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Let’s be honest, no one likes living in a construction zone. But at some point, you need to update or reposition your community. We talked to some of our clients and put together a list of their top seven tips on how to interact with your community before and during a project.

 

1. Establish a comprehensive plan for the project. 

If you don’t have residents sitting on your Board, you may want to find 2-3 residents to participate in the planning process. We’re talking big picture planning here, not the details. Brookhaven at Lexington’s President and CEO Jim Freehling said they formed a Master Planning Committee that included residents, staff and Trustees. This way all constituencies were represented from the beginning. 

Lee Bloom, director of development at LCB Senior Living, emphasized how important it is for the contractor to understand how your community operates. So as you get closer to starting construction, your comprehensive plan should answer the following questions:

• Will you limit the days and hours construction will be permitted?
• Is there enough parking on site for the construction workers or do they need to park off site?
• How will your staff’s shift changes impact construction activities?
• Does the project need to be phased, and if so, how?
• How will the construction area be separated from the occupied area?
• How will the construction be staged?
• Do any residents need to be relocated before construction can start?

 

2. Time the announcement of your project correctly. 

Timing is critical. You don’t want to announce a project, only to learn a few weeks later, it’s on hold because the cost is over budget. You also don’t want to wait so long to announce the project that the contractors will be there the next day. Silverstone Living’s CEO/CFO, Peter Warecki suggests that you may want the architect and contractor present when you announce the project to the community, so they can help answer questions and talk about the project.

 

3. Show residents the big picture. 

Most residents are going to be more focused on how the construction impacts them right now than on how it helps the community in the future. Show them you’ve done your homework and talk about how the project will benefit them. Show residents the pretty pictures to help them focus on the end result. David Lawlor, president and CEO of United Methodist Homes, says improvement projects are a win/win. In the end, you need to look towards the future and decide what is best for the community as a whole moving forward. 

Masonicare’s Executive Director of Residential Services, Hilde Sager says, “Don’t be afraid to talk numbers.” How much will the project cost and will it impact their monthly fee? Residents need to know these things, but don’t get bogged down in the details.

 

4. Set realistic expectations. 

Don’t sugarcoat the process. It’s going to be noisy and messy. Let the residents know if you need to close off an area of the building for certain construction activities. Also, don’t be afraid to work with the contractor on the timing of any disruptive activities.

At Middlewoods of Newington, we needed to use a crane to lift materials over a portion of the building into the courtyard. The load was so heavy, that area of the building had to be evacuated during the lifts. We made sure to time these lifts when residents would typically be at lunch. That way most residents were out of their apartments already and weren’t inconvenienced.

 

5. Keep residents informed and engaged. 

If residents aren’t clued in to what’s going on, some will find out on their own. You don’t want this to happen and neither does the construction team. Several of our customers mentioned that sometimes the biggest problem during a construction project is the spread of rumors. The more you keep the residents up to date, the less chance for false gossip to spread.

There are several ways to keep residents current on the project. Some ideas include:

• Holding regular meetings with the residents
• Updating a bulletin board with pictures and information
• Looping a slideshow in a prominent area
• Walking around the community and talking to the residents
• Sending out memos
• Putting up a web cam 

The more you can share, the better. Lee Bloom points out that you still need to market the community to prospective residents, and the current residents will talk to these people. You want them sharing positive information with visitors.

 

6. Don’t forget about their family members. 

If family members aren’t informed about what’s going on, they will overwhelm the staff with questions. On the flip side, a well-informed family member could be a great advocate for the project.

 

7. Be transparent. 

Be honest about what’s happening and what’s going to happen. Target the message to your audience. For example, you may want to be more direct with your staff than you are with your residents. You don’t want your residents to worry if it’s not necessary. 

 

Thank you to our expert panel:

• Jim Freehling, president and CEO, Brookhaven at Lexington
• Lee Bloom, director of development, LCB Senior Living
• Hilde Sager, executive director, residential services, Masonicare
• Peter Warecki, CEO/CFO, Silverstone Living
• David Lawlor, president and CEO, United Methodist Homes

 

Contact us to see how we can help you with your next construction project.