Tips for House Plan Selection
Construction contracts and agreements are based on the plans.
Why are house plans important?
Picture yourself ordering a new car: You quickly reach a verbal agreement with the amiable salesman as to model, color, stereo system, and other accessories, just a few more technicalities and you'll be the proud owner.
You eagerly sign the contract, packed with legalese and fine print - time to get that fancy new car on order, wait for delivery, and start driving in style!
When the car finally arrives, you discover that it has no motor or wheels. The salesman is very sympathetic to your complaints, but is powerless to resolve the matter; motor and wheels are not in the contract. They will have to be added to the final price as extras.
Of course, this is a far-fetched example. This type of mistake is rare in the automobile business; but, due to the complexity of construction, mistakes and misunderstandings are common when dealing with the building trades.
The old adage, "Penny wise and pound foolish," aptly applies to the purchase of construction plans. Contracting the cheapest designer or buying inferior stock plans could cost thousands
during construction.
The plans are the least expensive and most important item on the list of services and materials needed to build a home.
Construction contracts and agreements are based on the plans.
In order to minimize disagreements and insure that the home is properly constructed, the plans must be complete, clear, and comprehensive.
What should a set of plans include?
The plans must comply with national and local building codes, and include all drawings, schedules, and specifications necessary for take-offs, bids, permits, and construction.
The building contract and plans must bind the builder and sub-contractors to complete construction in an honest, orderly, and timely manner.
The drawing sheets below represent a typical set of plans, but each home design may require more or less drawings and sheets:
Cover Page: Rendering of house facade. This sheet is optional, but adds a professional touch to the plans and inspires a professional operation on the construction jobsite.
Site Plan: Dimensionally locates property lines, streets, setbacks, side yards, utilities, rights-of-way, proposed buildings, and lists property description, lot number and physical address.
Floor Plan(s): Dimensioned and detailed drawings to locate walls, cabinets, and fixtures. Also possibly, door, window, finish, and square footage schedules.
Exterior Elevations: Views to show front, rear, both sides, and specify exterior materials, finishes, surface treatments, roof pitches, overhangs, trim, special features, such as balconies, chimneys, decorative vents, and the location of windows and doors.
Interior Elevations: Views of walls and cabinets to define the unique features included in the basic design, such as doors, vanities, cabinets, islands, drawers, mirrors, millwork, special lighting and wall treatments.
Foundation Plan: Dimensioned plan and sections detailing the location and size of footings, slabs, brick shelves, reinforcing steel, specifications covering soil pressure, concrete strength, and accepted practices, such as, slab area preparation and termite treatment.
Building Section(s): Cross-section(s) through the structure to illustrate wall, ceiling, roof and stair framing, and interior space arrangements.
Roof Plan: Arial view showing the roof ridges, valleys, chimneys, crickets, vents, and any unusual features to help the carpenters visualize the roof framing.
Construction Details: Dimensioned details of framing, porch supports, cornice, overhangs, fireplaces, lumber specs, bracing, connections, and sizes of wall, floor and ceiling joists.
Electrical Schematic: Specifications, notes, schedules, and plan(s) defining the location and types of panels, service, lighting fixtures, switches, outlets, smoke detectors, cable TV and telephones.
HVAC Schematic: Specifications, notes, schedules, details and plans(s} showing the location and size of HVAC units, compressors, vents, grills, cfm flows, attic access and clearances.
Summary
I sincerely hope this article illustrates the importance of construction plans and the financial hazards involved in the design and construction of a home.
There are inexpensive ebooks online that can help you deal with builders and subcontractors, such as, "The Home Building Suite". And there are free online directories where you can locate Qualified, Prescreened Homebuilders in your area.
Above all, have fun and good luck with your project ...Bob Goodman
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