Issuing Drawings

From the very outset of any building or home improvement project, no matter how small, you should have produced sketches or scaled drawings. Whether you have produced your own drawings or have had them drawn up by a professional, it is very important to keep a simple drawing register (see Figure 10.1).

Whenever you issue any sketches or drawings, they should be dated and given a number. Remember that you should always try to issue copies of the original rather than give your own copy away.

Recording Changes

If any changes are made to the drawings, the previous drawings should be marked as superseded, and the new drawing should be dated and given a revision code which would normally start with A. Any further revisions would continue with alphabetical revision codes. When a drawing or sketch is reissued, apart




from the revision code, you should also make a note of the date that you received it.

As you can see from this simple example in Figure 10.1, drawings are numbered and dated and they will also show any revisions that have been made. The information on most drawings relating to numbers, dates and revisions are usually found in the bottom right-hand corner. Always revise the dates on your register to the date of the revision or the date that you received or issued it.

Some architects will issue a drawing register which should have the appropriate boxes for updating changes etc. These drawing registers are usually more detailed than the example shown in Figure 10.1 but are very easy to understand once you have studied them.

You must always ensure that the builder/contractor is working to the current drawings. Late changes or outdated information will add to the project cost and may extend the programme, and if the responsibility for supplying information is yours the builder/contractor may be entitled to claim an extension to the time if the information is late.

Where the specification needs to be changed to suit unforeseen circumstances, it is important to identify who is responsible for detailing the changes. It may be that the architect will need to make some changes to the drawing, or the engineer may need to make alterations to the structural calculations, for example.

If this occurs it is important that the information required has been requested and confirmed in writing, to ensure that the continuity of work is not interrupted to an unacceptable degree.

Project File

In order to keep a track of all correspondence and information relating to the project, it is worth starting a project file with separate sections for the different elements involved. It would not be unusual to have 14 sections or more, so that you can easily access the information, for example:

• architect;
• engineer;
• contract drawings;
• programmes;
• specification;
• building contractor;
• local authority;
• contract documents;
• utilities companies;
• operation and maintenance manuals;
• insurance details;
• payment details;
• specialist contractors;
• miscellaneous (though it is worth starting additional sections, as anything can end up in this section and be difficult to find).

Diary

It is very important to keep a diary of all telephone calls and a brief description of what was discussed, any action that you have been asked to carry out, and confirmation of any agreements that have been made.

If you change the specification for any reason, make sure that you inform the builder/contractor in writing the details of those changes. Any changes that are made may have financial implications, and you will need to know either way what these costs are. Contractors do not particularly like to reduce the cost of the work even if the amount of work has been reduced.

If possible you should also record an account of the work carried out each day, the labour on site each day and any problems that may have occurred. It would be advisable to inform the builder/contractor that you are keeping a progress diary and if for any justifiable reason he will not be on site on a particular day, that you would like to be informed so that you can make allowances if the project starts to overrun.

Builders and contractors who keep the client informed of progress – or lack of it – will help to avoid any frustration building up through lack of information or understanding.

It is also advisable to keep a record of the weather as this may affect the completion date.

Telephone Numbers

During the course of any project you will inevitably gather many telephone numbers related to the project. These can be entered in a single page in your diary under five headings:

• professional team: architect, engineer, BCO;
• building contractor and allied trades;
• services: gas, electric, telephone, water etc.;
• emergency numbers generally;
• suppliers.

 

It is important that the builder issues you with the telephone numbers of his contractors in the event that you are unable to contact him (see Figure 10.2), subject to the type of work being carried out. These would normally include:

• scaffolding company;
• roofer;
• electrician;
• plumber;
• glazier.

Figure 10.2

 

Sample diary sheet for telephone numbers

As you can see from the example in Figure 10.2, by keeping at hand a record of the telephone numbers of all the key people involved in the project, you will not have to leaf through a lot of files, which can be very frustrating when a number is required in a hurry.