When large landscaping projects run massively over budget, everyone is expected to make compromises to reduce costs. Architects and landscape designers may have to rein in their creativity or reduce the specification of products to meet the budget. But there is a way in which compromises can be minimised while making significant changes to costs… Value Engineering.

What is Value Engineering? In manufacturing terms, value engineering is a methodology that systematically analyses design, specification and production to identify how products can meet budgetary restrictions within acceptable tolerances of functionality and performance – in other words, getting more bang for your buck.

For value engineering to work most effectively, an in-depth knowledge of product design and manufacturing capabilities and constraints is essential, which is why Raaft scores so highly in creating cost-efficient landscaping solutions that require planter or terrace systems.

How Can Raaft help Value Engineer your project? 

Our in-house design and production facilities

One of the unique factors behind our success in delivering value to landscaping projects is our in-house design and manufacturing capabilities: not having to outsource gives us full control over the entire project, from blueprint to completion. Our production facilities have been developed exclusively for the fabrication of our products, and we can respond quickly to challenges that may arise.

Our standard/bespoke products combination

Offering only standard products or only bespoke manufacturing both have drawbacks. With the one you are constantly limited by the range of products available, but with the other you are always paying for a ‘special’ product.

As we offer the ‘full terrace package’, most of our products and accessories are standard items – pedestals, joists, floor structure panels and flooring – batch produced for economy of scale. Complementing this are our bespoke planters and benches, which fully integrate with our standard products for a seamless look and consistent performance.

Our design and production know-how

But it is possibly with bespoke products that value engineering is most effective, largely due to the knowledge and experience we have gained from in-house production and over a decade of focusing on roof gardens and terraces, delivering on nearly 500 projects.

We know first-hand, for example, what radius a curved wooden bench can be set at without having to taper the individual timber slats, which can double the cost. We also know the optimum height of a steel planter to cut it from a single sheet of steel and avoid wasted material and additional fabrication.

As these, and countless other insights we have acquired over the years, have also developed an instinctive knowledge of what will and won’t work, we are able to advise architects and landscape designers on the feasibility, practicality and cost of projects and recommend alternatives that deliver value engineering.

In practice, the changes required are often minimal but the effect they have on costs can be significant.

Discuss Value Engineering with Raaft

If you have a roof garden or terrace project that’s going over budget, maybe you need to speak to Raaft. As a leading UK designer and manufacturer of roof terrace and planter systems, roof decking and tiles, we can assist you at every stage of the design, specification and installation process. Contact us on +44 (0)20 3146 7879 or at [email protected]. Alternatively, send us a message via our website enquiry form and one of our technical support team will respond promptly.

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