In Australia’s highly competitive market, it is
critical industry professionals understand the
role technology can play in solving common
pain points during all stages of the construction
process, including after construction ends.
Common pain points in residential construction
include lack of effective communication and
transparency. As construction nishes and a
project moves into the handover and post-
occupancy phase, teething problems may
begin to show putting additional strain on the
client-project team relationship. A negative
client experience during this period can lead
to disputes and harm to the project team’s
reputation through word-of-mouth.
Handover and post-occupancy work ows are
often overlooked. It is critical for professionals
to identify technology-driven customer
engagement solutions that address this gap.The Lack of Consumer-Friendly
Project Management
In recent years, the construction industry has
adopted technology to support paperless project
management and communication. This includes
AutoCAD, client portals and common tools like
email and Excel. However, clients still tend to
rely on printouts and ling cabinets to store
important project documents, increasing the risk
of complications and inef ciency post-handover.
Client portals help by storing important les in
one location, but they often become redundant
after construction is completed.
Without technology tools to address client
communication and defect management
during handover and post-occupancy,homeowners can feel as though they have
been left with a house requiring ongoing
remediation and no support. These situations
can result in feelings of unnecessary grief and
frustration in homeowners.The Role of Technology in Home Ownership
and Management
Once construction ends, builders are required
to conduct a handover. This is commonly
done by providing the homeowner with printed
project documents or les on a USB key. Lost
or misplaced les can lead to delays, whereas
printing les can be costly and time-consuming.
As home management tasks like paying bills
and managing appliances become more online-
based, it makes sense for builders to provide
homeowners with a digital ‘twin’ of their home to
enable convenient home management.
A cloud-based system would provide an
accessible and organised means of document
management. Appliance information, manuals
and warranties can be accessed from one
location, making resolving simple issues
like operating alarms and ovens easy and
straightforward. Tracking and digitising project
information from the outset of the building
process ensures no transition period is required.The Value of Word-of-Mouth...
From Someone You’ve Never Met
If the handover and post-occupancy phase
is mismanaged, architects, designers and
builders expose themselves to commercial
risk and reputational harm. A project could
be well-executed during the design andconstruction phase yet fall over during the
warranty period or perform below client
expectations. This situation can lead to
disputes and feelings of disappointment, loss
of trust and frustration.
Negative client experiences can result in word-
of-mouth that can harm the architect, designer
or builder’s reputation. In the digital age, where
growing numbers of people are trusting online
reviews as much as personal recommendations,
this bad word-of-mouth can spread quickly
across a wide network of consumers.HouseLab
Built with a passion for the design and
construction industry, HouseLab is focused
on closing the gap between the customer and
the construction industry during construction,
handover and post-occupancy. Aimed
at improving communication, document
management and work ows between all
stakeholders when renovating and managing
homes, HouseLab is an integrated customer
engagement platform that offers an intuitive,
user-friendly interface for architects, designers,
developers, builders, real estate agencies, body
corporates and homeowners alike.DOWNLOAD THE WHITEPAPER
bit.ly/HouseLab_19QBridging the Gap: Using Technology
to Improve Home Handovers
and Defect Management
ABOVE Ruby Street handed over using HouseLab.
Photography by Wiilem-Dirk du Toit (left). HouseLab
website (right). OPPOSITE Nightingale 1.0 handed
over using HouseLab. Photography by Peter Clarke.PROMOTION FEATUREHOUSELAB.COM.AU /A&D X HOUSELAB/ JUL-SEP 20196ADQ3_2019_HouseLab_ADV_DPS_Final.indd 6 29/7/19 8:38 am