It’s Not All Glamour
Written by bethany on May 27th, 2010
Ever have a manager in your career that hounds something into you? It might be about turning lights off when you leave the office or making sure the Construction Documents have the correct date ……or the right project!!! Whatever your case, the hounding sticks with you. And one of mine is Field Verifying an existing space, “Bethany, you can never have enough photos or documentation. Ask questions and don’t assume anything.” And I must say, it’s not always glamorous! Walking (sometimes crawling) and measuring in the basement of a 1950’s abandoned Hospital Auditorium is not pretty! Wearing a mask, gloves, jeans, headlight and ignoring the trash is a must do for a successful renovation.
Field verifying saves your Client money. This is your chance to get it right and make sure your design is drawn within the defined boundries. Field verifying identifies potential problems and can adjust your current scope of work due to unforeseen conditions. If you’re not willing take the time to diligently investigate existing conditions, the project and design team will incure additional cost down the road. It might not always be glamour in the design world but, don’t be a afraid of a little dirt, stale air or spiders…..sometimes it just another day in the office!
P.S.
Roger and I were within 2″ from field verifying the space and relating it to 1950’s drawings…YES! We are that good!