Hi,
So, after 15 years of education/training/construction I now have a paying client. A very modest home with great site work on a challenging site.
Since this is my first project for my practice, I’d like to ask a very basic question. If you do not use other architect’s general notes and specs where should I look for a quality foundation to build my notes from?
Thank you,
If you have specifications you really do not need general notes as they are typically done.
Regarding drawing notes, often many notes are not put there by the Architect to facilitate understanding the drawings and design but are required by the Authority having jurisdiction in order to receive a building permit.
You should start with a meeting with the plan reviewers. They may have checklists, or in some cases entire drawing sheets where you need to fill in the blanks.
Residential work is very different from commercial work. I’ve been away from it for more than 15 years, but we had a two page spec that listed each of the components that a trade would bid on. (Double 4 dutch lap vinyl siding, xx mil thick, equivalent to Norandex Xyz, etc.) A few years back I tried helping a high-end residential architect with some master specs that were equivalent to outline specifications. Most sections were less than a page and a half before editing, and less than a page after. If you give the typical residential contractors a spec that’s over 1/2" thick they wont’ read it, and most likely won’t bid on it.
I ran across this option searching for residential specifications. It should more than cover what you need to address material specifications: http://www.constructioncontracts.com/cs_rtf_specifications.html
Yes it is, Curt. When I was in that business I didn’t use a project manual, just put everything on the drawings. The important stuff was identified by make and model, and the contractor was told that was exactly what was wanted. The not-so-important things, e.g., gypboard, framing, had brief statements of performance or other requirements. It worked ok.
During that time, my wife’s boss, an attorney, had a house built. It was designed by a real architect (I was not licensed at the time) and he also put specs on the drawings. Oddly, even though that project was done by a supposedly better contractor, the results were not what was expected. For example, the drawings specified solid-core doors, but the contractor installed hollow-core doors.
Whether it’s residential or commercial construction, who the contractor is can have a huge impact on what gets done and how.
By the way, it sometimes seems commercial contractors don’t read a project manual regardless of thickness. For them, perhaps it’s because the project manual is six inches thick.
I like a short form or outline specification for residential work. The single family homes that cross my desk are usually in the multimillion dollar category. The Owners are financially sophisticated and expect proper legal documentation for their investment. I have created my own master for these projects, using commonly preferred local products.
A very brief Division 01 is helpful for defining how everyone expects the Contractor to behave, including substitution request procedures. The technical sections are very concise, with basis of design products listed by name, with options and colors so the Contractor can place orders without a lot of submittals. Typically allowances are used for pricing what the Owner and interior decorator will select later.
A great market to be in, Lisa!
Look under this forum for Herman Hoyer Short Form Newsletters.
This will your best look as to how to review content and keep it to a minimum.
We collectively, tend to put in our documents more information and notes to cover/control the contractor that screwed up the last job.
Just remember without enforcement and authority from the owner to act, the paper is worthless.
A good resource for sheet specs is Kalin Associates, which generously offers their masters as a free download on their website. Under the SERVICES tab, click the link at bottom of page for Free Downloads, then sign up and select “Sheetspec”.
Mr. Wilson, thanks for the recommendation; that’s us.
Even the lowest-end home deserves some sort of specifications. When I was working with projects of that type, many years ago, I found two useful documents.
One is “Specification Outline for Convenient Living Homes” by Home Planners, Inc., General Motors Building, Detroit 2, Michigan. The copy I have has a 1946 copyright date. It has nine pages, and covers pretty much everything you would have needed for a home built seventy years ago; not much on wi-fi or sound systems.
The other is “Home Specifications”, published by Twin City Federal Savings and Loan Association, originally published in 1974 and updated in 1984. It has a dozen pages of specifications, a couple of agreement forms, and a sheet of graph paper for a plot plan.
Both documents are a mix of specific information and fill-in-the-blanks. Not very CSI, but enough to get an ordinary house built.
One note that I have never seen on project drawings of any size, large or small, is:
“Read the specifications.”
Ron,
That’s a good start!
Jeffrey,
I’ll check out Kalin.
Curt, I’ll check out that link , too.
Unfortunately, I haven’t spent much time with specs, though I’m really interested in them. I’ll give it a go.
A good one to start with, as this project is rustic.
Thank you all,
Sheet Spec.
First decision: What constitutes, “just enough to get a building permit?”
Second Decision: How little quality assurance/quality control are the Architect and Owner willing to live with?
Third Decision: How do schedules and notes on the drawings integrate with Sheet Specs? For Example, Does a Schedule (listing) of Finish Materials suffice for specifications? Is a shopping list sufficient to get a facility constructed?
Re-read Herman Hoyer’s postings on 4Specs.com regarding Shortform Specifications. Sheet Specs are the radical application of the principles of Shortorm Specifications. With Herman’s approval, I incorporated his thoughts in the book, Construction Specifiations, Principles and Procedures. Since Mark Kalin is now responsible for the book, questions and comments should be addressed to Mark.
Sheet specs are not limited to residential construction. There are minor construction projects in the world of Institutional facilities(Job order Contracting) which are very conducive to Sheet Specs. One of Herman’s challenging concepts is one that applies to all construction specifiations: say enough, no more and no less, than is necessary in the specifications. That’s very challenging to do.
I attempted to produce specificaions for a new residence recently. I tried to write a concise set of conventional 3-Part format specifications but ended up withdrawing from the project (“fired the client”) due to ignorance/incompetence in construction technology (I didn’t think a gypsum-based fill on plywood sheathing was appropriate as a substrate for roofing and deck coatings.
Light construction is not simple construction.
BTW, when I wrote the 5th Edition of CSW, I included a set of shortform Division 1 specifications. I haven’t heard any specific comments about them but I thought they are important, especially for small scale commercial and institutional projects and for sophisticated residential construction. Afterall, what’s the worse that could happen if you “go bare?”
“Light construction is not simple construction.” Right - there are probably more opportunities for failure because there are probably more opportunities to get an under-qualified contractor.
When I had my architectural practice, I would put specifications on a drawing sheet or two, concentrating on a shopping list of proprietary products where possible. Usually I would include an applicable reference standard where available for non-proprietary products - but that can lead to unintended consequences, too.
Back before there was an ASTM product standard for sealants, there was a Federal Spec. It was listed on every tube of “calking” available at all the big box stores. So I listed this Fed. Spec XXX-XXX reference for sealants on a residential addition. On this particular project, the owner terminated my contract after bidding and before construction. I came to find out that the low-bid “contractor” convinced the owner that their dumb architect didn’t know what he was talking about because his specs obviously were written for complicated government projects, not simple residential ones.
Here’s the punchline: a few years later I got called in on a project by another contractor with whom I had done several projects. He was doing some remedial work on a residence where there were several issues with water infiltration.
Yep, same project!
KARMA!
Is KARMA a new sporty car with psychic passenger protection?
It’s not a car, but it is a specialized vehicle, locked in a circular loop (what goes around, comes around). It’s a monoposto–no passenger seat. And the driver has no protection.