Contractor Lesson of the Day, August 30, 2010

Pre-Construction Coordination: Foundation

Situation: San Francisco, 550 square-foot, two story addition, backyard, clear weather.

Subcontractors during this phase: demolition/excavation, foundation, plumbing, electrical.

Items:

#1 Being unsure of the exact assembly/route necessary for the plumbing from our catch basin (code-required for our engineer-required foundation drainage) to the sewer tie-in, our site foreman and plumbers had to excavate to meet our deadline. This was a more expensive option than have a laborer on hand for this task. Even then it may have delayed this operation. Solution: a pre-construction meeting allowing the excavation to be coordinated into the schedule.

#2 Although the access area to the crawlspace was reviewed by the engineer and architect we discovered an updated code section that may prevent it from being placed in the proximity of a door. It's a very tight site and this access will be covered by a deck with a removable section. Solution: dig deeper in code first and don't assume the design pros will always catch it.

It's always amazing to me when some folks decide to act as their own general contractor. The items above were hard-won and the product of a couple of days in a 35 year career.