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In this phase you talk and we listen. This is an exploration of what you want, what you need and what you can spend. This phase is all about information-gathering. We want to hear as much as possible. II. Schematic Design Phase: Rough Design Drawings or Sketches Once you have defined your needs, The Foundation does a series of rough sketches or drawings known as schematic designs. These sketches illustrate the general arrangement of the rooms and site. Depending on the project, we may also make models of the design to help better visualize it. These sketches are not final drawings. They are meant to show approaches for you to consider. III. Design Development Phase: Refining the Design Using your feedback from the schematic designs, we now prepare more detailed drawings to illustrate other aspects of the proposed design. The floor plans show all the rooms in the correct size and shape. Outline specifications may be prepared listing the major materials and room finishes. Based on these drawings, we will prepare a more probable construction cost, though final costs will depend on market conditions. IV. Construction Documents Phase: Preparing Construction Documents Now we prepare final construction documents, the detailed drawings and specifications which the contractor will use to establish actual construction cost and to build the project. These drawings and specifications become part of the contract. V. Bidding Phase: Hiring the Contractor We will help you prepare the bidding documents, which consist of drawings and specifications as well as invitations to bid and instruction to bidders. The bidding documents are then sent to several contractors, who within a given period of time, reply with bids, which include the cost for building your project. The lowest bidder is often selected to do the work. While we can recommend contractors and assist in the selection process, the final choice is up to you. VI. Construction Administration Phase: Construction Phase Contract administration during construction allows us to closely monitor the work, schedule, budget and adherence to construction documents. To meet these goals we use a combination of standard American Institute of Architects forms and our own forms to maintain a proper path for all correspondence. We also maintain a spreadsheet analysis throughout the project of all changes or of any cost revisions. The contractor, by written contract, is responsible for the means, materials and methods for construction of the project. Once the construction contracts are signed, we meet with all the contractors and sub-contractors to discuss potential time constraints and shop drawing review processes before work begins. An owner-appointed representative is introduced, allowing us to set goals as a team. The contractors are then aware of the schedules and demands. We require a detailed schedule of values to track costs and completion of subsystems. The schedule of values also allows a basis to review cost revisions and contractor's applications for payment. The contractor will be required to hold weekly or bi-weekly progress meetings once the project is under way. A representative from our office will be at each of these meetings as necessary to field questions and to review construction progress based upon the contractor’s construction schedule. Depending on the need, we will also visit the site at other times to verify project progress and the contractor’s strict adherence to the construction documents. Our consultants will also participate in some of the weekly progress meetings as necessary. Most contractors and architects focus most of their attention on the beginning and middle construction phases. This limited focus sometimes allows the timeline to slip, delaying the project. The Foundation avoids this by requiring the contractor to sign-off on each unfinished item to ensure timely, 100 percent completion. We will not approve final payments until all items are completed and satisfactory to the client. VII. Project Code Reviews: Building and Zoning Codes The initial Schematic Design starts with an initial code review. By establishing code requirements, at the beginning of the process, we can avoid potentially costly code-required design revisions. Prior to starting the Design Development of the project, we review the codes in relationship to our schematic design again. We then complete a preliminary Code Review Form to use while meeting with the appropriate code officials. A meeting with code officials at this point is critical to the success of the project. The code officials then understand the direction of the project and can more readily work with us to resolve any complications. During the Construction Document development we then proceed to finalize our code review on the Code Review Form. This Code Review Form will then be incorporated into our final drawings as a permanent record, also aiding the code officials in their final code reviews. VIII. Project Cost Analysis: Probable Costs During the Masterplanning Phase of the project, we analyze the project costs in a rough overview of probable cost. By establishing cost constraints at the beginning of the process, we avoid potentially costly design revisions later in the process. The next step in cost analysis is to review costs at the end of the Design Development of the project. This analysis provides us with a fairly accurate review of the final project costs. During the Construction Documents phase of the project we may update the cost analysis, if necessary, to include any additions or subtractions that would affect the project costs. -- Upon completion of the project, The Foundation maintains contact with the client to verify that the project is meeting their needs. We can then be available to contact the contractor for any additional fine-tuning necessary to meet the users’ needs. After the project has been complete for a few months, we like to visit the project again. This allows us a chance to review any items that may need correction by the contractor and to also evaluate the user's satisfaction with the project. |
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