will builder build exactly to specs or should i expect variances

16 years ago

i am finishing house plans and am trying to make them as exact as possible. i have a few walls that must be at least 20". should i make them longer on the blueprint to make sure that they end up at at least 20"?

my question is, should i expect my builder to build exactly to specs or is it normal to see a few inches variances here and there?

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Comments (14)

dixiedoodle
16 years ago
You should expect the house to be built per the plans and specs. It is not normal for there to be a variance in the length of walls. You should not have to make them longer on your plans in order to make sure they end up less than that!

The title of your thread is a little confusing based on your actual question...there may be variances when it comes to specs, but there should be no variances when it comes to the plans. Does that make sense? In other words, the specs might stipulate a certain type of hardwood floor but that exact type is unavailable when you need it...so you substitute something else. However, what you see is what you get when it comes to your actual plans. You said that you are trying to make them as exact as possible...what do you mean by that? By their very definition, the plans are exact.

It doesn't seem as if you have very much experience in this area based on this question. Please make sure that you have someone (ie, attorney) review your contract with the builder. And, if you are drawing up your own plans (which it sounds like you are from this posting), you should consider enlisting a draftsman for at least a review...but more likely, to completely draw them to code. Oh, (and this is just a change in terminology), and they are no longer called blueprints...they are plans.

Good luck!
brickeyee
16 years ago
"It is not normal for there to be a variance in the length of walls."

To what tolerance? 1 inch? 1/2 inch? 1/4 inch? 1/8 inch?
I have yet to see anything that agreed 100% with a set of plans, let alone down to fractions of an inch on dimensions.
Even in commercial work a site engineer is present to make corrections.
You need to talk with your builder, and be prepared to pay extra $ if you want every dimension on a set of plans to be met.

A single bowed stud could throw things off by 1/2 inch.
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lmarletto
16 years ago
marle, we have a few locations where the exact position of a window or door or the length of a non-loadbearing wall could screw up our plans for the space. In an ideal world, the dimensions as-built would be exactly the same as the dimensions on the plans, but sometimes electrical, plumbing, HVAC, whatever, can require framing tweaks. Even plans drawn by an architect can have inconsistencies in them that require framing tweaks. We have noted very clearly on the plans those locations where we are counting on specific minimum dimensions and why. Our GC didn't seem to have a problem with it.
worthy
16 years ago
As noted above, there are a number of things that can throw off plans.

I had a situation where the framing carpenters missed one footnote that said the second floor was to be cantilevered over the first--the drawings didn't show it.

The miscue became evident when the roof trusses didn't work precisely. The only visible evidence of the discrepancy was a keystone on a rear window that ended several inches off centre of the roof gable. Since that gable was deliberately several feet off centre of a first floor bumpout and the windows were not lined up with any regard to each other, the "mistake" was in character with the overall design. The front elevation was perfectly symmetrical--as I changed the plan to make it so.

That was the exception.

What usually throws off interior dimensions are the needs for running space-grabbing services on inside walls. Namely heating ducts and plumbing drains. A mud-room sink went bye-bye on my current project, replaced by a shower control and flex hose.
marle
Original Author
16 years ago
thanks for the advice.... all i am trying to do here is design modular closets with the best space efficiency possible, so i would like the closets to have very exact wall measures. the comments provided have been very helpful. to dixiedoodle..... thanks for your advice in particular, actually i am using a house designer and a structural engineer, i am just guiding the designer with exact closet sizes.. my husband is a lawyer so the contract won't be a risk, but i appreciate your taking the time to convey the info that you did. THANKS AGAIN!
dumaspup
16 years ago
Don't take Dixiedoodles post to hart. I have yet to see a perfect set of blue prints. There is not a professional architect, draftsman, or engineer that will remember every detail every time.
Walls will have to move for plumbing. Things will have to be changed to bring them up to code. Windows and doors may have to move so that trim fits. Stairs may have to be bigger than drawn to be up to code.
There is a thousand little details that could change your house as a work in progress.
pinktoes
16 years ago
I, too, have a few areas that I just did not want to get undersized. I fretted over that a lot and asked my team of architects if framers were likely to frame so accurately that they wouldn't be off by a few inches anywhere. They just gave me all sorts of shrugs and eyerolls. Finally the lead architect said, "If there's anything you are unwilling to make adjustments on, then I'd suggest we plan with a margin of error--in which every direction you prefer--in mind." Jeez.

So I did. Because, I think we all know that after all the drafting and despite all the legal contracts and inspections and accountability and corrections and STUFF--if something has to be changed in that house, I will end up paying for it, however indirectly. And in aggravation and time as well as financially. And the more I demand precision, the more I will have to watch everyone like a hawk and then fight or have my big dogs fight and argue and ... it will just not be worth it.

My suggestion: don't plan anything in the house so tightly that a few inches is gonna destroy it. And try to adjust your attitude away from precision. I know you're going through a demanding and precise process, but the materials, the tradesmen, and the physical world in general is NOT going to adhere to your carefully laid plans. I say this with all kindness.
worthy
16 years ago
the materials, the tradesmen, and the physical world in general is NOT going to adhere to your carefully laid plans. I say this with all kindness.

Amen!

(And all the feet-stamping threats and lawyer siccing won't make it so.)
brickeyee
16 years ago
"all i am trying to do here is design modular closets with the best space efficiency possible, so i would like the closets to have very exact wall measures."

You ALWAYS wait until the drywall is on and finished before measuring for this type of stuff.
Drywall mud alone is anything from 0 to 1/8 inch thick.

You do realize that a drywall built wall is not perfectly flat?
I cannot recall how many plans from architects fail to account for the extra thickness of the wet wall in the first floor to service the second.
Throw in a 2x6 wall and the exact dimensions are gone.
green-zeus
16 years ago
It's sometimes surprising that even tho you have blueprints,mistakes can be made. I found it important to be on-site as much as possible because even the framers had questions. Everytime I came on-site, I had a parade of trades people following me trying to stand in line to talk with me. Blueprints sometimes don't convey as much as talking with people. So you should go over those parts of the blueprint with the GC where you think there could be confusion. And then make an attempt to be on-site frequently so that if something isn't coming together as you planned, it can be worked out.
woodswell
16 years ago
Aside from the variances in how thick drywall or the drywall mud might be, how the framers put together a wall or any other little details like that, consider that you WILL need space to open doors fully and to clear door handles on your cabinets.

I've watched people plan kitchens and fit cabinets exactly with no wasted inches, only to find out that they cannot open a corner cabinet since it hits the dishwasher handle or vice versa. Allow a few inches at the end of each run of built-ins for variation, handle clearance and to scribe fillers to the walls. Then you will be safe with the final installation.
bus_driver
16 years ago
While I applaud the effort to make the plans as perfect and complete as possible, do keep open the communication with those who build your house. They may have suggestions that will improve the outcome or speed the job. Do not discourage those ideas, but do communicate that deviations from your plans must have your direct approval. My carpenters suggested to me to have a walk-in door from the outside to the garage near the overhead doors. The foundation was not so designed and was completed already- my design. To do the walk-in would have altered the plans more than I wanted to do, then or now. But the door would have been very helpful as I now realize. I put wireless number code remotes outside for the garage door operators so we use the overhead doors for entry of people too. Not quite as convenient. My story indicates that no plan is perfect, every one has advantages and disadvantages.
skagit_goat_man_
16 years ago
Our architect designed the house with roof trusses but the front porch roof was to be stick built with 2x4 framing. At that point in construction our GC said no way, he does not use 2x4 in roof framing, end of story. He made the adjusting calculations and built it with 2x6. The architect had a fit and he told her that using 2x4 for that framing was bad design. I took his side and she's still upset. So you'll have to be flexible, you may decide not to follow the plans at some points. Tom
carolyn53562
16 years ago
I don't remember, but doesn't the blue print just specifiy the framining size of the room, etc., and then doesn't the thickness of the drywall and the mud and tape reduce the size of the room? As someone else said, you really need to wait until after the drywall is in to measure for built-ins.

will builder build exactly to specs or should i expect variances

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will builder build exactly to specs or should i expect variances

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