Buildings can’t be fixed overnight, and they shouldn’t be. Durable, high-quality restoration work depends on thorough investigation, thoughtful design, and proper sequencing. Starting early gives owners and managers control over timelines, budgets, and outcomes.
While the “Amazon Effect” may result in you getting that super comfy pair of reindeer slippers in just a few hours, it can’t deliver a well-planned project. For property professionals, the smartest move you can make this fall is to start the process—so when spring comes, you’re ready to build, not just beginning to plan.
Principal
Duffy Engineering
