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Stage
3: Contract Documentation
Now
you are satisfied that the design suits your needs and your budget,
and you have decided to proceed with the building, a major part
of an Architect's work starts.
Contract Documentation is a term which describes
the drawings and other instructions needed to make sure that your
house is built to your requirements, and to the standard expected
by your local building authority.
The stages of an Architect's thorough contract
documentation are:
(a) Working Drawings
The working drawings are technical
documents which show such things as set-out dimensions, set backs,
materials, levels, wall heights, beam sizes, window and door locations.
These drawings may need to be coordinated with structural details
and mechanical installations where required.
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Architectural working drawings tend to
be more detailed than non-architectural ones.
You will benefit from this extra detail in a number of
ways:
- The drawings create more certainty about the building
contract.
Your drawings spell out in more detail just what
it is you are "buying" from the builder. They
are more precise about the standard of materials, workmanship
required and finer construction details.
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An example of a Working Drawing
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You'll be more likely to get the result you pictured
by using architectural working drawings.
In the case of vaguer working drawings, the builder
may claim, for example, that the standard of materials you expected
are not shown on the drawings, and what you are now asking for
are "variations" which will cost more. Or worse, he
may be halfway through building the wrong way and charge for undoing
the work already begun, as well as for the cost of constructing
to your (now) more precise requirements.
- The drawings enable you to "shop around"
Particularly with the assistance of your Architect,
your detailed drawings will help you obtain accurate price comparisons
and quality comparisons from a number of builders. This is called
"competitive tendering', which basically means you now have
the ability to "shop around".
An example of an Architectural
Detail Drawing |
It is not uncommon for the highest tenderer
(who may have been the one you were originally going to
select) to be 50% higher than the lowest tenderer in the
case of home renovations. Or you may obtain better quality
for a similar price. Many clients find that their Architect
has managed to save them several times the architectural
fee on this stage alone.
(If you have committed yourself to a design-and-construct
company, you do not have the option of "shopping around"
for a better price or quality, because you are locked-in
to using the building company that provided you with your
free design.)
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- The drawings can also help owner builders.
If you intend
to "sub contract', that is, you intend to select your own
tradespeople and oversee their work (thereby saving the cost of
the builder's markup) then the details present in the architectural
drawings will help you direct the tradespeople's work more confidently.
Similarly if you are building or finishing off
the work yourself, the detailed drawings will help you construct
in line with good building practice.
(b) Specifications
The specification component of
the document sets out the materials to be used and the standard
of workmanship required of each trade.The headings in a typical
specification set out the stages of building and the tasks of
each tradesperson, eg; Demolition, Excavation, Concreter, Bricklayer,
Carpenter... etc
By being more specific about what is required,
your Architect establishes high standards from the beginning.
(c) Liaising with Authorities
 The
local building authority will require a number of sets of your
drawings and specifications, which will be checked against regulations
before you are issued with approval to build. Your Architect liaises
with the building surveyor to provide any additional information
that may be required. Your Architect is familiar with their procedures
and, as a consequence, can usually expedite the granting of approval.
The building approval system exists to ensure
that the community's standards of health, safety and amenity are
adhered to.
Stage
4: Contract Administration
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