Inside the school construction project that finished faster, cost less and adapted to changing needs without cutting corners.
Finishing a school construction project ahead of the deadline and under budget doesn’t happen by chance. It takes planning, flexibility, and a team that knows how to keep things moving even when plans change.
At Evergreen Elementary School in Carol Stream (DuPage County), F.H. Paschen’s Suburban K-12 Construction Team was tasked with building a six-classroom, 9,000 square-foot addition. But there was one critical detail: The timeline.
It wasn’t going to be easy, but the F.H. Paschen Education team delivered.
Benjamin School District 25 is a two-school elementary (PreK-8) school district located approximately 28 miles west of the city of Chicago, Illinois in the western portion of DuPage County.
From the moment we were brought in as the CM at Risk in May 2024, the goal was clear: maximize value for the district while staying on track.
How and Why It all came together.
There were several factors that enabled everyone to meet this tough deadline.
First, we drew on our wide network of subcontractors. With more bids came more competition, which helped lower costs from the start. Our preconstruction team went deep into the details. By working closely with school and district leadership, we made sure that there were no surprises later.
In particular, Chicago winters are notorious for upending even the best laid construction plans. But, by working in advance to build a comprehensive plan to continue work through the Chicago winter weather, we were able to include the details in the project bid documents. That led to more competitive pricing and a better result for the taxpayers vs. what often becomes an ‘open checkbook’ to complete the work when the winter weather arrives.
Second, we worked closely with the community from the very start. Building a new addition also means that we are working on building a better community. Like most projects, working and collaborating with the community is always part of our process. The building’s proximity to nearby homes shaped everything from traffic planning to community engagement.
Also, like many schools, the playground on-site is actively used by the neighborhood. By working together with the administration, we prioritized keeping the playground open into our plans from the start.
A short 9 months later.
We worked to ensure minimal disruption while still moving quickly, breaking ground in November 2024 and reaching substantial completion by August 2025.
Flexibility was critical. Halfway through the project, Benjamin District 25 leadership made the decision to expand their scope and instead of just adding-on, they also decided to renovate the existing building.
We absorbed this change without losing time or missing key milestones. Our team managed multiple delivery methods to stretch the school’s budget further while still maintaining quality across every stage.
Working through the seasonal changes, we made sure that the momentum stayed high. Collaboration with the design team from ARCON Associates and district staff helped us hit each milestone. We started on time with kickoff in late May of 2024 and moved to bid opening later that same Summer in August. Between start and ribbon-cutting, here’s a look at the timeline:
View the original article and our Inspiration here
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