Milestone 4 – Decision to Fast Track project
Honestly, I don’t remember if this is actually day 4! So instead of ‘day 4′ as an entry marker, I decided to use Milestones. Sorry, I just can’t keep up with the days!! What I found out today was that Cleveland Plumbing Supply (CPS) is ready to start demolition in a few weeks! Gotta get the project going…
Well, Gene understood that it will be costly to do a fast-track project. He really did. But, the holiday shopping season is ahead and no time to waste.
You see, typically, the design process goes like this. First, you figure out the goal of the project. Then you organize and collect data from interviews with client, code requirements, spatial requirements, etc. Then you do a schematic design, a rudimentary sketch you might say. After the schematic design, a preliminary design. Then we develop it a bit further after a few discussions. This is called design development. One should never start construction with design development. Well, I suppose you can but it is costly to do so. Many items, at this point, haven’t been hammered out yet. You want to avoid change orders during construction (sorry, another topic for another blog)…very expensive. Of course, once you’ve all agreed to a set of design plans, then the designer can go ahead and proceed with actual Construction Documents (CDs). When you have a finished set of CDs, then one can bid out the project. Again, time is a luxury CPS didn’t have.
Like I said, many things to do. Client is steadfast about starting asap. No time to waste.
Milestone 5 – Discovering the History of Building
Once I learned that the existing building which the Cleveland Plumbing occupies was an old…
The 2′ x 4′ dropped ceiling and its fluorescent light fixtures must go! Because CPS building used to be a grain mill and then a lumber yard during the turn of the century, I thought that there might be some existing structure that can be exposed.
I was elated to see once we popped the ceiling tiles that beautiful hardwood joists and floor boards were in tact after all those years.
Hmm…I see dead toilets…
Wait. I see kitchen vignettes!!