Discover the intricacies of creating a set of construction documents for a residential project, including the necessary details to obtain construction permits and to ensure clarity for the contractor. Learn more about the importance of elements like the title sheet, sheet indexes, development summary, and the roles of various professionals involved in the project.
Key Insights
- The construction documents for a project are essential for obtaining a construction permit and must clearly communicate the necessary information to regulatory agencies and the contractor. Key elements include the title sheet, sheet indexes, development summary, and the roles of various professionals involved in the project.
- Each sheet of the construction document has a specific number and title, with the title sheet typically located in the lower right corner. It includes details about the project name, the owner of the project, and the architectural seal.
- The title sheet or cover sheet also includes a development summary in which key details such as the APN (number of the evaluators' plot), occupancy group, zoning information, and tabulations of the building area are outlined. All these details are crucial for regulatory agencies to ensure the project meets the requirements for the specific area.
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This first project is a residential project that was recently completed in the County of San Diego. This will be a set of construction documents. So, the first sheet I would like you to open is the title sheet, TS 1.0. Typically, within a set of construction documents, we always have the Construction Department in mind.
What we are trying to do is obtain a construction permit, and we are trying to transmit the appropriate information to the regulatory agencies so that they can grant us the permit. We need to communicate with the Contractor so that they understand how to build the building, and we need to make sure that the information is clear and detailed. The lower right corner of the sheet is where we normally have our title sheet.
Our sheet number—so you can see that this page number is TS 1. Normally, we have an area above and to the right that lists the name of the project, often the Owner of the project. And we have an area above that for the Architectural seal. Then we have project names, who has drawn the project, etc.
What I have done to essentially guarantee the privacy of the Owners of our projects is to leave the name of the project and the name of the Owners blank. So, I would like you to look at the top right, where you can see that I am showing the index of the sheets. The index of the sheets lists all the sheets included in the project.
These are usually numbered. We group the information logically. So, as you can see, I have three title sheets.
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The first is the title sheet. Then I have general notes, some energy calculations, and construction specifications. This, again, is typically organized within the drawing set.
I have my A-S sheets, which are my Architectural Site sheets. My A-A sheets are my Architectural sheets. I have some details.
I have electrical information, my Title 24 energy calculations, some civil sheets, and some structural sheets. One of the things that is very important to include in the cover sheet or title sheet of the project is the development summary. Within the development summary, at least in the County of San Diego, we include the APN, which is the number of the Assessor’s Parcel Number.
Within the APN, all properties are divided into specific designations. If I refer to my REDE map—this is the Regional Economic Development map, an information system for the County—this is where the County determines the specific APN for the different projects to be built within the same area.
This is a tool that SANDAG, which is the Association of Governments of the County of San Diego, provides so that people know where their properties are located. So, in my construction documents, I am including the APN. I will often include a legal description that explains the exact measurements and boundaries of the property.
The legal description typically includes the length and direction of all sides of the project. Then we have the occupancy group so that we can see that this project is R for Residential. It is a single-family housing project, and this is an unclassified Type 5. Now, Type 5 means wood construction.
We have wood as a Type 5, and steel as a Type 1. So essentially, we have types of construction that go from 1 to 5. You will usually find that the largest buildings—such as skyscrapers—are Type 1 construction, medium-height buildings could be Type 3, and residences are typically Type 5. For this project, we have zoning information. This area, in particular, is in the field about 60 miles outside the City of San Diego. The zoning for that area is limited agricultural use.
Now we have the tabulations of the building area. This information is used to help regulatory agencies verify that what you are building meets the requirements established for that area. For example, I can see that I have a garage and a basement area of 950 square feet.
I have a basement, and the square footage for the first and second floors. The total square footage of the house is 2,700 square feet, and the terrace is 720 square feet. Again, this is the information transmitted to the City about the size of the building.
It is also used by the Foreman, who helps determine, from a tax standpoint, what the tax base of the project will be once the house is finished. Again, we are showing the type of project, the type of construction, and the size of the project. Then we include information about the community and the planning area.
Different neighborhoods are assigned to different community planning groups, and this is where we specify that information. We also have an area for the scope of the work. This states that this is a new house that includes a basement, first floor, and second floor.
Then we have the Project Directory, where we list the Owner of the project, the Architect, the Structural Engineer, the Civil Engineer, and the person responsible for the Title 24 energy calculations. So again, what we have covered so far are the basic concepts of the sheet index, where we show all the sheets listed in the project.
We have information about the development summary for the project. We talk about the scope of the work, and generally, there is a list of people—that is, the professionals—who are involved in the construction of the new project.
