Hello,
I am new to the forum and to building. I was hoping for the benefit of a builder’s experience in answering this fundamental question. What makes a great set of plans? What are the tell tale signs of a poor set?
Thanks in advance for any guidance … 🙂
T
Replies
I believe that your question is too general to answer. Could you describe your particular situation in some detail?
Ditto barmil. Are you buying a set of plans, and trying to determine if they are a good buy? Are you going to create a set of drawings? has a builder criticized a set of drawings you askied him to bid?
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Not a complete answer but I think one is attention to detail and completeness.
A good plan should be arranged in such a way as to simplify the job. To the maximum extent possible.
Anything not readily apparent and perfectly clear in the plans should have a separate detail and/or elevation provided. Measurements should be easily derived without having to dig too deeply or making extensive calculations.
A pet peeve is when the lighting design has not been aligned with the roof framing. A designer can easily draw in high hat fixtures virtually anywhere. But they are devilishly difficult to place if the trusses conflict. The idea of an electrician coming at the trusses with a chainsaw causes the sleeping GC to break out in a cold sweat.
Duct, plumbing and major conduit runs should be accounted for in the framing. In open framing it can often be left to the various trades but with some framing designs it is best if the major runs are given dedicated routes and chases. The bigger the building the more this is an issue.
Anything left out of the plan set is likely to be installed based on the best guess by the tradesmen involved. With luck this is often sufficient. Lacking luck it can cause resentments, conflicts and expensive and profit eating reworks.
If you understand what you want or have an experienced builder, tell the architect you want a "builders set". They'll be about 8 to 12 sheets in the set, with enough information to get a permit. If you want the full meal deal from the archy, it'll be 20 sheets or more. At About $1,000 a sheet you can see the advantage of someone knowing what they're doing.
Are they logical? I've seen plenty of prints come across my desk when I worked in yards that would have made me scream as the GC. Builders sets (a t God knows what a pop) for a 25,000 sq ft project that showed four dormers on the front in one view and three in another....A house where all the rooms were 3" longer than lumber sizes 12' 3", 16' 3"...there's an efficient use of resources, and a higher dumpster bill to boot. If you buy plans from one of those home plans magazines, check it to see if it 'works' in your area, if the construction methods are common to what guys in your area do. Ex: 84 lumber used to sell plans and material lists to Pennsylvania min code. In NY you needed to sheathe in 1/2" ply or osb. In Pa, only at the corners and the rest was 1/2" foam. Slightly different cost. You get the idea.
Welcome to BT. What makes a good plan set? It's a pretty broad question... Here is a few suggestions:
No mistakes. Mistakes in the plans are often a result of changes made during the design process. Plans need to be checked very carefully before the final set is printed and reproduced. This needs to be done by someone who has a very clear picture in their head of what is going to be built. Often, the design professional does not have that clear a picture as 1) he/she is not a carpenter/plumber/etc/etc/etc - that is the builders job - to know some about every trade and 2) he is not the one specking the material.
Often, wrong information is worse than no information. When the builder carefully reviews the plans omissions can also be rooted out - other: Where is the duct chase? How is the header gonna fit in there the way this elevation is drawn? etc.
All dimensions need to be checked to see that they are adequate for example to fit a toilet, sink, and tub on that wall, and all dimensions need to add up - in other words, for example if the room dimensions going down the house are 12'+12'+12' then the house better be 36' long plus whatever wall thicknesses are involved.
On the other hand the person who is building the house is not involved in the design process as he has not yet been awarded the bid.
All critical details and dimensions shown. For example, I recently got burned because there should have been a change in ceiling height but it wasn't shown on the plans. So I had to make the decision on the fly, and rather than making the framers take 3 or 4 hours to re-do several walls - we "went with it".
Not every dimension has to be shown though - like for example, if there is spacing of 3 items are 3', 3' and ?? and the overall dimension is given as 9', it's not hard to find the missing number...
To augment the details, it's a good thing to have several schedules added to the plan set - often the last page. By schedule I mean a list of critical items: plumbing schedule, interior trim schedule, electrical schedule, window and door schedule giving rough and finished sizes, HVAC schedule, floor covering schedule, etc, etc. These schedules might list elements to be included with sizes and who is supplying them.
To augment the details, it's a good thing to have several schedules added to the plan set - often the last page. By schedule I mean a list of critical items: plumbing schedule, interior trim schedule, electrical schedule, window and door schedule giving rough and finished sizes, HVAC schedule, floor covering schedule, etc, etc. These schedules might list elements to be included with sizes and who is supplying them.
Excellent advice.
I have seen many change orders and cost increases come from that lack of detail. Around here builders often use allowances for fixtures, lights, cabinets, interior doors and some flooring. The HO then gets to choose from a menu that may be in the builders budget for "best value". Upgrading or going outside his normal supply chain means an up charge to the HO.
Having your list of schedules helps tie down the cost for everyone, including the subs.
Dave
Ahh, yes. But plans can only include those elements of choice when an owner has chosen them.
If a builder is doing a spec house, he should be scheduling out his allowances based on what a "typical" finish would be for the size, style, and location of the house. He should also be presenting samples, catalogs, cut sheets, etc., all to present the offer clearly.
A good set of plans needs to consider everything and the information needed to accomplish it, from initial stakeout to final finish.
That means there needs to be a site plan, with details for paving, walkways, outdoor structures, plus all information needed for grading, drainage, and more.
Structural and foundation drawings must convey enough detail so all miscellaneous steel can be ordered and installed, plus beams, columns, embedments, etc.
Floorplans, elevations, roof plans, wall sections and details, all must leave the framing crew with no questions at all. Likewise for exterior finish.
Electrical plans must show all "openings" . . . all receps, switching, lighting boxes, cans, etc. Can centerlines should all be dimensioned. Panel locations should be shown.
Thank You
I was waiting for you to flesh out soem background to the original question before ansering. As others have already stated, the more info you can provide as to why you ask, the more detailed your responces can be. So far, what you have is good, but generic.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Thank You
Thank You Matt :)