Caribbean

Construction

Planning Guide to building your own home

Written By:

Damar Hutchinson, Architectural Designer

Architectural Plans Online

www.ArchPlansOnline.com

archplansonline@gmail.com

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Table of Contents

Basic Concepts of Construction Planning .............................................................. 3

Things to Consider when Planning ..................................................................... 3

Building Plans ...................................................................................................... 5

Planning Permit ................................................................................................. 6

Construction Drawings ...................................................................................... 8

Choosing a Contractor/Builder ........................................................................... 13

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Construction Planning

Basic Concepts of Construction Planning

Construction planning is a fundamental and challenging activity in the management and execution of all

construction projects. It involves the choice of technology, the definition of work tasks, estimation of the

required resources, durations for individual tasks and the identification of any interactions among the

different work tasks.

A good Construction Plan is the basis for developing your budget and the

schedule for work. The Construction plan you would develop should only

be used as a guide as you seek to consult with your local mortgage

institution.

Things to Consider when Planning

Budget – Knowing your borrowing limit will generally help you to stay

within budget. During construction other unforeseen events may occur

which may affects your budget. I generally encourage persons to have at

least 30% of the cost of the project in their personal savings before starting

construction.

Land - You should ensure the land you are planning to buy or already

own is fit for a Residential Building, according to local zoning codes.

Mountainous lots may require cut and fill civil engineering work which

may be costly. Consult a local Civil Engineer.

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Building Plans - Getting your proposed building layout on paper, this is the basis of your construction

project. These drawings are generally prepared by an Architect or

Draftsman. These drawings are very detailed and contain technical

information required to construct your home.

Building Plans Review - If you have acquired your

drawings from Architectural Plans Online you should have

a local professional review and develop additional

drawings if required, (Plumbing, Drainage, Site and

Location Plan)

Planning Permission - This is the stage where you actually

apply for permission to start construction. This process

may take a few weeks base on your local practice. During

the approval process you should start to interview trusted building contractors; doing this upon

approval would put you in a better position to commence construction.

Building Contractor (Costing) - This task can be done while you are

waiting for approval from your local authority. You should get various

trusted contractors to provide you with estimates for your project.

Please note that sometime contractors that bid with the low unrealistic

estimate often cut corners and deliver product of low quality.

Begin Construction - Up on approval of your building plans you should seek to sign an agreement with

the selected contactors, we recommend getting an attorney to review the agreement before moving

forward.

Finish Construction – At this stage you should ensure that your house was properly built and that the

work carried out is up to the local standards, these standards are generally in placed for your safety.

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Building Plans

Building plans can be described as a graphical representation and specific guidelines how the building should

be constructed and what the building should look like after construction.

Before Construction After Construction

Image Source www.constructivemedia.com.au/2013/05/before-and-after

A full set of building plans consist of various specifications, annotations and visual illustrations if the proposed

building. Building plans are also used when applying for construction permit from your local government

building office.

The creation of a set of building plans starts when an idea and then further developed into detailed

Construction Drawings, These drawings may take up to 12months to be prepared by an Architect base on

design complexity. The cost for building plans typically ranges from 8-15% of the total cost of the construction

cost. Let’s break it down; if you are planning to build a house and the total cost to build the house would be

$1,200,000 in total, the Architect fee would be 8-15% of that figure which would be about $96,000 - $180,000.

These rates are flexible base on the cost of construction.

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Detailed Set of Construction Drawings includes Site, Location plan, Floor Plans, Elevations, Sections, Electrical

Plan, Plumbing/Drainage Plan, Structural Details, Foundation Plan and Other details where necessary.

North Elevation of HD001 –

archplansonline.com

Planning Permit

Most Islands within the Caribbean region has implemented and adopt various Building Codes which govern

the quality, usage and location of the building you plan to build. These codes are implemented as a way to

ensure good construction practices and safe homes.

Under the Building Act in most countries, permission is required for any of the following:

1. Construction/Erection of building 2. Demolition of building

3. Additions /alterations and external repairs 4. Temporary building & Farm House

5. Change in use of building from one use (Class to another e.g. Residential to Commercial)

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An application of such nature could take approximately four (4) weeks (for residential single family buildings),

while all other application will take approximately 90 working days. The application waiting period solely base

on how efficient your local government building department conduct their duties. (If you are not sure that you

require a permit contact your Local Planning Authority).

Await approval from your Local Planning Authority before commencing any work!!!

You should consider visiting your local building department to seek more information.

Barbados – http://www.townplanning.gov.bb/

Trinidad – http://trinidad.co.gov/

Jamaica – http://www.ksac.gov.jm/

(These website may varies base on your geographic location)

Other useful websites are

http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/grenada/dealing-with-construction-permits

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Construction Drawings

Construction Drawings: must be drawn to a minimum scale of 1:100 (1:75 for complex drawings, where a

building is too large to fit on a 24”x 36”paper). All legends & drawings are required to be visible and accurately

labelled. (Generally Applicable in Jamaica, Trinidad & Barbados and other islands)

Floor Plan- The entire floor layout including existing as well as proposed floor plans (use of rooms, doorways,

windows, openings etc.)

Foundation Plan -shows all structural members including stiffeners, column pad footings etc.

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*Location & Site Plan – These drawings are develop to indicate where the building would position on the land

and the setbacks based on values stipulated for the area you choose to build.

Roof plan-shows all structural members (sizes, spacing, types, roof pitch, drainage etc.)

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Electrical Plan - Layout of all electrical components; electrical outlets, lighting fixtures etc.

Sections-a minimum of 2 (1 longitudinal & 1 cross-sectional) sections through a critical part of the building

depicting interior details and showing ground and finish floor levels

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Elevations-label all exterior finishes (Walls, roof material), highlighting ground levels both existing and final

(All elevation details for new development, alterations or extensions).

Structural Details - Include details of all structural components; foundations, columns, beams, footing, lintel,

stiffeners, staircase plan (reinforce and section), roof vent detail, etc.

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*Drainage Details - must include grease trap, trap gully basin, septic tank, absorption pit, tile field, manhole

etc.

*Drainage Plan - The existing and proposed storm water drainage and Plumbing layout. Position of existing

and proposed features such as sanitary drains, septic tanks, absorption pit, soak away pit, tile field,

surface/storm water collection, containment and final disposal point etc.

Architectural Plans Online

Drawing which are indicated with (*) would need to be developed by a local design professional if required,

these drawings are unique to your local situations and location. However we have included a CAD file of the

Floor plan of the design purchased. This CAD file would make it easier for your local designer to create the

additional drawings. (CAD - Computer Aided Design; A method of constructing technical drawings with the aid of a computer)

We understand that all regions do not operate the same as it relates to planning permissions and we have

decided to work along with your local professional if the need may arise for modifications because of non

compliance with your local guidelines.

This will be at no extra cost.

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Choosing a Contractor/Builder

CHOOSE YOUR CONTRACTOR/BUILDER CAREFULLY

By Don Mullings

Most construction projects undertaken in the Caribbean; whether a highway or a house extension requires a

professional. Selecting and dealing with a contractor is not always the easiest of tasks. There are numerous

clients who are eager to share horror stories about their experiences with contractors - from financial rip-offs

to piles of unfinished and sub-standard work.

The main purpose of this article is to guide those persons with smaller jobs (simple house construction) in

selecting and dealing with contractors.

When looking for a contractor, the writer recommends one of the following:

1. Builders Association in your country, you could seek advice and recommendation.

2. Institution of Professional Engineers can also recommend suitable contractors.

3. Check someone who has done a similar project to yours.

The main drawback of committing to a contractor in the act of no-turning back, that is why the section process

is so important.

Using one or a combination of the above, select three (3) possible contractors for the job;

Ask them for their credentials, and make sure they are qualified. That may sound like common sense, but

most people take for granted that any contractor can do any job, but this is not necessarily the case.

Each time I am told by owners of their grief with construction projects, I have always enquired of them how

much they pay their doctor or lawyer and how they go about selecting them. Typical answer would be

"US$500 - US$1,000" (depending on the assignment undertaken) you would not go hire a real estate lawyer to

represent you for a criminal matter, you should get where I am going, same you could not go to a

dermatologist doctor if you have just feeling pain in your head. This is the same approach as in relates to

contractors, check their area of specialisation and get references from your friends. You will be pleased with

this common sense approach, why not take the same approach for the largest investment in your life - YOUR

HOUSE?

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So the contractors have now been selected, what next? Set up appointments and get bids on the project, try

to meet with bidders individually, and allowing sufficient time for them to be fully appraised. Note an estimate

is not a bid. An estimate is an approximate cost. It can cost you thousands/hundreds of dollars more when the

project is completed. Ask the three (3) contractors for references relating to their work on a project similar to

yours.

Get three (3) references for each and talk to those customers. If possible, visit the locations to see the

projects. Once you have chosen the contractors, make sure they provide signed itemised bids, including all

taxes, permits etc. If you have to change the scope of the work to be undertaken, make sure it is agreed and

signed-off by both parties before starting.

After all the work is completed, hold on to the final payment, this should be explained in your contract

documents signed by both parties. This is essential to ensure the job is 100% complete. For some jobs, for

example roofing, it is necessary to hold back part of the payment, (called retention) five to ten percent, for up

to six (6) months to allow for defects to show.

The above warning comes in light of the many times that contractors receive all their money and do not return

to finish the project or to correct defects. When this happens, both the owner and the contractors will be in

dispute. The owner displaying extreme annoyance and the contractor putting up a stone wall, as there is no

interest in satisfying the owner, since he would have already been fully paid.

Like all other business transactions, knowing a little about the contractor's personality may also help. Like so

many Caribbean business people, some contractors lack financial management and support.

Like I have said to so many persons and organisations; having a hammer, a saw or even owning a

construction company, does not make one into a good contractor.

A good contractor is a trained professional who is able to properly plan and implement projects in a timely

manner and at reasonable cost.