Jargon: Punch List

Punch List and Punch List (at Wikipedia)
In construction the punch list comes before the owner accepts the building. The building is ready for the owner to occupy but may have some details that need to be corrected, repaired, or replaced. The Punch List lists these items for the contractor to correct. Generally the item does not meet the quality standard of the inspectors which can be the architect, the owners, or both.
Sometimes the item may not constructed according to the design but the owner can live with it. In this case it is appropriate for the contractor to offer a fair credit for the work installed incorrectly as a condition of acceptance by the owner.

Research 01: Find architects you like

"Find architects you like" is a quest. In order to develop a collection of inspiring images we will have to find architects you like. Once you find photos of work that you like there's a good chance that you'll like other work by that architect.

This is where we will begin to fill up your design stockpile (sketchbooks, manila folders, or whatever) with photos of spaces you love. Try at least two of the following suggestions:

• Search the internet for an architect you know or have heard of.
• Search for your local AIA website, it should have a listing of members. (AIA Las Vegas)
• Search your library. You may find an architecture library at your university. (UNLV Architecture Studies Library)
• Try a web link aggregator like del.icio.us
• Visit Cutler Anderson's Website (my bias)

Once you find a website start poking around in the projects area to find image of things you like. Print them out or copy them to your hard drive. You may have just found your architect.

Research Activity Explainer

I'm playing with how to engage you readers. I will try different things until I feel I am having an impact. So I've come up with a Research activity. Maybe its a poor word choice. Please don't be intimidated.

When working on an Exercise activity you should always have whatever you need to complete them. Its just you and the Exercise. To complete the Research activity you will need to draw on resources outside of yourself. Most of the time the internet will provide these resources, but I may ask you to use some other resource in particular.

Like other activities the results of the Reseach activity should be saved your personal design stockpile.

If you've got a better name for this activity let me know. Here are some synonyms for Research.

Jargon: Scope of Work

Scope of Work
The Scope of Work is the part of the contract that explains what work is to be completed in agreements with architects, designers, contractors, and subcontractors.
You should understand what it says. It is what you are agreeing to pay for (and nothing else).

These descriptions might be an exhibit or ammendment to a contract or in the body of the contract. They can be very detailed or general in their language. It might be called Scope of Work or Work Scope but it can be called anything or nothing. This description is the first place you will go to when you disagree about what is included in the price you've agree to pay.

Developing the General Scope of Work on the AIA Kansas Website

Excercise 03: Content, What's in your house?

There's a good chance that whatever your dream home might be, the place you live now meets most of your basic needs. To get from home to dream home we must first understand these needs, so let's learn from your current home.

Take a tour of your home as though you were a buyer. Look for the qualities you like or don't like in a home. If it helps give someone the tour. It may help to visit model homes or houses for sale to recharge your inner house shopper.

Now take these few steps to outline your current living conditions:

• write down names of all the different rooms in your house (ie. kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living...) in a list on the left hand side of a piece of paper. Leave a few lines between rooms
• then list all the activities that go on in each room on the right hand side
• now for each room (on the left) circle the most frequent activity listed on the right

This is what you do with your home. Think about which needs of yours you home doesn't meet very well. Getting more of these needs included into fewer rooms creates a dream home.