The Developer's Timeline: How to Plan Joinery Into Your Project Programme
Joinery is consistently one of the most programme-critical trades on a residential or commercial development. It goes in late, it's visible, it's one of the last things a buyer sees before settlement — and it's almost always on the critical path.
Here's how to plan joinery into a large project programme correctly.
Work Backwards From Practical Completion
The starting point is your target PC date. Work backwards to establish:
Installation completion date — when does the last joinery item need to be installed and signed off?
Goods on site date — allowing for installation time and contingency
Delivery date — allowing for site access, unloading, and staging
Container departure date — accounting for sea freight time to your port (typically 2–4 weeks depending on destination)
Production completion date — allowing for QC and packing time
Production start date — based on production lead time (4–8 weeks for Pacific Joinery)
Shop drawing sign-off date — when designs need to be finalised and approved
Design freeze date — when all variations and specification decisions must be locked
Most developers underestimate the time from design freeze to shop drawing sign-off. This step — reviewing, revising, and approving shop drawings — typically takes 2–4 weeks and is where programme slippage commonly starts.
The Typical Programme for a 100-Unit Development
Working with Pacific Joinery on a typical 100-unit residential development, the programme from design freeze to goods on site looks approximately like this:
Design freeze to shop drawing sign-off: 2–4 weeks
Production (kitchens and wardrobes): 4–8 weeks
QC, packing, container loading: 1 week
Sea freight (variable by destination): 2–4 weeks
Port clearance and delivery: 1 week
Total from design freeze to goods on site: approximately 10–18 weeks, depending on complexity and destination.
This means a practical completion date in Week 52 needs a design freeze no later than Week 34–42. Most developers who experience joinery delays discover they started this clock too late.
Plan for Variation Management
On a large development, variations to joinery specification are almost inevitable — unit layouts change, finishes are updated, structural issues emerge. Build a variation management protocol into the programme that specifies:
Who is authorised to approve variations
What the programme and cost implications of each variation type are
At what stage in production a variation becomes uneconomical or impossible to accommodate
Managing this proactively is far less expensive than managing it reactively.
Align Joinery Delivery With Site Readiness
Joinery delivered to a site that isn't ready for it creates storage and damage risk. Confirm with your site team that the receiving area is secure, dry, and accessible before scheduling delivery. Coordinate with your Pacific Joinery project manager on delivery scheduling and staging.
Start your joinery programme conversation early. Contact Pacific Joinery to discuss lead times and programme alignment for your project.
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