How much detail and micro-management do builders require?

Doozergirl

ijrwe wrote: »

This is something I'm worried about - so far neither of the architects I have met (two visited out of nine I contacted) seemed like people I could control. Nice guys, but full of their own ideas and very hard to keep on track talking about the plans I handed them, rather than what they would do instead.

I'm a bit of a pushover in real life and am easily dominated in social/business situations, for some reason, and so I could easily end up losing control of the specification to the architect and not having the confidence (or knowledge) to reign him in.



I guess I should find out what things go into the spec, exactly? I guess I'm most concerned about the footings but unless my architect has x-ray vision then surely that's largely improvised (out of a set of acceptable styles) once they dig and see what kind of ground is there?

Then the walls, if I specify that it's a double-skin brick and block wall with [some particular] insulation between, with the outer skin to match existing, then there's surely not much more detail they can have?

I can easily provide the builder myself with very specific floor-plan type plans, showing each skin of the walls, all opening for doors and windows, etc. I guess the exact placing of such openings depends a bit on brick length, right? They'd rather work in full bricks where possible, I imagine, so they can put things +/-100mm where ever is convenient, stuff like that.

I guess I need to talk to a few builder really and find out what they want to have specified, and see if that's the same for them all.





Can roofs and such be done on Building Notice?



Indeed - any builder who needs Lego instructions isn't fit to do the job in the first place, I would imagine.

Everything can be done on building notice.

If you write our your own spec of double skin walls with insulation between, they will think you are taking the michael. I'd honestly run, if a potential client did that.

ijrwe

Doozergirl wrote: »

Everything can be done on building notice.

If you write our your own spec of double skin walls with insulation between, they will think you are taking the michael. I'd honestly run, if a potential client did that.

Why? Because it's so obvious?

Doozergirl

ijrwe wrote: »

Why? Because it's so obvious?

Yes!

Imagine ordering a hamburger and then instructing the person behind the counter to put a burger in a bun with a bit of ketchup, please. It's okay to specifiy the things that make your burger unique - like extra toppings, but you can't tell people how to make the thing if they do it for a living and you didn't write the manual.

Builders get to choose clients as well, it isn't a one way street. It screams of a nightmare client. You either trust a builder to do the work under building notice where the client isn't stating the obvious, or you get an architect to draw up a spec and a schedule of works, preferably.

ijrwe

Doozergirl wrote: »

Yes!

Imagine ordering a hamburger and then instructing the person behind the counter to put a burger in a bun with a bit of ketchup, please. It's okay to specifiy the things that make your burger unique - like extra toppings, but you can't tell people how to make the thing if they do it for a living and you didn't write the manual.

Builders get to choose clients as well, it isn't a one way street. It screams of a nightmare client. You either trust a builder to do the work under building notice where the client isn't stating the obvious, or you get an architect to draw up a spec and a schedule of works, preferably.

In which case the architect would be telling the builder the same obvious stuff, surely?

Smiley_Dan

Doozergirl wrote: »

Yes!

Sorry, why is it obvious? There are many different ways of building a wall, and many different ways of insulating it. Many builders only know one way, and it may be inappropriate.

Doozergirl

ijrwe wrote: »

In which case the architect would be telling the builder the same obvious stuff, surely?

The architect is qualified and insured to.

Doozergirl

Smiley_Dan wrote: »

Sorry, why is it obvious? There are many different ways of building a wall, and many different ways of insulating it. Many builders only know one way, and it may be inappropriate.

If a client knows better than a builder who only knows one way to build a wall, I'd suggest they are using the wrong builder.

Smiley_Dan

So you think knowledge of building performance is common amongst builders? You think most builders know how to build air tight?

I wish you were right, but I suspect you're not.