On the Clock and Nothing to Show for It

I don't know if you've tried to order anything lately but it's quite the circus out there right now!  On the residential side of things, appliances are back ordered for months, materials are being ordered far in advance of their actual need and contractors aren't calling ANYBODY back.  And the commercial side of business is even worse from where I sit.  We're seeing furniture lead times in some cases of up to 25 weeks.  We're all having to double check our material specifications before we even present them to clients just in case they're impossible to purchase or discontinued all together.  And the contractors?  Still not calling back!

I kid slightly.  We actually have some pretty amazing contractors in my neck of the woods, but they are breaking their backs to get all these projects completed on time even in spite of the multitude of setbacks we're witnessing in this most unprecedented time in the design industry.

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I  tell you this not to dissuade you from embarking on a design project of your own but instead to achieve two main purposes:

1. To help get you prepared for what's to come both mentally and financially and,
2. To show you how to work around some of those deficiencies as you go

I don't want you to shy away from taking on any project that will help your Library become a better version of itself and also to provide a space for your community that will help them to thrive.  And I know, given the current circumstances in the construction and design world it's very easy to put on the brakes and wait for a more convenient time.  But first let me say, there's always going to be a reason to wait.  Most of the time it's wiser to just move forward and take the obstacles as they come.  So take that little piece of advice for what you will.

What I do want to do is equip you with enough information that you will feel more confident about moving forward.  So let's break it down by area of construction.

OVERALL BUILDING MATERIALS

There are in fact some shortages and long lead times for a lot of materials.  Concrete seems to be doing pretty well but steel can be iffy in  some locations.  Paint is back up and running but for a while there, it was so bad, you couldn't even get basic white paint.  Because of this, and other issues, we are seeing material price increases that are certainly being passed on to the end user.  It's evident that while these shortcomings are expected to improve eventually, they'll be hanging around for the foreseeable future and it's just something we're all having to work around right now.

THE BEST WAY AROUND IT ALL

For starters, hire a skilled contractor with plenty of knowledge of the current market as well as great resources for everything you might need to complete your project.  They will help you with all the necessary decisions and will be great at directing you when you have to make a substitute of any kind.  Find one you feel very compatible with and one that you trust.  

Secondly, be willing to make those changes.  Don't be so set on something right out of the gate, that you can't be flexible when the time comes to do something different.  And trust me, even in a healthier market, you will have things take a different direction than you expected every now and then.  

FURNITURE PROCUREMENT

This one's a big one.  I've got several projects going on all at once with furniture specifications right at the heart of everything and it's been the most complicated process I've ever witnessed.  Finishes are being selected one minute and then discontinued the next.  Lead times are a nightmare.  Typically we place an order with the furniture vendors and put together the PO while working together with the manufacturer on estimated shipping and delivery dates for product.  They give us an ETA and we wait.  As the date draws near, there may be slight adjustments here and there, sometimes things come in sooner and sometimes things show up a day or two later.  But as a whole, everything runs pretty smoothly.

Today we place our order and the PO/Manufacturer process begins.  They give us estimated dates for shipping with the disclaimer that this may change at any time.  As the date approaches we begin getting notifications that the product is seeing delays and some of the furniture may not show for WEEKS past when they originally said it would and even then a lot of pieces show up at multiple different times.  And don't even get me started on price increases.  Because right now, they can change from one week to the next and where we used to get a 30 day hold on a price, we're now seeing no guarantees on that either.

SURVIVING FURNITURE PROCUREMENT 

No matter what you do, don't set your grand opening date around that furniture.  It's just not likely to happen the way you want it to and it's only going to incite a nervous breakdown when things don't deliver when you expect them to.  Prepare for the worst and rely on your furniture dealer to be the guiding hand you're looking for.  And know that they too are JUST as frustrated as you are.  They have no control over this either and are doing their absolute best.

But as I said before, work with a team you feel good about; one you're compatible with so that you can get through the tough spots together.  In the meantime, select two or three different finishes for the really important pieces so you're not completely heartbroken when they deny your initial fabric or finish of choice.

And if you must open your doors or operate without the final furniture pieces, locate temporary alternates if possible and inform your patrons of what's going on so they don't get overwhelmed too.  Sometimes you just have to make do with what you have.  But trust me, this too shall pass and one day all the chaos will be a distant memory and your new space will be the best possible end-result you could have ever wanted.  

FINAL THOUGHTS

Prepare yourself for potential changes before you ever even get started.  It's better to be pleasantly surprised if everything rolls out smoothly than to lose your mind when something goes awry.  As I've mentioned dozens of times before, get yourself a great team that you trust within your organization to help you make decisions from the onset.  And try to enlist people on your team that will help talk you off your ledge when you need it most.  And don't forget to return the favor!