building plans
Building plans are detailed plan in graph format of what a building will look like once it is constructed it is generally used by builders and contractors to assemble all types of buildings. Building plans are a useful tool for estimating the cost of a project. A building plan is created when an owner or developer contacts an architect with their idea for a building, the architect will write a proposal detailing the cost for his services this will largely depend on the scale of the project, building plans can cost up to 5% of the total project cost, once the design phase begins once the owner has signed the contract.
On bigger projects there are several phases to the design process the architect will encapsulate basic information about the project and create simple floor plan, once the owner is happy with the drawings the architect can proceed with more detailed designs this is called the design development phase. The process continues through different phases until a final construction set is designed. After each set of building plans is created, the owner is given a review period, and his comments are incorporated into the next phase.
Once a building plan has been confirmed they are put out for tender, this process involves contractors and subcontractors looking at the building plan and submitting their costs for completion of the work, Usually the person that submits the lowest bid is awarded the work, however some owners will look at other factors such as the experience a contractor has or if they have built up a good relationship with the contractor.