A programme handed over at contract stage is a forecast, not a guarantee, but a badly built one is worse than no programme at all — it sets expectations that were never achievable and makes every delay feel like a failure rather than a foreseeable event.
Checking a handful of specific things in the proposed programme before work starts helps you judge whether it's realistic, and gives you a reference point to hold the job against once it's under way.
Ask which items sit on the critical path
Ask the builder directly which tasks in the programme are critical-path, meaning any delay to them pushes the finish date back, and which have slack built in. If nobody can answer this clearly, the programme may not have been thought through beyond a simple list of weeks.
Knowing the critical-path items in advance means you'll understand immediately why a delay to, say, a structural steel delivery matters far more than a delay to garden landscaping scheduled for the final week.
Check lead times against order dates, not delivery dates
For any bespoke or long-lead item — windows, kitchen cabinetry, specific roof coverings — check the programme states when it needs to be ordered, not just when it needs to arrive. If the programme only shows an installation date, ask when the order needs to be placed to hit it, and who is responsible for placing it.
This matters especially for client-supplied items: if you're sourcing tiles or sanitaryware yourself, know the order deadline well before the fitting trade is due on site.
Confirm drying and curing periods are shown as real time
Check that concrete curing, screed drying, plaster drying and any paint system recoat times appear in the programme as actual duration, not compressed into the same week as the trade doing the work. If these periods are missing entirely, ask why — either they've been forgotten, or the programme is more optimistic than realistic.
A programme with visible drying gaps, filled by other trades working elsewhere on the job, is generally a sign of a realistic sequence rather than a padded one.
Check whether inspection dates are already booked
Ask whether building control and any structural engineer inspections have actually been booked against programme dates, or whether that's assumed to happen closer to the time. Booking inspections early, particularly with busy local authorities, avoids the job stalling at a covered-up stage waiting for a slot.
If warranty or insurance-backed guarantee inspections apply to the project, check these are on the same timeline rather than an afterthought.
Agree how delays will be communicated
No programme survives contact with a real building perfectly intact — weather, unforeseen structural issues and supply delays all happen. What matters is agreeing in advance how and when you'll be told if the programme slips, and by how much, rather than discovering it only when a trade fails to turn up.
A weekly review point, however informal, where progress against the programme is discussed, catches small slippage before it compounds into a much larger delay by the end of the job.
Common questions
How much slack should a realistic programme include?+
This depends on the job, but a programme with zero contingency anywhere is optimistic rather than realistic. Ask where the contingency sits and how it would be used if an early stage overruns.
What should I do if the programme starts slipping?+
Ask early which stage caused the slip and whether it's a one-off or likely to compound. A weekly review point makes this a routine conversation rather than a confrontation that only happens once the whole job is visibly late.
Is it reasonable to ask for a written programme before signing the contract?+
Yes. A written programme, even a simple bar chart by trade and week, is a reasonable thing to expect for any renovation or extension of meaningful size before you commit to a start date.
Request a written programme with your quote
We provide a trade-by-trade programme showing lead times, drying periods and inspection dates before you commit.