©2020, Ontario Association of Architects (OAA). Lessons Learned may be reproduced and distributed, with appropriate credit included, for non-commercial use only. Commercial use requires prior written permission from the OAA. The OAA reserves all other rights.
Context
A small bungalow built in the 1960’s on a bit of high ground in the middle of a golf course had for many years accommodated a live-in course superintendent. In recent years the house had been used for offices, meeting rooms, washrooms and locker rooms for golf course staff. By the 2000’s the staff house and the other turf maintenance buildings clustered on the high ground were the worse for wear. The golf course decided to demolish all the buildings and construct a new building that would accommodate the staff areas, vehicle storage and vehicle maintenance under one roof. This proved to be too expensive due to the lack of an OBC compliant fire route and water service (other than the river) close by.
An alternate plan to extensively renovate two of the three buildings took the project out of Part 3 of the OBC and into Parts 9 & 11, thereby eliminating the expensive (Part 3) access route and water service requirements. Drawings were developed for a complete gut and re-do of the staff house and vehicle storage building to better accommodate the current operational structure and bring the envelope and building systems up to date. Construction documents were prepared, the building permit applied for and obtained, bids solicited and the construction contract awarded well in advance of the November to March construction window.
All seemed well in hand, but in fact the seed of a problem was buried in the building permit.
During the permit review process the plans examiner made a meal of the window and door specifications for the staff house; requiring Certified Energy Star Reports for every window and door. The reports were duly stamped and included in the building permit, which resulted in a 79 page document, of which only 5 pages were marked-up and stamped drawings. The drawing mark-ups were not significant and had been dealt with prior to bidding the work.
The Lesson
The contractor kept up an aggressive schedule for the staff house renovations, completing the demolition, exterior work, new basement stair opening and all the under-slab plumbing to allow the basement floor slab to be poured before the Christmas break. With the slab pour scheduled, the contractor called the city to come out and inspect the underfloor plumbing. The city refuses to come out; “there’s no plumbing permit”. The contractor calls the Architect; there’s only one choice – cancel the pour. The contractor happily starts his Christmas break earlier than anticipated. The Architect starts to worry about delay costs and the closed-end construction window.
The plumber is an experienced old hand who has done many jobs like this, but, not being an Engineer or Registered Designer, cannot prepare drawings for a plumbing permit application. A few phone calls make it clear that squeezing in the work the week before Christmas is going to be a problem.
The Architect has done many residential renovation projects and has never prepared separate plumbing drawings. The plumbing was always “to suit fixtures shown on the architectural drawings”.
The plumber provided schematics of what had been installed along with his Fixture Unit calculations. A qualified consultant needs to be found. A plumbing plan is prepared, plumbing data sheets are filled in and the permit is applied for, on Christmas Eve. The Architect has a worrisome Christmas.
Miraculously, the plumbing permit is issued the 5th of January. The city agreed that since it was “just a house” and all the other reviews were complete they would treat the plumbing submission as a revision to an existing permit and put it on the top of the pile. The underfloor inspection passes, the floor is poured, the project schedule has not been compromised.
What was Learned
Just because it looks like “just a house” and every other house renovation project has gone through (and been inspected) without a separate plumbing permit, doesn’t mean that it is “just a house”. The requirement for a separate plumbing permit was in the building permit package; one line on page 58 of 79. The issue could have been dealt with months in advance, without the unpaid work (a sub-consultant would have been hired by the owner at the time) or the worry over the holidays.
Read the building permit – EVERY LINE; but don’t expect to be thanked for doing so.
The lessons do not represent OAA policy or guidance but rather are actual experiences from construction contract administration that taught the author a valuable lesson from which others may benefit.
Updated: 2022/Nov/23