Constructability Analysis - Case 1

Here is an example of a set of plans that were granted a Building Permit.  This is a large high-end custom home and the owner spent a great deal of time and money on having these plans prepared too.

However there is a fatal flaw in the way this is all laid out.  Never mind the ineligible fonts or the blurred printing from copious cut and paste actions by the person who prepared this set of plans.  There are bigger problems lurking here that will cost the homeowner both time and money.

So let's begin to determine how we can help the homeowner save both time and money.

From appearances, this layout looks fine - but is it?  The 32 inch wide doors and the the location of the 28 inch wide closet doors look rather suspect, as a result only a close examination will tell.

To begin the constructability exercise, we'll redraw the walls, place the plumbing fixtures and other items such as cabinets and shelving using the dimensions provided.  We'll also introduce door symbols showing the true rough stud opening (RSO) required as well as the space needed for the door casing installed on the door jambs. This helps to determine if the trim has clearance from adjacent walls, cabinets, countertops, etc..

NOTE: Cutting down the trim to meet a custom size is an extra that the trim installer will charge, so finding issues like these early on will help to eliminate these extra costs and ensure the work goes smoothly - on time and budget.

The first comment is, where exactly are any of these doors to be located anyway?  There are no dimensions shown to the center of the opening for the doors, so there's issue number 1. The framer doesn't understand what the intent of the design is, nor should they have to, all they are required to do is place the opening in the correct location and have it be the correct size.

As a result, it's impossible to do any type of QA inspection because the information needed is missing from the plans.

Waiting to learn the size of the opening will have the framer leave as large a gap in the wall as is possible, with the door to be framed later on in the process - hopefully.  However, getting the updated drawings back in time for the framers to use in a timely manner, is an additional headache to have to manage.  So, we'll be sure all centers of the openings are dimensioned on our set of reviewed and marked up plans.

So let's see what happens when we redraw this area according to the dimensions provided.