What factors need to be weighed when replacing a material?

Replacing a material during the build is one of the most common value engineering tools. In the practice of CH3's technical team, the analysis cross-checks several factors at once.

The factors on the spreadsheet

Whether the build is corporate or residential, and whatever its level of complexity, the numbers have to add up with no surprises. To get there, the team works from spreadsheets that relate:

• Cost of the original material and of the alternative.
• Suppliers available for each option.
• Materials and their different grades.
• Timelines for delivery and installation.
• Labor needed to apply each solution.

Quality and look

The second filter is the end result. When the design calls for swapping an expensive item for another, the substitution only makes sense if the new material delivers the desired quality and look. This is where experience counts: the team needs to know the options on the market to recommend what achieves the same effect at a lower cost. The result should be a balance between the idea and the price.

A residential example

On residential builds, material prices can vary enormously. It is common for a client to plan an entire wood wall in the initial design and give it up because of the high cost. Finishes, in some cases, can cost 10 times more. In these situations, CH3 looks for a solution that preserves the design intent with a viable material.

Client approval

No substitution happens without the approval of whoever commissioned the build. CH3 starts from the principle that it is always possible to adapt the design with something that won't harm or disappoint the client, and it is the client who approves the value engineering suggestion, as on the residential build where a structural change cut material replacement by 30%.