What complaints do YOU hear? While you want to learn from other's mistakes, it's also good to learn from your own. Please go first and tell us some of the complaints you've heard.
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# 1 gripe
Why is it so hard to get more than one copy of a plan,are Architects afraid someone will steal the extra sets.......:whistling and use them to build another house.......
Why is it so hard to get more than one copy of a plan,are Architects afraid someone will steal the extra sets.......:whistling and use them to build another house.......
Because that's his overhead. Most places give a certain amount, anywhere from 4-8 sets. Give builders too many, then someone makes a change, gets very, very expensive real fast.Why is it so hard to get more than one copy of a plan,are Architects afraid someone will steal the extra sets.......:whistling and use them to build another house.......
#1 design problems response
Wow! I got a lot more responses to this question than I thought I would, so I will take JK Floors advice and describe the few main complaints about designers that my clients have told me:
#1 - Not enough information on the plans. Some plans that were brought to me from other designers barely had any measurements, let alone a cross-section detailing how it was to be built. Contractors hate spending time on the job site holding their tape measure on a blueprint, trying to guess to the closest inch how large certain areas are.
#2 - Too much information on the plans. Other plans that were brought to me have had electrical plans mixed in with regular structural details and it generally wreaks havoc on the brain to try sorting everything out. The designers who do that might be trying to save paper cost, but any savings are lost in the first hour spent trying to decipher the mess.
#3 - Rediculous plan prices. I hear this a few times throughout the year. Fortunately, the complaint is not about my prices I recently had one of my regular contractor clients come to me for some detail work on an addition he was doing and showed me the plans he was working off of. Zero structural information, basic floor plan layouts without room sizes, etc.. Despite the contractors efforts to get his client to use my design services, his client used an architect friends service and ended up paying $14,000 for worthless drawings. I could have done it for $5,000 or less. Needless to say, the friendship was on the rocks.... I wonder why....
I can sympathize with all the other design problem replies, except for the guy with the TP problem. Never had an issue like that because I never worked in the field, but you did bring a grin to my face.
Roof plans are a normal part of my designs. My clients find it much easier to calculate building materials if they have a roof plan. First and second floor framing plans are also a normal thing for us to draw. It keeps the contractors coming back.
We make it very clear at the beginning of design jobs with new clients that we provide 7 copies of plans unless they want more or less. We charge a per sheet price, so we let the client dictate the number of copies. We always strive for super-consistency on our designs, but mistakes happen. If it is my fualt I will print another set or 2, my cost, to get a revised township approval.
All of the above is just touching the tip of the iceberg, I feel, so keep giving me feedback. I am always willing to learn, and maybe someday I can add you to my client list. We do have the ability to have residential designs stamped in all 50 states.
God bless,
Larry
Larry's Home Designs
Wow! I got a lot more responses to this question than I thought I would, so I will take JK Floors advice and describe the few main complaints about designers that my clients have told me:
#1 - Not enough information on the plans. Some plans that were brought to me from other designers barely had any measurements, let alone a cross-section detailing how it was to be built. Contractors hate spending time on the job site holding their tape measure on a blueprint, trying to guess to the closest inch how large certain areas are.
#2 - Too much information on the plans. Other plans that were brought to me have had electrical plans mixed in with regular structural details and it generally wreaks havoc on the brain to try sorting everything out. The designers who do that might be trying to save paper cost, but any savings are lost in the first hour spent trying to decipher the mess.
#3 - Rediculous plan prices. I hear this a few times throughout the year. Fortunately, the complaint is not about my prices
I recently had one of my regular contractor clients come to me for some detail work on an addition he was doing and showed me the plans he was working off of. Zero structural information, basic floor plan layouts without room sizes, etc.. Despite the contractors efforts to get his client to use my design services, his client used an architect friends service and ended up paying $14,000 for worthless drawings. I could have done it for $5,000 or less. Needless to say, the friendship was on the rocks.... I wonder why....I can sympathize with all the other design problem replies, except for the guy with the TP problem. Never had an issue like that because I never worked in the field, but you did bring a grin to my face.
Roof plans are a normal part of my designs. My clients find it much easier to calculate building materials if they have a roof plan. First and second floor framing plans are also a normal thing for us to draw. It keeps the contractors coming back.
We make it very clear at the beginning of design jobs with new clients that we provide 7 copies of plans unless they want more or less. We charge a per sheet price, so we let the client dictate the number of copies. We always strive for super-consistency on our designs, but mistakes happen. If it is my fualt I will print another set or 2, my cost, to get a revised township approval.
All of the above is just touching the tip of the iceberg, I feel, so keep giving me feedback. I am always willing to learn, and maybe someday I can add you to my client list. We do have the ability to have residential designs stamped in all 50 states.
God bless,
Larry
Larry's Home Designs
Why is it so hard to get more than one copy of a plan,are Architects afraid someone will steal the extra sets.......:whistling and use them to build another house.......
Well, there are several reasons, it depends on the municipality. In Chicago for example, we submit 3 copies to the Building department and receive 2 back.
One copy of the approved plans stays with the City for the building inspectors, one goes to the architect's office and one to the job-site. As a word of advice, make sure to always have an approved set on site.
Sometimes drawings are corrected several times from the original plan to what is approved and I've seen mistakes made where parts of a building were built to original plans and not what was finally approved, and the inspector has the approved set, so the building will not pass inspection.
As far as using a set of plan for a different house, Again, it would have to be on a lot of substantially similar size and of the same Zone to ensure that the FAR and set-backs are met. Keep in mind that varies per property. Besides, you would be looking at a heafty lawsuit, I saw such a case last year, that went over $50,000, for a set of drawings that would have cost about 3g's... Not worth the risk IMO.
Wow! I got a lot more responses to this question than I thought I would, so I will take JK Floors advice and describe the few main complaints about designers that my clients have told me:
#1 - Not enough information on the plans. Some plans that were brought to me from other designers barely had any measurements, let alone a cross-section detailing how it was to be built. Contractors hate spending time on the job site holding their tape measure on a blueprint, trying to guess to the closest inch how large certain areas are.
#2 - Too much information on the plans. Other plans that were brought to me have had electrical plans mixed in with regular structural details and it generally wreaks havoc on the brain to try sorting everything out. The designers who do that might be trying to save paper cost, but any savings are lost in the first hour spent trying to decipher the mess.
#3 - Rediculous plan prices. I hear this a few times throughout the year. Fortunately, the complaint is not about my prices
I can sympathize with all the other design problem replies, except for the guy with the TP problem. Never had an issue like that because I never worked in the field, but you did bring a grin to my face.
Roof plans are a normal part of my designs. My clients find it much easier to calculate building materials if they have a roof plan. First and second floor framing plans are also a normal thing for us to draw. It keeps the contractors coming back.
We make it very clear at the beginning of design jobs with new clients that we provide 7 copies of plans unless they want more or less. We charge a per sheet price, so we let the client dictate the number of copies. We always strive for super-consistency on our designs, but mistakes happen. If it is my fualt I will print another set or 2, my cost, to get a revised township approval.
All of the above is just touching the tip of the iceberg, I feel, so keep giving me feedback. I am always willing to learn, and maybe someday I can add you to my client list. We do have the ability to have residential designs stamped in all 50 states.
God bless,
Larry
Larry's Home Designs
Larry,
On the first two issues I will comment. The drawings, should have dimensions, they should never have to be measured or scaled... Period.
As far as elevations, sure, cross, wall sections, with UL numbers, insulation types, gyp. board, framing, Footing details, etc.
The issue that you have regarding too much information on the plans, is not really the case, what those architects did was poor work, they didn't structure the plans properly. They should be structure as follows: Page 1 Title sheet, with site plan, legal descriptions, notes, and certifications.
Next is architecturals, with floor plans and maybe electrical, some elevations.
Foundation Or structurals, depending on the size of the project either go before the architecturals or at the end of the set, if larger projects. (because that's how they are reviewed, besides if it's a bigger project, we usually subcontract to an S.E.)
Mechanicals, Electrial, Plumbing in that order... If it's a small SFR or up to 3 units, you can mix some of these, but I like to keep my mechanicals completely separate with Vent, schedules.. I don't even label the rooms on the floor plan, but rather on the perimeter...
Clarity on the plans is of the utmost importance...
Door, window, plumbing fixture, and HVAC schedules... But these should be limited to small sections of the drawing.. Keep in mind that the more detailed a plan is; the more the building inspector will be looking for.. It will save money to the contractor if the architect is as vague as possible,
Just obtain minimal approval on items that don't really matter, just show the size, type, UL rating and quantity. Just whatever the city requires. No need to get fancy. If the homeowner has extra money to spend, let him spend it on upgrades, like brazilian cherry floors or granite counter tops...Not brand name screws or doors with a certain type of closer...
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