Construction documents are what really define your building project and become the basis for resolving conflicts if you get into a legal dispute. Building contracts and plan specifications cover the entire spectrum, from painfully simple to ridiculously complex
(See links to samples on the bottom of this page)
Your building plan, building contract, specifications and/or selection lists, and change orders are the most important documents you need. Most everyone is familiar with a “plan”. Plans can be very detailed and complete or fairly obscure and ambiguous. It’s the plan that “shows” the contractors what needs to be done. The specifications are the written materials that tell the contractors what materials are to be used and how the work shall be done. The contract is the document that ties those previous documents together and binds you and your builder together from now until the warranty expires. Change orders are the amendments to the contract, plans, and specifications that happen during construction.
Builders will have their own preferred plan and specifications that they like to use, but they may be open to modifying the documents or using yours (or your architects). Keep in mind their documents are designed to protect them before you. It’s not a bad idea to have your attorney review the documents. If you have a very nitpicky attorney who likes to be combative, you might want to “throttle” him or her back a bit. You don’t want to kill a project because of personality conflicts. Be careful if you use a mix of documents (like your specs and the builders contract) because all the documents need to refer to each other properly. Conflicting references can cause confusion for the people working on the building, and it could become a nightmare if you get into a serious conflict with the builder or a subcontractor.
Sample construction quality document
