Are contractors misinterpreting your plans?

Every design professional has a deep well of stories + problems they’ve encountered during construction. I'm sure you can relate.

Project delays, endless RFIs and questions from the field, costly on-site improv or taking the liberty to do it, “the way I’ve always done it”...

Construction involves thousands of decisions and the design process is meant to document and catalog those decisions and convey that information to the entire project team: clients, contractors, consultants; anyone responsible for helping us build our work.

The more you draw + document before construction, the more control you'll have over the finished product.

Anything you don't draw or document is simply a decision you're choosing to defer to someone else to make, which can delay the project, fail to meet performance expectations, and lead to wildly inaccurate pricing.

There is a way to ensure your Contract Documents are complete and capture all the necessary information and details.

Over the years in practice, I’ve established a minimum performance standard for what my clients and the building trades can expect when they work with me. It’s like a checklist that helps to minimize project delays, to ensure my clients get the high-quality build I’ve promised and it reduces communication errors during construction saving me time and headaches.

My Residential Outline Specification + Schedule Templates serve as my performance standard and checklist.

Don’t leave anything to chance.

Specs + schedules cover everything you can’t (and don’t necessarily want to) draw. Like every design professional I know, I’m a control freak. I want to direct as many design decisions as possible, so I draw and call out as much as I can in the studio where making changes on paper is much less expensive than it is on-site where every alteration = a (costly) change order.

Use my templates as a starting point. Review my documents carefully and customize them to meet your needs.

You’ll get immediate access + lifetime updates.

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“Both will save me a ton of time and help me produce better plans.”

Here’s what others are saying about using The Residential Outline Specification + Schedule Templates

Do you need specifications?

Specifications + schedules protect you from costly mistakes and miscommunication. The written word always takes precedence over the drawn line. As such, when there’s a conflict, your specs provide clear instructions for the contractor, and ensure they seek clarification from you before proceeding. They also save you from answering countless questions from the field. Every object in the finished project will be chosen by someone—who better than the design pro to make the selection? This proactive approach helps prevent misunderstandings and errors, safeguarding the quality, integrity and accuracy of your work.

• Specifications include references to aspects of the work that are difficult or impossible to include in your drawing set.
• They cover information and details you might not have thought to include in your drawings.
• They complement the drawings and make the pricing and bidding process more efficient ensuring you've left nothing to chance or for someone else to decide for you.

But aren’t all specification templates the same?

Definitely not. A template that is specifically designed for residential architecture projects, includes performance requirements that can help you avoid pricing mistakes, sub-par assumptions and inferior products.

Here’s an example:

What’s the baseline PG rating you’ll accept for your windows where you practice? What shop drawings will you require? Without properly calling these out, you could be putting your business at risk.

So, this is not a generic template you can just find online?

This is the outline specification I use as the starting point for all my residential architecture projects at 30X40 Design Workshop. It's been carefully crafted, revised and developed over many years in my studio. I’ve made all the mistakes and exhaustive work refining these standards, so you won’t have to.

And because my practice is focused on residential architecture, this collection of documents has been designed to be used for light wood frame construction and covers projects of residential scope + scale.

Plus, you’ll also receive a cover sheet template and schedule templates for every aspect of your project, including: appliances, doors, windows, electrical, hardware, paint, plumbing, and wall types.

With The Residential Outline Specifications + Schedule Templates, you’ll have a solid foundation for creating your own custom set of specifications tailored to your brand, your work and your standards.

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Anything you don't draw or document is simply a decision you're choosing to defer to someone else to make…

which means: more “site visit surprises,” potential project delays, and uncertain quality. You’ll field more questions and RFIs during pricing + construction and all this results in inaccurate pricing and clients confused about why cost overruns forced them to delay or defer their dream build.

The design profession is fraught with risk as is, it's much better to create a tight set of drawings, specs and schedules that answer every question that's bound to arise along the way, from pricing all the way through construction.

This way, you’re not leaving things to chance, you’re protecting your business, reputation and delivering the results your client expects.

Get The Residential Outline Specifications + Schedule Templates and save 58% off the regular price.

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