ᐅ Architect / Structural Engineer Services, Execution Plan, Scope
Created on: 10 Jul 2018 10:36
K
Kalle88
Hello everyone,
thank you very much for having me. I am proud to be part of this forum. After deciding to build a semi-detached house (without a basement), I hope to benefit from your experience and knowledge.
My first question concerns the planning process. I know a civil engineer who wants to create my plans together with an architect. Each would focus on their respective tasks. However, this might have been a bit premature. I have since looked into it more closely. The service phases of HOAI include nine stages: 1. Basic evaluation, 2. Preliminary planning, 3. Design planning, 4. Approval planning, 5. Execution planning, 6. Preparation of contract award, 7. Participation in contract award, 8. Construction supervision, 9. Project completion.
The services are provided up to phase 4, that is, the approval planning stage. This means the complete building application is submitted to the local building authority. That sounds great, but I have now reached the point where I feel the real work only starts here. How is the mason supposed to know how to work? No one on the construction site knows what to do. There is no information about the thickness of the foundation slab, or the floor, screed, etc. Do you agree with me? Or am I mistaken? It could also be that I show the workers the respective plans, and based on my plans, they provide the required work. For example: I show the carpenter and roofer my plan. They then create their own plan on how to build the roof structure. Or the electrician—they get my drawing and develop a solution based on my plans. The same goes for the heating engineer, plumber, screed installer, and so on.
Can you tell me which execution plan(s) should at least still be provided by the architect or civil engineer?
Thank you very much for your help!
Best regards,
Kalle
thank you very much for having me. I am proud to be part of this forum. After deciding to build a semi-detached house (without a basement), I hope to benefit from your experience and knowledge.
My first question concerns the planning process. I know a civil engineer who wants to create my plans together with an architect. Each would focus on their respective tasks. However, this might have been a bit premature. I have since looked into it more closely. The service phases of HOAI include nine stages: 1. Basic evaluation, 2. Preliminary planning, 3. Design planning, 4. Approval planning, 5. Execution planning, 6. Preparation of contract award, 7. Participation in contract award, 8. Construction supervision, 9. Project completion.
The services are provided up to phase 4, that is, the approval planning stage. This means the complete building application is submitted to the local building authority. That sounds great, but I have now reached the point where I feel the real work only starts here. How is the mason supposed to know how to work? No one on the construction site knows what to do. There is no information about the thickness of the foundation slab, or the floor, screed, etc. Do you agree with me? Or am I mistaken? It could also be that I show the workers the respective plans, and based on my plans, they provide the required work. For example: I show the carpenter and roofer my plan. They then create their own plan on how to build the roof structure. Or the electrician—they get my drawing and develop a solution based on my plans. The same goes for the heating engineer, plumber, screed installer, and so on.
Can you tell me which execution plan(s) should at least still be provided by the architect or civil engineer?
Thank you very much for your help!
Best regards,
Kalle
Zaba, you haven’t started building yet, have you? It’s incredible how many decisions you have to make. I was more than grateful for every measurement that was included in our plans. For example, the exact placement of the windows, including the external blinds and roller shutters, wasn’t specified. This affects how deep the windowsill needs to be. The day you know the windowsill depth for sure determines when you can order those components and when the plasterer can come in at the earliest. There were also many other “small details” that I had never actively thought about before. In my opinion, anyone who isn’t regularly present at the construction site loses out and has to accept whatever the contractors decide on their own...
Maria16 schrieb:
Zaba, you haven’t started building yet, right? It’s unbelievable how many decisions you have to make. I was more than happy about every measurement included in our plans. For example, what wasn’t specified was the exact positioning of the windows including the external blinds and roller shutters. This affects how deep the windowsills need to be. The day you know the exact windowsill depth determines when you can order these elements and when the plasterer can come in at the earliest. There were also many other “small details” that we never actively thought about beforehand. In my opinion, anyone who isn’t regularly on site ends up losing out and has to accept whatever the contractors decide…It’s true, construction won’t start until the end of August. I’m also not building alone but have a construction coordinator. However, I will of course be on site every day.
I also wrote that this kind of project only works with an economical construction method (not meaning cheap or focused on energy efficiency), one close to the standard, and all trades involved doing this type of work regularly.
The heights of the windowsills are the least of your worries, trust me. You can handle that yourself too. :p
Even though I am doing it differently than many others, this should not encourage you to copy it.
Just because you know the craftsmen and the tradespeople doesn’t mean they have collaborated with each other before. For a process like this, the trades must have worked together closely for years and know each other inside out.
Zaba12 schrieb:
It's true, construction will only start at the end of August. I'm not building alone either; I have a construction coordinator. However, I will of course be on site every day.
I also mentioned that this kind of project only works with an economical building method (not meaning cheap or energy-related), which is close to standard practice and all trades involved have done this before.
The height of the window sills is the least of your worries, believe me. You can handle that yourself too. :p
Even if I do things differently than many others, it shouldn't encourage you to copy that.
Just because you know the craftsmen and tradespeople doesn’t mean they have worked together before. For this approach to work, the trades must have collaborated closely over several years and be very familiar with each other.I find it quite confident of you to write like this even though you haven’t laid a single stone yet. You haven’t built yourself and yet you believe everything will run smoothly for you... but you don’t recommend it to others. We will both start at the same time. Let’s see who will have fewer headaches ;-)
Zaba12 schrieb:
However, I will of course be on the construction site every day.
I don’t know how you can manage something like this alongside work. The tradespeople also work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and if you only show up in the afternoon, it’s not very useful because some of the work is already done by then.
Maria16 schrieb:
What wasn’t included, for example, was exactly where the windows, including external blinds and roller shutters, should be installed. This affects how deep the window sills need to be. The date when you can be certain about the window sill depth determines when you can order these components and the earliest time the plasterer can start. There were also many other “small details” that you’d never actively thought about beforehand. In my opinion, if you’re not regularly present on site, you’ve already lost and have to live with whatever the companies decide...
Yes, we also spent a long time considering the window sill height, for example if the countertop should run into the window (without interior window sills). These details are included in the execution plans.
We can gladly share experiences when the time comes. I have been planning the construction for a year now and have already discussed all the quotes and execution details with all trades involved.
I’m certainly not the first person to build this way.
Why shouldn’t this be compatible with work? There is flexible working hours, so if necessary, I can spontaneously go to the site in the morning or afternoon. I’m almost always reachable by phone. I have someone overseeing the construction. My wife is also there. That things can go wrong here and there is nothing new.
Not recommending something doesn’t mean it’s forbidden. If your trades know each other and have worked together before, and if you have the time to manage your build, then go ahead. I’m not the one shouting “without architect planning” the house will be a ruin.
I’m certainly not the first person to build this way.
Why shouldn’t this be compatible with work? There is flexible working hours, so if necessary, I can spontaneously go to the site in the morning or afternoon. I’m almost always reachable by phone. I have someone overseeing the construction. My wife is also there. That things can go wrong here and there is nothing new.
Not recommending something doesn’t mean it’s forbidden. If your trades know each other and have worked together before, and if you have the time to manage your build, then go ahead. I’m not the one shouting “without architect planning” the house will be a ruin.
I wanted to emphasize that there are many decisions to make that you might not even consider when building your first house. The parapet height was fixed beforehand, but whether the window is set 20cm (8 inches) or 16cm (6 inches) deep into the reveal was not. I only thought about the reveal depth for the first time when the window installers asked me about it. ^^
So, you should carefully consider whether you have the time and patience to make all these decisions on short notice and spontaneously, because—if at all*—these questions usually only come up when the contractor is already faced with the problem and cannot continue work without an answer.
*In my opinion, we were generally lucky with our contractors. Still, some of the tradespeople might have made their decisions without us if there were several technically correct options and the difference mostly affected subsequent trades or was "just" about aesthetics—if we hadn’t repeatedly asked questions ourselves or had (relatives) on site.
So, you should carefully consider whether you have the time and patience to make all these decisions on short notice and spontaneously, because—if at all*—these questions usually only come up when the contractor is already faced with the problem and cannot continue work without an answer.
*In my opinion, we were generally lucky with our contractors. Still, some of the tradespeople might have made their decisions without us if there were several technically correct options and the difference mostly affected subsequent trades or was "just" about aesthetics—if we hadn’t repeatedly asked questions ourselves or had (relatives) on site.
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