The Submittal Package: Accuracy of Design

In order to acquire a building permit, a Plan Reviewer from your building department reviews your plans for compliance with current building codes to assure the building is constructed properly. It is their job to look for errors in design & code compliance. The more accurate these plans are the easier their job is and they will have a higher confidence level in approving the plans. Typically, errors are corrected during this review process with revised plans and/or additional designs provided for review prior to approval. Obviously this causes delays in the approval process and the project as a whole.

Plan reviewers are not perfect and errors can be missed. The onsite building inspector is the last line of defense against errors in design and construction. An accurate set of approved plans should assume much of the load of assuring proper construction on site.

Material Suppliers also suffer from poorly designed plans. Many now provide their own component designs based upon the building plans in order to quote their materials. An accurate set of plans allows them to quickly and reliably design their own components and deliver a profitable product to the site.

Any builder who has worked with a poorly prepared set of plans understands the value of accuracy in design. The lion’s share of any loss due to errors in design typically arises during construction and can create chaos within a builder’s schedule. Ultimately the end-user takes the burden of added costs and the stress of what was once an enjoyable experience.

Accuracy in design is what makes a good set of plans. The most cost-effectively designed project can go over-budget due to errors in the production of the plans that are only then discovered during construction. Achieving accuracy in design is a process that cannot be wholly computerized. It requires a firm understanding of the constraints of the design and an even firmer understanding of how builders build.

For Sunrise Design Services it is more than that, it is about Reputation, and Pride. Our entire design process revolves around accuracy in design, from our standardized code-reference plans format to our CAD/CAE-based platform. Our approach to creating a set of plans is derived from over 20 years designing, permitting and building in the residential construction industry at the State, County & City levels.

Our extensive and unique history in both housing & component manufacturing has provided rare perspective as to the information required by the various agents who will be working with a set of plans. With this in mind we have developed a plans-design process which produces a highly accurate set of plans providing a permit-approval rating of over 95% annually throughout Washington & Oregon.  Call-backs by builders & material suppliers for errors, corrections & clarification occur less than annually.

This is our measure of accuracy in design and we provide permit-ready plans packages because we can.