| Here is a chronological order of how school | | | | First, they are in business to make money. That's |
| buildings are often built:o An architect is hired or | | | | the reason everybody is in business, right? |
| already retained by the school district to draw up | | | | Secondly, architects are in the business of making |
| plans for a building project based on the district | | | | everything pleasing to the eye, making sure |
| wishes.o A cost estimate is formulated.o Money | | | | everything flows correctly, or leaving their design |
| to build is made available be it by a bond issue, | | | | or 'mark' on what they build. This sometimes |
| private, or grant monies.o The architect brings the | | | | leads to a lot of wasted space in a building or |
| plans to a school board meeting for approval.o | | | | designing things that don't work well for the flow |
| The school board approves the plans and | | | | of the educational process. Thirdly, the architects |
| authorizes the architect to receive bids for the | | | | sometimes in the middle of a project will charge |
| next monthly meeting.o At the following monthly | | | | the school district extra for additions to the |
| board meeting the low bid is approved and ground | | | | building that they omitted from the plans. The |
| breaking is announced.o The building is built.o The | | | | subcontractors are notorious for this but that will |
| staff has to move in and deal with the building 'as | | | | be left for another article. |
| built'. | | | | So how does one save money before the |
| Sound familiar? Is there anything wrong with this | | | | construction even begins? The answer lays in |
| picture? In most board meetings when the | | | | scrutinizing and making changes to all of the plans |
| architect brings the plans and specifications for | | | | and specifications before they are approved by |
| review, they are often approved without | | | | the school board and before the project goes out |
| anybody ever rolling the rubber band off of the | | | | for bid. Many construction experts would tell us, |
| blue prints and looking at them in detail. One of | | | | and I'm sure from past experience many of the |
| the biggest mistakes that educators and school | | | | readers would agree, that a typical construction |
| boards make when proceeding with building or | | | | project will experience somewhere between an |
| remodeling a school is to blindly trust the | | | | 8% -15% increase in cost due to change orders |
| architectural firm that they have employed to | | | | over and above the original contract bid. With |
| build a building that will fit all of their needs. | | | | proper attention to details nearly all of the change |
| Most architects are excellent but there are a few | | | | orders can be eliminated. |
| things to remember about a lot of architects. | | | | |