Project Management
Project controls
- Obtain written work authorization before equipment is placed; confirm who pays - insurer, owner or both - and the approved scope.
- Build the schedule around verification, not calendar days: assessment, mitigation, daily monitoring, drying verification, equipment pickup, then demolition and repair handoff.
- Track equipment in and out; unreturned air movers are a direct loss.
- Issue a change order when hidden conditions appear: wet subfloor under vinyl, saturated cavity insulation, additional rooms.
- Set a communication cadence - daily or every other day - with readings attached for adjuster and occupant.
- Reconcile labor, equipment days and materials against the documented drying log before invoicing.
Worked example
A three-day estimate reaches day six with no MC progress in a hallway wall. Investigation finds vinyl base and a wet bottom plate behind it. Photograph the finding, document the readings, issue a change order for removal and extended drying, and notify the adjuster before the extra days accumulate. The log and photos justify the added billing; a verbal call does not.
Traps
Pulling equipment on the scheduled day instead of when readings are stable; scope creep without written change orders; promising a completion date before verification; failing to note occupant-caused delays such as equipment switched off or doors propped open.