The process to complete working drawings can sometimes be long winded and especially when Christmas and holidays occur in the middle of the process but here we are ready to lodge to council.
It always surprises me however that there may be issues about the time it takes to do the working drawings and details but the council can take as long or longer to approve a building license when all they do is check the drawings that have been supplied.
The next step is to take schedules of materials and determine a building programme and time to construct integrating all the sub-trades and supportive contractors. The only way to save time in a build is to ensure the planning is well documented.
Those who fail to plan plan to fail so it is vital that all of our projects are planned from beginning to end. Also there is an old proverb that speaks about what fool would build a tower without first counting the cost unless he get half way through and not have enough money to finish. You can’t plan too much in my opinion.
The council has finally sent a letter requesting additional information and I cannot help thinking this is to delay the whole process giving them time to complete their workload that has increased because of Parliament legislating so much in the building industry that the councils workload has increased ten fold. The problem with legislation is that it doesn’t ever provide for common sense. Anyway we have to identify the insurer for the project and also prepare additional drawings showing the actual design of the staircase which is shown in the drawings to the required codes allowing for the correct treads and risers and on site will have to be checked in any event for accurate heights and distances once the structure is up.
Still is it great that it has come this far and they give us 21 days to respond otherwise we have to go through the process all over again to resubmit for the building permit. Oh and while I am on that subject the law makers have now decided to change the application to a building permit and no longer is it for a builders license, which makes sense but why do we really pay wages to these people who legislate how we should live our lives, it seems they plan the rules in a darkened office somewhere and yet the councils have the best Architecture in the country it seems but don’t think to seek advice from those who have voted them in to begin with. Ah well that is government and we have no way of eliminating it so follow the rules and toe the line and stop fighting city hall because you will never win.
