14 Completion

The completion stage is the final stage in the long process of planning and developing a building. After months, sometimes even years, of construction work, the scheme, which was originally developed on paper, finally appears in its true dimensions. The contractor, who once took possession of the site to perform the work, hands it back to the client. However, not before all the work has been inspected and accepted.

The final acceptance involves walking through and around the building and checking that everything has been completed and works as was originally specified in the contract. Anything not up to scratch must be corrected, ideally before the building is occupied. Every contract also specifies a defects liability period. So if any damage occurs during the specified period, and is not due to wear and tear, the contractor is obliged to return to site and rectify the fault. Within the total life cycle of a building, the completion stage is still very much at the beginning; however, it is the last stage before the building is commissioned and taken into operation.

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