A competent contractor should know what and how much to remove before the installation process starts. A photo and detailed heights is pretty simple to create, especially for a hardscape contractor.

 

Most of the plans I get have a demo plan included. Someday I expect I'll see one that's accurate. It's only been 36 years, there is still a chance.

 

Most of the plans I get have a demo plan included. Someday I expect I'll see one that's accurate.

Even if it’s not completely accurate, at least it shows the intended area to be demo‘d. So when you present the change order for a substantial increase in demo costs, you can say “i bid it off these plans”.

 

Not sure what your issue is. Perhaps you can be more specific. I'm not even sure if we're talking renovation or landscaping.

Yes we sometimes use demo plans, they are required for permit on jobs involving structural modifications.

If you are the GC, you control what is acceptable to you. If you are paying for plans, you can enforce the level of detail and accuracy. If the plans are supplied to you by the client or his architect, you can again enforce through the contract the detail level and accuracy required.

I've never heard of a "draftsman" instructing the "crews" on what to do. My contracts explicitly prohibit that. Why is your "draftsman" even on the jobsite?

 

Not sure what your issue is. Perhaps you can be more specific. I'm not even sure if we're talking renovation or landscaping.

Yes we sometimes use demo plans, they are required for permit on jobs involving structural modifications.

If you are the GC, you control what is acceptable to you. If you are paying for plans, you can enforce the level of detail and accuracy. If the plans are supplied to you by the client or his architect, you can again enforce through the contract the detail level and accuracy required.

I've never heard of a "draftsman" instructing the "crews" on what to do. My contracts explicitly prohibit that. Why is your "draftsman" even on the jobsite?

The question is specifically for landscaping. Exactly as mentioned. On my area of business , the draftman and estimator are the same person.

So a client comes and meets with him/her, he then prepares a drawing and how is going to look after is done.

Then, the foreman is to use that drawing to do the renovation.

Now there are small business in which the estimator, drafman and foreman is the same person. In such case, a tear out/demo drawing are not as useful as the foreman knows what to do as he designed it.

However, in medium to large companies, the estimator/draftman and foreman are two diferent people and more clarity is a must.

Again, I have several treads on this and related items and to be honest, it seems the challenges is due to the wide informality in the landscaping industry (compared to other construction industries) as well as the small company mentally transitioning into a bigger one.


For me, it typically does not affects me much as I work as Project Coordinator (purchasing/procuring: materials, equipment, people , trades and controlling costs, scheduling, etc).

It's very unfortunate to see the estimator/drafman blaming the crew (foreman and labors) for information passed trough word of mouth that did not get executed on site.

Since I have worked in other construction industries I know very well how this info must be passed on to the field people but again it seems the issue is the wide informality in the landscaping industry and the transition to bigger company.

On these circumstances, It's easy for office people to pass the blame on the field people and for me again is a bit disappointed to watch it when I know I otherwise.

 

I haven't seen a set of plans done by a draftsman in 30 years, other than plans I've done myself. Everything I do is designed by an architect and sometimes they are deeply involved in the project.

 

Like most electrical plans not actually drawn by someone who gives a chit I disregard and use the new floor plan. I used to mark everything myself, now my brother or one of the superintendents does. When I was doing commercial renovations in high rises I would literally paint a red line through the wall where I wanted to turn out and have a big red vertical line with the actual word STOP paint it on the wal l😆

 

I don't understand why a landscaping question was presented with building plan view drawings.

Aside from that yes a demo plan is handy and usually the easiest drawing to produce. In landscaping often it's a full tear out. Specific plants to salvage or move should really be field marked by the designer before a crew shows up.

 

The only landscape demo plan I would expect besides tree removal would be for removal of any permanent structures or flatwork.
Any competent person can view a landscape plan and adapt the existing without much fuss. Why bother or pay someone to draw out what you can readily see.

 

Any competent person can view a landscape plan and adapt the existing without much fuss. Why bother or pay someone to draw out what you can readily see.

I think it would be helpful to show the intent, and call out anything to watch out for.