Plan Review, The Balancing Act

[ICE]

If everything should be on the drawings

The way it is now resembles an Easter egg hunt. Plans have a lot of stuff that doesn’t apply and just as much is missing. I’ve had plans for a single story building that included a few pages for an elevator. When I did plan checking I put a big black X through every detail or note that didn’t apply. Sometimes it was all sizzle and no steak.

Some of you guys are pushing to get more information on the plans and some of you are crying foul. You crybabies don’t get it. Contractors and inspectors don’t have the same perspective as engineers and architects. For starters, we aren’t as smart as you professionals. And you rubbing our noses in it doesn’t help the situation. Spreading the important info over plans, spec books and whatever else you prefer may be how you were trained… now feature this, we were never trained.

You need to put what you want right out in the open where we will notice it. If you want me in a spec book, you better point that out on the plans and give me the page number in your spec book. You people are all proud of your creation yet you make us hunt for the details… I’m surprised it’s not in Latin.

I hear the resident gadfly spouting all of the can’ts. You can’t ask for this and you can’t make them do that. We have a monopoly… they don’t go to Walmart for a permit if they don’t like what the BD tells them. We can make them wear a dress and learn how to walk in high heels.

There’s a reason why you’ll never see a tiger in a circus.

 

[jar546]

The way it is now resembles an Easter egg hunt. Plans have a lot of stuff that doesn’t apply and just as much is missing. I’ve had plans for a single story building that included a few pages for an elevator. When I did plan checking I put a big black X through every detail or note that didn’t apply. Sometimes it was all sizzle and no steak.

Some of you guys are pushing to get more information on the plans and some of you are crying foul. You crybabies don’t get it. Contractors and inspectors don’t have the same perspective as engineers and architects. For starters, we aren’t as smart as you professionals. And you rubbing our noses in it doesn’t help the situation. Spreading the important info over plans, spec books and whatever else you prefer may be how you were trained… now feature this, we were never trained.

You need to put what you want right out in the open where we will notice it. If you want me in a spec book, you better point that out on the plans and give me a page number in your spec book. You people are all proud of your creation yet you make us hunt for the details… I’m surprised it’s not in Latin.

I hear the resident gadfly spouting all of the can’ts. You can’t ask for this and you can’t make them do that. We have a monopoly… they don’t go to Walmart for a permit if they don’t like what the BD tells them. We can make them wear a dress and learn how to walk in high heels.

There’s a reason why you’ll never see a tiger in a circus.

There is a lot of truth in this statement. It is one of the most honest posts I've read in a long time.

 

[Mark K]

This would not be helpful for the inspector. It would be a lot quicker it the inspector could read it on the plans rather than looking it up online on their cell phone. The inspector might not know there is a spec book. The contractor usually does not know this too. Half of our area you cannot get online, especially in a large warehouse or many times the service is down.

If you familiarize yourself with the publications and positions by the AIA and the Construction Specifications Institute you will find that they recommend where the information should be located, specifications or drawings. Certain items are shown only in the specifications. I have followed these recommendations on numerous projects and have not encountered the problems that are being claimed in spite of the fact that everything is not shown on the drawings. Are the contractors and inspectors that much better in California?

 

[jar546]

Are the contractors and inspectors that much better in California?

Yes. Compared to Pennsylvania, yes. Of course, region and municipality matters. But, yes. Yes.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

Are the contractors and inspectors that much better in California?

Where I work anyone with a hammer can be a contractor, no licenses. I never herd of the AIA and the Construction Specifications Institute. Do you even think the contractors or architects in my area have?

 

[jar546]

Where I work anyone with a hammer can be a contractor, no licenses. I never herd of the AIA and the Construction Specifications Institute. Do you even think the contractors or architects in my area have?

I honestly can't believe this statement.

 

[Sifu]

Where I work anyone with a hammer can be a contractor, no licenses.

This part I believe. I have an AHJ where this applies.

 

[steveray]

Because that's the best time to do it for all involved.

Well, if the all-knowing all-powerful designer that I can't question produced the docs without a hardware schedule, what am I supposed to do....

 

[steveray]

I honestly can't believe this statement.

It's the same here....

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Where I work anyone with a hammer can be a contractor, no licenses. I never herd of the AIA and the Construction Specifications Institute. Do you even think the contractors or architects in my area have?

I can't speak to contractors but I have no doubt that architects have heard of both the AIA and the CSI. Membership in both organizations is voluntary, but so many commonly used documents and protocols in the practice of architecture are from one or the other of those organizations that it would be virtually impossible for any architect to become licensed without having encountered them. Contractors who work on projects any larger than single-family houses have all probably encountered the AIA as well, since even architects who don't belong to the organization typically use the AIA A201 General Conditions document and one of the AIA Owner-Contractor contract forms.

 

[Mark K]

Where I work anyone with a hammer can be a contractor, no licenses. I never herd of the AIA and the Construction Specifications Institute. Do you even think the contractors or architects in my area have?

The architects definitely have heard of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and I would be very surprised if they are unaware of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). A specification writer not familiar with CSI should not have been hired.

While some contractors may not be aware of the AIA or CSI they will quickly learn where information is to be found when they are informed about their transgressions. A Contractor that doesn't look at the specification manual, that he is given, is stupid since when there are problems that could have been avoided by looking in the specifications they will find that they have to pay to correct the problem.

It is equally important that the plan checkers, and hopefully the inspectors, know where information can be found. There is a system.

Expect for possibly the smallest of jobs all of the information cannot be located on the drawings.

 

[jar546]

The architects definitely have heard of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and I would be very surprised if they are unaware of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). A specification writer not familiar with CSI should not have been hired.

Agree, that this is common knowledge with architects, engineers, plans examiners, building officials, and most, if not all professional commercial contractors. I was honestly taken aback by the post you quoted.