.
New to this board and so far it’s very informative.
We just got into the building code enforcement issue working on a R3 building. The building owner wants a Certificate of Occupancy and we are upgrading the fire alarm system. Most of the work we do is in maintenance and not construction. So most of the work is low level permits if any at all. Also we are in a rural area and people, permits and government don't get along well here or as least resist any change.
With the new building code, a lot of problems arise about regulations and miscommunication.
In requesting the permit for the Cert. of Occupancy we had to blueprint the entire building. Build in the 1800's and many changes over the years, No architect would touch the building and do the blue prints. We attempted for two months to contact anyone who would do the work.
So we bought a floor plan program and did it ourselves. However the zoning required an architects stamp. But we submitted the drawings without a stamp and we got the permit.
But we have heard so many problems with the interruption of the rules and codes.
People have filed drawing and plans for work and they have been approved. After they did the demo and drilled the holes for posts and called in for an inspection, they were informed that the inspector would not look at the work because he reviewed the drawing and failed them after the permit was approved.
In order to avoid these problems we wanted to make sure all the work was as required. However we submitted to a building supply for a materials list to build a massive deck. We were quoted a list that does not meet code. They gave me a floating pillar system and we need posts and concrete.
In all this rambling my questions are…
1. What type pf program could we purchase to draw up plans and drawings. We tried a cad program but its not well suited for drawings.
a. We don’t want a program that costs $1’000 as we don’t do a lot of this type of work.
b. Is there a design service we could use for this purpose?
2. An estimating program for smaller jobs. We use National Estimator 2004 now.
I guess we are confused on how to handle getting estimates, the drawings and the proper codes to make an informed estimate to the customer?
thanks for any help or suggestions.
New to this board and so far it’s very informative.
We just got into the building code enforcement issue working on a R3 building. The building owner wants a Certificate of Occupancy and we are upgrading the fire alarm system. Most of the work we do is in maintenance and not construction. So most of the work is low level permits if any at all. Also we are in a rural area and people, permits and government don't get along well here or as least resist any change.
With the new building code, a lot of problems arise about regulations and miscommunication.
In requesting the permit for the Cert. of Occupancy we had to blueprint the entire building. Build in the 1800's and many changes over the years, No architect would touch the building and do the blue prints. We attempted for two months to contact anyone who would do the work.
So we bought a floor plan program and did it ourselves. However the zoning required an architects stamp. But we submitted the drawings without a stamp and we got the permit.
But we have heard so many problems with the interruption of the rules and codes.
People have filed drawing and plans for work and they have been approved. After they did the demo and drilled the holes for posts and called in for an inspection, they were informed that the inspector would not look at the work because he reviewed the drawing and failed them after the permit was approved.
In order to avoid these problems we wanted to make sure all the work was as required. However we submitted to a building supply for a materials list to build a massive deck. We were quoted a list that does not meet code. They gave me a floating pillar system and we need posts and concrete.
In all this rambling my questions are…
1. What type pf program could we purchase to draw up plans and drawings. We tried a cad program but its not well suited for drawings.
a. We don’t want a program that costs $1’000 as we don’t do a lot of this type of work.
b. Is there a design service we could use for this purpose?
2. An estimating program for smaller jobs. We use National Estimator 2004 now.
I guess we are confused on how to handle getting estimates, the drawings and the proper codes to make an informed estimate to the customer?
thanks for any help or suggestions.