{"id":638,"date":"2019-07-08T14:59:12","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T14:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4jvqex.production-weblify.com\/?p=426"},"modified":"2020-09-16T20:00:50","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T20:00:50","slug":"part-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/part-7\/","title":{"rendered":"PART 7"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n

\u201cIt Ain\u2019t the House You Grew Up In\u201d<\/h2>\n\n

Well, I pretty much laid the groundwork for codes and inspections as players on the home project team.\u00a0 I like to refer to the players as a \u201cthree-legged stool\u201d.\u00a0 This cuts to the heart of our relationship. If that\u2019s what this is. Honestly, I do feel the love.\u00a0 Maybe I should buy you dinner or something. Anyhow, you get that codes are complex, houses are complex, technologies are complex, and we need extra eyes looking over this stuff, right?\u00a0 Well, there are a couple other folks that should be on the team.\u00a0 They are the Designer and the Builder.\u00a0 Effectively, it SHOULD be approached like this:<\/p>\n\n

    \n
  1. Designer<\/strong> \u2013 They are your personal advocate on this complex adventure.\u00a0 This person is there to take your intention (Project<\/em> idea<\/em>) and translate into reality by way of uniform instructions for everyone touching this building. \u00a0 We call the instructions \u2018plans\u2019 but they are much more.\u00a0 No matter what the project is, it probably hasn\u2019t been done that way before, ever.\u00a0 Someone needs to show the builders what you want and how it must be done to meet code.\u00a0 A true designer is an expert in the field and knows all the stuff you don\u2019t have to and, how to apply it.\u00a0 They set parameters and manage expectations.\u00a0 It\u2019s much more cost effective to plan on paper rather than hit the ground without a plan.\u00a0 The plans are reviewed by the code\u2019s enforcement people for errors or omissions to be sure everyone is on the same page before commencement.\u00a0 Bottom line, the plans are the playbook for the project.\u00a0 We\u2019ll get into designers\u2019 role much more in time.\u00a0 I kinda\u2019 have a soft spot, ya\u2019 know?\u00a0 Effectively, consider the designer the COACH<\/strong>.\u00a0 Every good team needs a good coach.<\/li>\n
  2. \n

    Next in the lineup is the\u00a0Builder<\/strong>. \u00a0 This is where I feel the industry has gone off the trail.\u00a0 As a rule, design is highly regulated in terms of plan quality and completeness virtually everywhere.\u00a0 In the greater metro Atlanta area where I live, the plans must meet a very detailed criteria and extensive review for acceptance and subsequent permitting.\u00a0 It takes a skilled design professional to produce quality, compliant documents.\u00a0 If the plans aren\u2019t up to the task, no permit.\u00a0 However, the certification and regulation of builders varies widely from state to state. \u00a0 In Fl., the licensing test alone takes 3 full days to complete. It usually takes 2 \u2013 3 months of prep to have a fighting chance. \u00a0 The 1st<\/sup>\u00a0time passing ratio is dismal.\u00a0 In the end, the worst builder in FL is a seriously vetted individual.\u00a0 Not so much in some other states.\u00a0 Some states put less emphasis on knowledge and more on financial status with very basic testing criteria.\u00a0 This leaves a lot to be desired for the consumer.\u00a0 Especially when this person is the\u00a0QUARTERBACK<\/strong>.\u00a0 Their job is to execute the plans, as designed, in a safe and professional manner.\u00a0 Unfortunately, I\u2019ve seen licensed builders that honestly can\u2019t read and interpret a properly prepared set of drawings.\u00a0 One builder actually said to me, \u201dDamn, that\u2019s a lot of words!\u201d\u00a0 Another said the info he needed wasn\u2019t on the plans.\u00a0 When shown it was there he said, \u201cI never look there anyhow!\u201d\u00a0 So, vetting your builder is critical.\u00a0 This is why you engage a designer first.\u00a0 The best path for any homeowner is the conventional bid process.\u00a0 3 builders (max<\/em>.) should compete for your business based on a common set of plans.\u00a0 Then you can vet their experience, technical ability, business acumen, etc.\u00a0 A properly prepared set of plans provides a uniform criterion for all three bids.\u00a0 Hence, an apples to apples comparison.\u00a0 This is just smart.\u00a0 Builders hate this about me.\u00a0 Go figure!?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. Last, but never least, is the Oversight<\/strong> (Permitting and Inspection<\/em>) Authority<\/strong>.\u00a0 We\u2019ve already covered them pretty effectively.\u00a0 They of course are essential.\u00a0 Consider them the REFERREE<\/strong>.\u00a0 They most certainly maintain fair play and flag violations.\u00a0 You may still find yourself grousing about the Fascist regime unfairly restricting your freedoms. Fear not! The brown-shirts are benevolent in this case. Building inspectors are unsung heroes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    Although there are many other people and trades involved, these are the essential 3 legs of the stool.\u00a0 It takes all three to maintain stability.\u00a0 Everyone plays a role and never the twain shall meet.\u00a0 I must say, it seems everyone is a designer.\u00a0 I actually had a client once say, \u201cWhat\u2019s the big deal; it\u2019s just lines on paper!\u201d\u00a0 What a maroon (as Bugs said<\/em>).\u00a0 They effectively told me that I was just a means to an end for the building permit and that the builder would be directing the process.\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 As a proud Southerner, we have a saying (of course<\/em>);\u201dIf you don\u2019t pee in my pool, I won\u2019t swim in your toilet!\u201d.\u00a0 Kinda\u2019 captures the concept, don\u2019t ya\u2019 think?\u00a0 People have too much to do with their own job without back-seating on everyone else\u2019s.\u00a0 We all have skills in our field.\u00a0 We work hard to hone them to become more valuable.\u00a0 Annexing other player\u2019s duties is not a good way to do that.<\/p>\n\n

    One challenge has been the advent of the \u201cDesign\/Build\u201d residential model of the early 80\u2019s.\u00a0 It\u2019s the common practice now.\u00a0 It had been somewhat common in commercial construction for some time until a few of us idiots (yep, me too<\/em>) saw it as a marketing tool in residential.\u00a0 I promise my intentions were honorable.\u00a0 Builders kept taking my plans and making arbitrary changes or cutting corners for profit or because they just didn\u2019t know better.\u00a0 They would just pull the owner off to the side for a friendly chat about how I was a really good guy but perhaps a little out of touch on this matter.\u00a0 They would help the owner bypass this unnecessary expense of\u00a0 my ineptitude!\u00a0 I was touched. \u00a0 They used to love to throw around the term \u201cover-building\u201d.\u00a0 As in, \u201cThat Designer just over-builds his designs!\u201d\u00a0 Puckey.\u00a0 I like to think I submit to the highest law in the land\u2026.gravity.\u00a0 A great deal of what I do is math.\u00a0 For example, how much something weighs and what can hold it up safely and\u2026.wait for it\u2026.within code (minimums<\/em>).\u00a0 My insurance company is very proud that I haven\u2019t squashed anybody, ever, seriously.\u00a0 Bad for business. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n

    So, in summary, these are the 3 players and they should come on the team in the order I just listed.\u00a0 Before taking a road trip through Oz, seek an experienced guide.\u00a0 Vet and engage a competent Designer.\u00a0 With their guidance, develop a design that meets your needs safely and as cost efficiently as practical.\u00a0 A good designer will offset their cost in savings by reducing errors, cleaner schedules and more precise purchasing.\u00a0 Then, take that design and solicit qualified builders to compete for the contract using your Designer as the mediator.\u00a0 Later, we\u2019ll show you places to start looking for competent builders.\u00a0 Then, start construction under the watchful eye of the oversight authority.\u00a0 Be aware, if you avoid getting a permit, you\u2019re doing a lot more than breaking the law. You\u2019re playing with your family\u2019s well-being and your own over a few bucks and some inconvenience. In other words, you\u2019re being an ass, and an idiot for that matter. Nasty combo by the way.<\/p>\n\n

    Remember, there is as much to go wrong as right; from common complexities to incompetence to cutting corners for profit. Doing complex things properly is difficult. So, how do you do the smart thing and gain some peace of mind? First, acknowledge what you don\u2019t know. Doesn\u2019t mean you aren\u2019t intelligent. Next, realize that there is a brilliant, albeit complicated, system out there to support your effort and intention.\u00a0 Then avail yourself of the talent to navigate that system.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u201cIt Ain\u2019t the House You Grew Up In\u201d Well, I pretty much laid the groundwork for codes and inspections as players on the home project team.\u00a0 I like to refer to the players as a \u201cthree-legged stool\u201d.\u00a0 This cuts to the heart of our relationship. If that\u2019s what this is. Honestly, I do feel the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","footnotes":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"off","ocean_gallery_id":[]},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=638"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3294,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638\/revisions\/3294"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}