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Plans & Specs Articles
Where to Get Home Plans
Construction Drawings
Construction Specifications
Hiring an Architect
Hiring a Designer
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Your building plans and specifications are your primary tools for communicating to everyone on the building team what you want built, and how to build it. The visual plans and written specifications work together — with the plans focusing on what to build, and the specifications focusing on the how to build it.
People in the building trades tend to be visual people, who prefer a good drawing over a wordy description of what you have in mind to build. However, drawings rarely tell the whole story so words must be added to describe exactly what materials to use, how to install them, and other important details. The written portion or your plans are called the specifications or “specs” for short.
The design phase is the most important part of your project, so take the time necessary to develop a complete set of plans and specs that covers every aspect of the project. Take the time needed to fine-tune the plan to exactly what you want. This is by far the cheapest and easiest time to make changes in your project. Erasing and moving a line on a drawing costs a small fraction of what it will cost to move a wall once construction is under way, or completed!
Anything omitted from the plans or specs, or left ambiguous, increases your risk of extra charges, delays, and disputes once the project is under way. Starting a project with just a rough sketch and a vague idea of what you are building is a prescription for endless cost increases, delays, and conflicts. A complete and thorough set of plans and specs will help you:
- Get apples-to-apples estimates from different contractors.
- Establish clear quality standards for the contractor to meet.
- Get what you want and expect, with no unpleasant surprises.
- Avoid change orders, cost overruns, delays, and disputes.
- Obtain a construction loan.
WHERE TO GET PLANS AND SPECS
The plans for your building or remodeling project can come from yourself, a professional designer, a stock plan book (for a new house), or from a building contractor, who may or may not have special training in design. In many cases, the plans are a hybrid. For example, you may bring some magazine pictures, hand-drawn sketches, or stock plans from a plan book to your designer or contractor, and collaborate on a finished plan. In most states, anyone can design a house or remodel, with or without specific training – or talent, judging by the many bad house designs that get built. read more
CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
The main purpose of construction drawings (also called plans, blueprints, or working drawings) is to show what is to be built, while the specifications focus on the materials, installation techniques, and quality standards. However, the distinction is not clear cut. Most designers put basic construction information in the drawings and use the specs to elaborate on materials, techniques, and standards to be met. Others pack their drawings with written notes that cover a many of the issues commonly contained in the specs. In some cases, you’ll find the same information in both places. If there is a conflict between the specs and drawing, the specs generally override the plans, at least legally. read more
CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS
If construction drawings focus on a building’s shape, appearance, and dimensions, the written specifications, or specs, focus on what materials will be used and how they should be installed. At a minimum, specifications list what materials to use, and call out any special installation requirements. Specs are much more valuable if they go farther and provide detailed installation requirements and establish quality standards for the materials and the workmanship. Equally important is providing a measurable way to determine whether the work has met the standard. read more
Lynda says
Can’t Find Plans or Costs for “Bridge” House
I am looking into buying an undeveloped plot of land, but in a development with utilities already stubbed to the site. It has very site-specific conditions — a cliff behind, and natural drainage in middle. The drainage area is generally dry, as we are in the Southwest.
So, I’ve been looking at bridge houses…those that span a drainage. It looks like these generally have steel trusses underneath on some type of pier construction. I am having difficulty finding plans or costs for this type of construction. The overall style is longer than wide. What’s the best way to proceed?
buildingadvisor says
I doubt that you’ll have much luck finding stock plans for a “bridge house”.
Most likely you will need an architect or other professional designer to develop a plan from scratch, specific to the building site.
With custom design and innovative construction, cost books will not get you too far. They will cover the basic costs of the house, but you will need engineering and custom fabrication of components to bridge the drainage area in the middle. You will pay a significant premium for this type of work.
If you are trying to ballpark the price, expect to spend on the high-side in your area, especially if the rest of the house will be as customized as the foundation. There is always a broad range of square-foot costs for building based mainly on the quality of the materials, level of craftsmanship, the amount of customization, and local labor costs.
You might also try working with a design-build firm that has had some experience with the type of house you are considering. Because they are contracting to both design and build the home, they will be working within a negotiated budget from early in the project. This will help you avoid the situation where you spend thousands of dollars on a house plan from an architect that turns out to be too expensive to build.
Some architects are sensitive to budgeting and understand the costs of construction; others are more focused on creating a beautiful design in line with their client’s needs and desires. Costs take a back seat during design, but can result in sticker shock when put out to bid.
See also Causes of Building Cost Overruns
tim borgerding says
Where Do I Get Plans for An Addition?
I am looking for someone to create plans for a contractor to follow. I am adding on to my garage to make a small apartment for my inlaws. What do you recommend?
buildingadvisor says
For a custom job like this you have a few options. The high-end route is to hire an architect. That might seem like overkill, but you can often get a bargain by just hiring the architect by the hour for preliminary plans – sometimes called “schematic design”. That will solve the big-picture aspect of the design, such as the size of the space, how it will attach to the main structure, the floor plan, and exterior appearance. Many contractors can take that and work out all the construction details required to get the thing built.
Some contractors can produce drawings themselves, or may hire a draftsperson to produce blueprints, which may be needed for a building permit in some jurisdictions.
Another option is to find a design-build contractor who offers both design and construction work. This can be an economical approach if you find the right person, but you may give up the freedom to get multiple bids. It’s best if you pay for the design work separately and have the right to use the design with another contractor if you choose to. Read the fine print to make sure you retain this right.
You can also look for a non-architect designer, who are often less expensive than an architect. These folks are sometimes harder to locate than an architect, but can certainly handle a project of this scope. Some are members of the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) which can help you locate someone locally.
Whoever you decide work with, make sure you look at their portfolio to see if you like their design style and check references. Find someone you feel comfortable working with since design is a very collaborative process. A good rapport between the owner and designer is critical for a successful project.
Best of luck with your project!
Nathan Phelps says
Get 2nd Opinion of Architect’s Plans
To evaluate a set of plans, I’ve used the approach of having material estimators for rough work call out missing items and give their opinion of the plans. This provides an excellent test of the architect based on the response of outside eyes to their plans. For example: Prior to pulling permit, send the plans to a few local lumber yards for lumber and hardware estimates. Then ask the estimators for their humble opinion of the plans and whether they saw anything that’s not quite right. This approach has saved thousands down the road by preventing on-the-spot change orders. The estimators typically respond enthusiastically because, oddly enough, they say less than 5% of folks ask them their opinion of the plans.
If your architect, designer, structural engineer, etc., respond proactively to the outside advice then you’ve just upped the trust level quite a bit – a opposed to negative, egocentric ‘I’m the best architect around’ fluff.