Technical writing
Technical writing: specifications and schedules for architects
We write technical project documents for other architects' practices: NBS Specifications, Schedules of Work, component schedules and the reports a planning application needs.
Why documents matter
Drawings alone don't make a project work
Appropriate technical project documents, in addition to drawings, are required if projects are to be successful. This is true of small projects just as much as large ones.
A Specification defines the quality of the materials to be used and the workmanship. A Bill of Quantities, or for a small project a Schedule of Works, lets a builder price the job accurately, and lets the work be valued fairly as it goes along.
Without priced items, payments to the builder have to be made at agreed stages, or so much a week or month. That can go wrong, leaving a builder overpaid or underpaid, with possible conflict as a result.
What we write, and when each fits
The right document depends on the size of the project and whether there is a Quantity Surveyor.
| Document | What it does | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| NBS Specification | Defines the quality of materials and workmanship, using the National Building Specification's up-to-date product information and standards | Large projects, and beneficial for small ones too |
| Notes on the drawings | The specification written onto the drawings, which are then used to submit for Building Regulations | Very small, fairly standard projects such as a domestic roof extension, where an NBS specification may not be justified on cost |
| Bill of Quantities | Lists all the work to be done and the quantity of it, so a contractor can price it and the work can be valued as it proceeds | Larger projects |
| Schedule of Works | Itemises and describes the work, usually without quantities: the builder measures from the drawings to tender | Smaller projects with no Quantity Surveyor |
NBS Specifications, written for other architects too
Real pages from specifications we have written. Open a page to read it full size.
We have compiled our own list of the CI/SFB and NBS clause codes to make it easier to find where a particular product should be in an NBS specification.
Schedules of Work
One page, used three ways
A Schedule of Work itemises all the work to be done. We list every item by NBS code on an Excel spreadsheet, with columns for the work, its quantity, its unit and its rate. Where there is no separate Specification, the items can carry basic specification information.
Sent out for tender
The builder receives the page with blank columns for prices, so tendering is quicker and easier to compare.
Returned priced
The builder writes the quantity, the rate and the tender price against each item of work.
Used to value the works
Every fortnight the architect enters the percentage of each item completed and its value, so the builder is paid for work done and everyone can see the progress.
Windows, doors, finishes and ventilation
A project usually needs lists of the components to be installed, like windows, doors, sanitary appliances and ironmongery, and schedules of the paint or floor finish in each room. Some are more technical, like a schedule of the natural ventilation each room needs.
Notes for clients and reports for Government
Sometimes clients need help when they come to make choices: these notes explain the choices for lighting. The reports were written for the Government, one on construction industry training while at the BRE and one on airport infrastructure.
Planning applications
Reports for planning applications
Planning applications have to be accompanied by various reports in addition to the drawings, from a Design & Access Statement to a Flood Risk Assessment. The number depends on the size and type of the project.
Get in touch
Need a specification or schedule?
Email Michael Buckley about an NBS Specification, a Schedule of Work or component schedules for your project.
64A White Hart Lane, London SW13 0PZ+44 7838 155739 · envaluation@icloud.com