In our last eBits we talked about the fact that PLANNING - DESIGNING - IMPLEMENTING has been a constant on projects over the years. I made the statement that we firmly believe that Planning is the foundation for which all successful projects are built. If that is true, then Detailed Design is the superstructure. Without Detailed Design the construction phase is guided only by guess work.
Several years ago, we were contacted by a restaurant owner that was doing a tenant build-out of an existing building. He had already hired a contractor, had completed the interior demolition, and was starting the renovation of the space when he realized he had a problem. He had no Detailed Design documents to give direction to his contractor, only sketchy permit drawings. Then the inspector showed up and put a stop-work order on the project because he could not tell what was supposed to be done. The restaurant owner called us to help solve his problem. After a job site meeting, we began the process of producing documents for his contractor to work from and for the inspector to know exactly what was to be done. Before we completed our work, this project had a sad ending – the building burnt down.
Unless you plan to have your building burn down before it is completed, you should have detailed construction documents produced. These documents should…
…Communicate the design parameters and details to the contractor and the agencies. PDMi uses 3D modeling as a great tool to accomplish this.
…Provide Constructable Details. Just because a detail can be drawn on paper (or for that matter, dreamed up in your mind) does not mean it can be constructed. We have spent many years alongside contractors gaining understanding on what details are constructible and what ones are not.
…Specify Material Selection. The right materials used in the right places will assure a project's success.
We know that good Detailed Design documents will guide your project. Give us a call to talk about how PDMi can work with you on your next project.
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