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Walk-through inspections – How to do it by the book
posted on Friday, November 1st, 2013 at 11:37 amThe residential building industry standard for workmanship is documented in a publication called the Residential Construction Performance Guidelines. It is the bible for judging a contractor’s workmanship for a homeowner or for a realtor at a walk-through inspection evaluating the completion of a project. Unfortunately, most contractors rarely refer to it. It can resolve many a dispute about what is reasonable to expect compared to what is actually delivered.
It has been a “go to” benchmark reference for reasonable expectations of performance in the goods and services provided by the residential construction industry. It was originally published more than 30 years ago by the National Association of Home Builders. It is in its fourth edition, copy write 2010, available for sale on-line at NAHB; earlier editions can be downloaded for free. I will provide a link to download the third addition for free; not that much different than the fourth edition at $45.
The current edition Guideline is subdivided into thirteen subject areas of construction work that roughly approximate the sequence of tasks that are followed from the start of a project concerning Site Work and excavation to the conclusion of a project, turning over the key. Within each subject area there are subtopics that pertain to particular work elements of a project, for example Concrete Slab under the subject area of Foundations. The format has not changed since the first edition where each subtopic area describes a problem Observation, followed by a Performance Guideline, followed by a Corrective Measure.
Among the thirteen subject areas that could come up in evaluating the final readiness of a project for occupancy I have divided them into two approximate categories here: (1) primarily Code Inspection Items, and (2) everything else that that a homeowner would like to look good and work dependably. A city code inspector will have had to investigate and approve important aspects of the nine Performance Guideline subject areas for being in compliance with local building codes, including:
- Site Work
- Foundation
- Interior Floor Construction (framing)
- Walls (flashing, insulation, windows and doors)
- Exterior Finishes (flashing and waterproofing)
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Interior Climate Control
- Landscaping (final grading and drainage)
If a final walk-through inspection of a project or house has a concern about one of these nine subject areas of workmanship the homeowner or the realtor can call the city to investigate the issue for an authoritative evaluation. It is the four remaining performance areas that are somewhat more subjective, though no less a matter of great concern before accepting the workmanship as satisfactory. These areas are listed, including:
- Roofs
- Interior Finish
- Flooring
- Miscellaneous (fireplaces, stoops, decks, garages, driveways, and sidewalks)
Just taking one of these areas as an example the reader will get an idea of the value of referring to the Residential Construction Performance Guidelines for resolving a dispute. Under the subject area of Roofs one of the subtopic (6-4-9) reads:
Observation: Asphalt shingles have developed surface buckling.
Performance Guideline: Asphalt shingle surfaces need not be perfectly flat. However, buckling higher than ¼ inch is considered excessive.
Corrective Measure: The contractor shall repair all areas as necessary to meet the performance guideline.
This example illustrates how the Residential Construction Performance Guideline works. There are dozens of other examples of building standards that could come under discussion, even in the area that we have categorized as Code Inspection Items. A contractor is not under obligation by any law or regulatory license authority to abide by the Guideline. However, it can be a useful tool in resolving construction readiness issues at a walk-through inspection. We have discovered a free on-line download of the third edition of this publication (linked here).
Tags: construction, inspections, NHBA, performance guidelines, project, remodeling, residential, walk-through, workmanship
SHOPPING FOR A CONTRACTOR – Step 1: COMPARING PRICES
posted on Tuesday, October 29th, 2013 at 3:53 pmSuccessful residential and remodeling contractors build their reputations with satisfied customers by delivering good workmanship in a timely manner for a good price. Consumers generally have confidence to manage their own project for timeliness and price but may find themselves in some doubt about workmanship expectations. The most dependable approach to controlling workmanship is to get a contractor with a good reputation.
But since price is where the homeowner is likely to begin – there is one negotiation question and three possible answers that reveal the true workmanship priority of the contractor. It is paramount that all contractors are bidding on the same plan. If the contractor is providing the plan as well as the price to construct it, how can the homeowner compare the price offered with another contractor for the same work? If he considers himself a businessman or a designer where will his attention to workmanship come in to the picture.
Ask the contractor where to get a plans prepared from a third party that you, the consumer, can shop for comparison prices. There are 3 possible answers to this question that are crucial to evaluating the contractor’s priorities in delivering good workmanship.
- He can claim he is a designer and does the plans himself, that a third party will not be needed to prepare the plans. He could say that you will save the money that an architect or designer would charge. Does this mean you can shop the plans he prepares to get prices from other contractors? Is he sidestepping the question? If so, he is manipulating the conversation so as to protect his interests, discouraging the homeowner from considering other contractors for the project.
- He can claim he will sketch a design and have his architect or in-house designer create the plans for permits. In this case he may want to speak about a fee for the plans. But if the homeowner is going to pay for the plans then the homeowner should have the right to use the plans to shop for other contractors. Correct? Even if the contractor does not ask for a fee for the plans he may be reluctant that you use the plans for pricing with other contractors. It is also likely that plans prepared for free are not thoughtfully prepared, enticing the another contractor to want to offer a better plan, one that he prepares and will build for a price that cannot be compared with the first contractor’s proposal.
- He could encourage you to work directly with an architect or designer and to get back to him when the plan is ready to bid. That approach is the most reputable idea. It indicates he wants to be associated with the very best end result possible, knowing that a designer will put more time and thought into preparing the plans than he would be able to. He also knows that it is a conflict of interest to be involved in the creating the plans since he risks omitting something from the plans that he could charge for later as a change order to his contract.
There are experts in every aspect of the building business. Good contractors can be very helpful in the refinement of a plan prepared by an independent architect or designer. It is good consumerism to shop for comparable prices for the construction bid from a plan prepared by someone other than one of the contractors doing the bidding.
In the course of getting construction proposals from good contractors the consumer is simultaneously subjecting the plans to the scrutiny of construction experts that are keen to see opportunities for engineering economy. The homeowner will have the freedom to adjust the project to any contractor’s recommendation, but that is not the same as having the contractor prepare the plans. By allowing each expert to compete for what they do best the end result should be the greatest value to the consumer, including good workmanship.
Tags: architect, bidding, builders, contractor, designer, project, remodel
