### Timeline, Milestones, and Completion Requirements
Project timelines provide structure and accountability that keeps projects moving forward while establishing legal grounds for addressing delays that exceed reasonable limits. Well-designed timeline provisions balance realistic scheduling with firm completion expectations.
Start date establishment should be specific rather than vague, using actual calendar dates instead of relative terms like "within two weeks." Include provisions addressing what conditions must be met before work can begin, such as permit approval, material delivery, or weather conditions. Clear start dates help establish realistic completion expectations and provide baselines for measuring progress.
Major milestone dates break complex projects into manageable phases that can be evaluated and paid for independently. Typical milestones might include completion of demolition, rough-in work completion and inspection approval, installation completion, and final completion. Each milestone should have specific completion criteria that can be objectively verified.
Completion definition must be precise enough to prevent disputes about when work is actually finished. This typically includes completion of all work according to contract specifications, cleanup of all work areas, correction of punch list items, and receipt of any required inspection approvals. Vague completion terms create opportunities for contractors to claim completion while leaving significant work unfinished.
Weather delay provisions acknowledge that outdoor work can be legitimately delayed by severe weather conditions while preventing contractors from using minor weather issues as excuses for poor scheduling. Reasonable weather delay provisions might exclude days with precipitation, high winds, or extreme temperatures from schedule calculations while limiting total weather delays to reasonable amounts.
Change order impact procedures establish how project modifications affect completion schedules. Include provisions requiring contractors to provide updated completion dates when change orders are approved and limiting schedule extensions to reasonable amounts based on the actual scope of additional work.
Acceleration provisions address situations where you need faster completion than originally scheduled, establishing procedures and pricing for expedited work. This might include overtime labor costs, expedited material delivery charges, or coordination fees for managing accelerated schedules.
Substantial completion definitions establish when projects are sufficiently complete for occupancy and use, even if minor finishing work remains. This is particularly important for projects that affect habitability, as substantial completion might trigger different payment or warranty terms than final completion.
Delay penalties provide financial incentives for schedule compliance while compensating homeowners for inconvenience caused by unreasonable delays. Penalty structures should be reasonable and include exceptions for legitimate delay causes beyond the contractor's control, such as weather, permit delays, or homeowner-requested changes.
Extension procedures establish how legitimate schedule extensions will be requested and approved when delays occur due to unforeseen circumstances. Include requirements for written extension requests with detailed justifications and limitations on total extension amounts to prevent projects from dragging on indefinitely.
Final inspection and approval procedures should specify who performs final inspections, what criteria will be used to determine acceptance, and how punch list items will be identified and corrected. Clear inspection procedures prevent disputes about whether work meets contract requirements and establish orderly processes for addressing any deficiencies discovered during final review.