The design relationship for hire is limited to affording our Clients with a collection of information about a code compliant approach to building a swimming pool / spa / water feature.
Because of the subjective over-viewing nature during the Plan Check Review Process by the planning officials, it is not a guarantee that approval for any design can or will be secured in the first attempt of submission.
RED LINED MARKUPS
In some cases, planning officials may choose to “Red Line” the drawings and issue requests for additional information, which may not have been foreseen.
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
In other cases a Request for Information (RFI) can involve providing additional information or can relate to information that has been already exhibited on plans but, may have been missed by a plan checking official.
In all cases, applying time and effort to remedying an RFI is deemed as being unforeseen and as such all responses are considered billable work and will be submitted as a Design Addendum (DA) for a Client’s approval and acceptance prior to further engaging any responses.
LICENSING INFORMATION FOR USE
The information is provided in a limited use application on a project by project specific basis. This collection of information (layout and details sheets) is licensed for a limited span of time (180-days) from the completion date issued on the drawings.
The reasoning behind the time limit is due to the expiration date for some products involving the VGBA and the adoption of some building codes. Both may become obsolete between the time of review and subsequent approval initiating a change by officials.
Our Standard Design Agreement (SDA) is exhibited on our website for public viewing and made part of our proposal / quotation.
Our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is to make our terms and conditions for providing services public, as we come from the school of thought that most contracts do not have to be signatory in writing in order to be considered a valid and enforceable contract.
Our reasoning is that too often our original intentions to provide swimming pool consulting services can be drawn into a subordinate position involving third parties, which would fall outside the context of our design intent. It is not our desire to have to sift through page upon page of legalese that incorporates a broader range and scope of service, which were never intended.
So what we do is provide a proposal / quotation with a link to our SDA in order to be transparent and forthright. This framework allows anyone to review the terms and conditions that we are putting forth and an agreement is consummated when a Client engages the process via the remittance of the Design Retainer.
Once engaged, we produce what we refer to as the P-1b Preliminary Site Plan Layout. This drawing shall exhibit everything that we have come to know about the project, which will have been derived from the latest forwarded documents provided by the other design professionals.
CONDITIONS OF CONSULTING RELATIONSHIP
The P-1b Preliminary Site Plan Layout will then assign a numbered “Detail” schedule listing that pertains to the Section 3100 DEH code (commercial only) specifics and or other CBC Building Dept. requirements that relate to providing direction for building a commercial / public and or residential swimming pool.
When this threshold of accomplishment is completed (the time-frame span is on the proposal) we send a link to you of the exhibit for viewing so that you can review and advise us about any changes. At this preliminary stage we include one (1) revision per a request for making and corrections.
After making the changes that are necessary, we’ll resend you a link to review this REV-#1 accomplishment and if accepted this drawing advances into what we refer to as; the “Final Draft”. This drawing will then act as the “Base Plan template”, which will allow all of our other planning layers to reference the same dimensional layout relationships on the progressive individual LAYOUT sheets.
Each of the layout layers i.e.; P-2a Dimensions and Elevations (PBO), P-3a Plumbing, P-4a Electrical, Automation and Lighting, 5a Equipment Room Layout, 6a Deck Accessories Layout (PBO), and P-7a Structural Engineering (PBO) shall exhibit individually titled sheets. These sheets are then also assigned P-2b, 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b, etc.. DETAIL sheets that have been assigned 1 thru 12 specific “Details” that are dealing with installation protocols, practices and code compliant specifics.
PBO = Provided By Owner
NOTE: We emphasize that all changes that are necessary to be made at the single sheet P-1b Preliminary Site Plan Layout stage so that this does not later involve making changes to multiple sheets. Multiple sheet changes would involve the investment of unanticipated time and effort and as such would require a Design Addendum.
At the completion of all planning sheets we will submit a final billing for the work completed inclusive of any accepted / approved Design Addendums. Upon receipt and deposit of the remittance of the final billing the completed plan set is released.
Revisions that become required during the Plan Check Review Process can be a subjective critique requiring amplification of information that is already present on plan. Responding to RFI’s is considered unanticipated (in most cases) and therefore such events will require the investment of unanticipated time and effort and the acceptance / approval of a Design Addendum.
We’re hopeful that this correspondence adequately explains what can be expected from us and what has been conveyed in the body of our SDA.
