101 on Plans and Specs
The world of real estate development and construction has its own language for the documents used to specify and buy construction. If you specify it, get a price for it, and the spec is not later shown to be impossible, then you are entitled to get it for the price quoted.
This is important in the cost environment we are in now, as costs have been on a 2% per month increase for the past several years and do not appear to be abating yet.
There are four ways to control construction costs during construction:
- your relationship with your contractor shifts the risk/reward formula so that they cover more of the risk, for less of the reward. They do this because of the value they place on getting additional work from you. If this is a one-off project, then you can't count on this method.
- competition between trade contractors rewards vendors who are leaner and more productive.
- accurate and complete contracts that call out what you are buying, what are acceptable tolerances, when it should be complete, and how it should look when complete.
- Defending the price by getting what is called for in the construction documents.
The key element is an enforceable set of plans and specs with a reputable contractor.
The largest flaw in the AIA documents is that the process is not oriented around acceptance. Plans are not accepted by the Owner as being complete, meeting the needs of the program and forecast to be built within the resources available. Designing to a budget, errors and omissions in the contract documents, unforeseen conditions, and code compliance are all outside the responsibility of the designer in the AIA form documents.
Design is an iterative process--on some of the homes I have produced, design iterations are happening right up to the start of fabrication. This list shows the stages of design, what you should expect to pay for them, and how dialed in your pricing should be.
Concept Design--This is where you develop program based on balancing the needs/requirements of the Owner with the unique qualities of your site. Best practice is for Owner to provide topographic survey with 2' contours. Soils report with seismic hazard map. Tree report if site is heavily forested. Inspector reports of any existing structures on the property.
- Opportunities and constraints map. Develop three different soft pencil site plan solutions based upon these opps/constraints.
- Square footage estimates of indoor/outdoor/utility space. Allow for 10% extra back of house/utility chase space, and reserve 10% of site plan for siting of equipment, parking, etc.
- Initial performance spec of MEP, acoustical and lighting systems. Low voltage performance spec.
- Version 1.0.0 of the finish schedule.
- Sustainable materials plan.
- Security.
- Balconies, terraces and outdoor rooms.
- Parking, turnarounds and fire department hammerheads and access.
- Multiple alternatives generated from opportunity and constraints map primarily showing massing alternatives, elevations, and optomization of opportunities constraints. Indicate variances if any, required for city approval of different alternatives.
Based upon the initial program, a topographic survey and soils report of the property, an opportunity and constraints map is produced. Plan should be to the closest inch in showing finished ceiling heights, door openings and room dimensions. Cost estimate based upon square footages and complexity of exterior elevations, expected range from +/- 20%.
Schematic Design--At acceptance of the schematic design phase, you will have burned through about 15 to 18% of the total architectural fee. Budget range should be +/- 10% of final contracted cost. As deliverables, you should have:
Study model illustrating massing and visibility from offsite.
Elevations sufficient to gain design approval from design review boards with jurisdiction over the approvals of your project.
Site plan showing outdoor rooms, landscaped areas, retaining walls and grade changes. Site lighting at night. Pool/spa/water features.
Plans detailed enough to quantity takeoffs of casework, plaster, kitchen, bath, doors & windows.
Building sections sufficient to convey: rise and run of stairs, fireplace flue routing, kitchen exhaust fan routing, and transitions from indoor to outdoor spaces.
MEP performance spec with supply/return locations sufficient to get pricing proposals within +/-10%.
Site plan complete enough to do quantity take-off on site improvements.
If the proposed plan is seeking any variances to the local general plan, this should be called out. Single family homes are typically exempt from CEQA environmental review.
Design Development--Now that you have received planning approval, this set folds in structural engineering, and MEP plans to refine the interior dimensions to within half an inch. Ceiling heights should be called out in all rooms where ceiling heights matter. This set should be complete enough to submit for and recieve a building permit.
Construction pricing should be based on quantity takeoffs, not a lump-sum line item number. Quantities should be within 3% of final, and unit pricing should be within 10% of final. Right sizing finish schedule and budgets can occur with swapping out finishes and fixtures to get to right budget number.
Completion of this phase and acceptance of the design development documents should be 20 to 30% of the total design fee. Elements of design development include:
- Exterior elevations showing all work. Plans and reflected ceiling plans showing all code related work. Site plan.
- Grading and drainage plans. Retaining walls sized, sections showing rebar and drainage.
- Finish schedule v2.0.0
- Structural plans, calculations, details and specifications.
- MEP system plans and calcs sufficient for building permit issuance and design/build trade contractor RFP. Back of house space for air handlers, hot water heaters, switchgear, pool and spa equipment.
Construction Documents--This is the contract document, establishing the final product in the contract. Pricing should be complete with quantities dialed in, and unit costs based upon final version of finish schedule. Accept no lump sum pricing. Owner should reserve a 2 to 3% contingency to cover errors and omissions in the drawings, capricious interpretation of building codes, and unforeseen site conditions. Production of these documents should consume 30 to 40% of the design budget.
- Plans, and reflected ceiling plans of all rooms.
- Final exterior elevations with all work located.
- Interior elevations of all rooms, with perforations (supply/return registers, recessed lights, switches, power, smoke detectors, glass breaks, motion detectors, low voltage) noted.
- Complete Structural Plans.
- Complete grading and drainage plans.
- Preliminary furniture plans.
- Kitchen plans if by separate manufacturer.
- Appliance schedules.
- Plumbing fixture schedules.
- HVAC grill schedules.
- Lighting fixture schedule.
- Door and window schedule. Hardware schedule.
- Finish Schedule v3.0.0
- Casework elevations, sections, and details showing desired detailing, joinery and hardware.
- Detailing of all conditions where materials meet, details sufficient for preparation of fabrication (shop) drawings for custom assemblies.
- Complete, enforceable performance specification and drawings for design build systems.
- Complete specifications for all materials to be incorporated in the work.
- Landscape plans. Irrigation design/build drawings. Landscape lighting plans. Paving plans.
- Low voltage plans and equipment specifications.
Construction Administration--at this point, additional drawings are only produced if the scope of the work changes. Clarification sketches are produced for unique conditions. Errors and omissions are dealt with as revisions to the contract documents, or as clarifications. Construction administration is usually done on a monthly basis, and will consume about 20 to 40% of the total design budget.
Shop Drawing and Fabrication Drawings--these are drawings provided by the fabricator confirming design intent and manufacturing detail, ie veneer matches on casework for example. Vendors usually want to charge for additional iterations of drawings, my experience has shown that if design intent is understood and constructable, two and a half passes should be sufficient to confirm that what will be supplied will meet design intent. MEP design build drawings fall under this category.
Certificate of Substantial Completion--the start of the warranty period and the acceptance by the Owner of the improvements. This date should not be before the delivery of the record drawings by the contractor, and the receipt of the Certificate of Occupancy, or final building permit sign-off by the building inspector.
Punchlist--usually provided by the Contractor, and then the Owner or Architect confirms or refines to make the project punchlist. I keep any additional work off the punchlist.
Warranty--do an eleven month walk through to pick up any issues/deficiencies now that the building and its systems have been operating.
Tags: Construction Costs, Plans and Specs, Cost to Complete, Design Stages
