ARCHITECT’S GUIDE TO NEW YORK APARTMENT RENOVATION - DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY: PART 4 - THE BIDDING AND CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
Architect’s Guide to New York Apartment Renovation -
Doing It The Right Way:
Part 4 - The Bidding and Construction Drawings
Four Reasons Why the Bidding and Construction Drawings Are So Important
They Enable Bidding Contractors to Submit Accurate Proposals
A complete set of drawings and documents produced by the architect (and any engineers and other consultants) communicates clearly to the bidding contractors what’s included in the renovation work. You want to avoid an estimate that involves any need for guessing by the contractor
You’re Looking at Real Costs
Proposals that are based on the drawings for bid provide a realistic picture of the renovation cost. These numbers are specific to your project and not ballparked, or based very generally on market cost-per-square-foot
The Proposals Are Comparable, and Costs Can be Analyzed
You can analyze the differences between proposals when they are based on the same set of clear drawings. For example, if the cost of plumbing work from Contractor A is significantly higher than from Contractor B, it will be a good idea to understand where the difference is coming from.
Detailed proposals will clarify the costs of the different trades (i.e., electric, plumbing, heating & cooling, carpentry, etc.) and help you decide how best to allocate your budget. For example, you might realize that going with a manufactured kitchen instead of the custom kitchen included in the drawings will free up budget for something that is higher priority for you. Or you might find that the cost of the electric work is relatively high, and reducing the number of light fixtures and outlets will result in significant savings.
What’s Included in the Work Is Clear
The bidding phase will likely result in some adjustments to the initial plan, and the architect will update the drawings to reflect these. These drawings then become part of the Owner/Contractor agreement, and the contractor uses them for construction.
The construction drawings can be crucial to avoiding disputes and change orders, serving as a reference to what the work entails and what was discussed. Look at it this way – what’s included in the drawings and documents for construction is in essence what you’re buying from the contractor. Any work and/or items that are not included will be additional costs.
Conclusion
A detailed and complete set of drawings and documents for bid prepared by the architect and any other consultants define what’s included in the renovation work and help the bidding contractors submit accurate proposals. These proposals provide a good understanding of the overall cost and how it breaks down.
Prior to the owner signing an agreement with a contractor, the architect updates the bid drawings. The resulting drawings for construction define the scope of work and are used as reference by the contractor as building commences.
Next, in Part 5, we’ll discuss the Construction Phase.