Building Information Modeling: Making Home Renovations More Efficient

One of the biggest challenges of a home renovation project is finalizing the design stage. It's not uncommon to see multiple changes going back and forth between the homeowner, the contractor and the architect early on in the process. All these amendments tend to extend the project timeline and add costs -- and that's before a shovel ever touches the earth.

This is exactly where Building Information Modeling (more commonly known as BIM) can offer an amazingly positive impact on the home renovation process.

While BIM has been a growing part of the arsenal of commercial, industrial and high-rise residential builders for many years, it has yet to land on the radar of most low-rise residential construction firms. However, its potential in the renovation/custom home building sector in undeniable.

So, what exactly is BIM?

Put very simply, it's a 3D model-based process that provides builders with the tools and insight needed to plan, design, build and manage construction projects in a far more efficient, faster and more sustainable manner.

Probuilt Design + Build Founder Michael Upshall Sr. has been studying the potential of BIM for the past few years and is convinced "it's a far superior way to build."

This is especially true for a design-build firm, the type of company that already offers a huge benefit over traditional contractors from a collaborative standpoint given that the contractor and architect are on the same team. Implementing BIM helps takes that collaborative environment to a whole new level because of its ability to keep everyone on the same page.

With all the stakeholders having the same access and same levels of communication, BIM is a very inclusive process that ensures everyone has the same goal -- a dynamic that doesn't always appear to happen within conventional renovation projects.

Picture this: The preliminary design of your proposed new home/renovation project is put in a format that allows you to see 3D models of what your environment will look like. Want to tweak it? No problem! It's very simple to make alterations in this system without the need to spend tons of money soliciting new drawings.

Using BIM, we can even take a photo of your existing home, and use software to crop in a very realistic looking addition.

You'll be able to have a very specific idea of how things will look in your new kitchen, for instance. Many vendors have their own models that can be used within your BIM model, so if you know you want a specific Miele fridge, for instance, all we need to do is plug in the model number and we can add it to our model. This will give you a very good idea how things will look, how much space you have to play with, and how everything fits together. And it's all so easy to tweak if you want to change something. Custom cabinetry? Yup, we can add that to the model, too.

The real gem here is that any potential building issues are identified up front, so they can be addressed at the design stage -- thereby avoiding costly project delays while problems are sorted out and new plans are drawn up that will have to be approved again by the city.

Once the model is complete, the architectural and engineering versions are combined to ensure they work together. You simply press the "clash detection" button and viola! You either know you're ready to start or can address any conflicts before you begin construction. At this stage, we will know exactly the quantities of all building materials needed, which also helps expedite the estimating process, making it far more accurate as well.

Interested in building a more sustainable, energy efficient home? No problem. BIM software includes construction packages from LEED, among the most popular green building certification systems, which will recommend LEED-certified energy efficient materials and techniques.

The Benefits of BIM

The advantages of BIM are plentiful, many of which will offer direct benefits to homeowners given how much easier projects will run.

• Accessibility: all the project stakeholders (homeowner, contractor, architect, trades, etc.) are able to easily access and navigate all pertinent files whether they're online or offline, through the web, through their phone or tablet.

• Cost savings: On a renovation project time is money. So by allowing homeowners to get exactly what they want designed for them in real time with their input, everything becomes more efficient because all the issues have been ironed out before you ever break ground. Jobs simply run more smoothly.

• More efficient and shorter project lifecycles: Removing the process of back-and-forth changes that need to be communicated and sent out for new drawings, etc., makes things amazingly more efficient and really helps projects get completed so much faster. For instance, when you use BIM to draw an exterior wall, the software will automatically add the brick, air gap, vapour barrier, sheathing, studs and drywall. Not having to draw all those lines sure speeds things up. Want to shift a window a couple of feet to the right? Joists, beams and studs will all automatically adjust.

• Better integration: BIM allows sub trades to be involved early on, and they may have some valuable input about how to better integrate mechanical, electrical or plumbing systems up front that will make for a far more efficiently built house upon completion.

• Role-specific views: The project 3D models can be viewed in many different ways, depending on what you're focusing on. For instance, there's the architectural model (which includes all the framing, woodwork and steel work); the mechanical model (which has the HVAC systems); the plumbing model; and the electrical model.

• Better communication/coordination: It's not uncommon on traditional renovation projects for there to be a disconnect between the builder and architect. Thanks to being able to make changes in real-time, BIM breaks those barriers down and helps ensure all stakeholders are on the same page.

• More accurate estimates: After the model is finalized, it's simply a matter of running the numbers and ordering the materials. And once that budget is created, that's it. Barring a homeowner-driven change order, you'll never see any "unforeseen" issues that add to the project cost.

So when is this coming to a home renovation project near you? Well, it's already begun as some firms are overhauling their design-build process by integrating BIM into their practices.

Now the question is, are you ready to see how much easier this makes your dream project become reality? Well, start by asking your home renovator if they use BIM to model your home. If the answer is no, then perhaps the next question should be "why not?"