Caribbean

Construction
Planning
Guide to building your own home

Written By:
Damar Hutchinson,
Architectural Designer

Architectural Plans Online

www.ArchPlansOnline.com
archplansonline@gmail.com

Table of Contents

Basic Concepts of Construction Planning .............................................................. 3

Things to Consider when Planning ..................................................................... 3

Building Plans ...................................................................................................... 5

Planning Permit................................................................................................. 7

Construction Drawings ...................................................................................... 8

Choosing a Contractor/Builder ........................................................................... 14

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Construction Planning

Basic Concepts of Construction Planning

Construction planning is a fundamental and challenging activity in the management and execution of all
construction projects. It involves the choice of technology, the definition of work tasks, estimation of the
required resources, duration for individual tasks and the identification of any interactions among the different
work tasks.
A good Construction Plan is the basis for developing your budget and the
schedule for work. This Construction plan will give you an idea of the work
required for your project and can be used when consulting with your local
mortgage institution.

Things to Consider when Planning

Budget Knowing your borrowing limit will generally help you to stay
within budget. During construction other unforeseen events may occur
which may affects your budget. I generally encourage persons to have at
least 30% of the cost of the project in their personal savings before starting
construction.
Land - You should ensure the land you are planning to buy or already own
is fit for a residential building whether single or multi family, according to
local zoning codes. Mountainous lots may require cut and fill civil
engineering work which may be costly. Consult a local Civil Engineer.

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Building Plans - Getting your proposed building layout on paper, this is the basis of your construction
project. These drawings are generally prepared by an Architect or
Draftsman. These drawings are very detailed and contain technical
information required to construct your home.

Planning Permission - This is the stage where you

actually apply for permission to start construction. This
process may take a few weeks base on your local
practice. During the approval process you should start
to interview trusted building contractors; doing this
upon approval would put you in a better position to
commence construction.

Building Contractor (Costing) - This task can be done while you are
waiting for approval from your local authority. This is the stage when
you receive bids from various trusted contractors base on your initial
interview and screening process.
Please note that sometime contractors that bid with the low unrealistic
estimate often cut corners and deliver product of low quality.

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Begin Construction - Up on approval of your building plans you should seek to sign an agreement with
the selected contactors, we recommend getting an attorney to review the agreement before moving
forward.

Finish Construction At this stage you should ensure that your house was properly built and that the
work carried out is up to the local standards, these standards are generally in placed for your safety.

Building Plans/Drawings (explained)

Building plans/ Drawings can be described as a graphical representation and specific guidelines illustrating
how the building should be constructed and what the building should look like after construction.
Before Construction

After Construction

Image Source www.constructivemedia.com.au/2013/05/before-and-after

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A full set of building plans consist of various specifications, annotations and visual illustrations if the proposed
building. Building plans are also used when applying for construction permit from your local government
building office.
The creation of a set of building plans starts when an idea and then further developed into detailed
Construction Drawings, These drawings may take up to 12months to be prepared by an Architect base on
design complexity. The cost for building plans typically ranges from 8-15% of the total cost of the construction
cost. Lets break it down; if you are planning to build a house and the total cost to build the house would be
$1,200,000 in total, the Architect fee would be 8-15% of that figure which would be about $96,000 - $180,000.
These rates are flexible and are based on the cost of construction.
Detailed Set of Construction Drawings includes Site, Location plan, Floor Plans, Elevations, Sections, Electrical
Plan, Plumbing/Drainage Plan, Structural Details, Foundation Plan and Other details where necessary.
North Elevation of HD001
archplansonline.com

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Planning Permit

Most Islands within the Caribbean region has implemented and adopt various Building Codes which govern
the quality, usage and location of the building you plan to build. These codes are implemented as a way to
ensure good construction practices and safe homes.
Under the Building Act in most countries, permission is required for any of the following:
1. Construction/Erection of building

2. Demolition of building

3. Additions /alterations and external repairs

4. Temporary building & Farm House

5. Change in use of building from one use (Class to another e.g. Residential to Commercial)
An application of such nature could take approximately four (4) weeks (for residential single family buildings),
while all other application will take approximately 90 working days. The application waiting period solely base
on how efficient your local government building department conduct their duties. (If you are not sure that you
require a permit contact your Local Planning Authority).

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Await approval from your Local Planning Authority before commencing any work!!!

You should consider visiting your local building department to seek more information.
Barbados http://www.townplanning.gov.bb/
Trinidad http://trinidad.co.gov/
Jamaica http://www.ksac.gov.jm/
St. Vincent & G http://www.housing.gov.vc
Belize - http://www.cbabelize.org/
(These website may varies base on your geographic location)
Other useful websites are
http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/grenada/dealing-with-construction-permits

Construction Drawings
Construction Drawings: must be drawn to a minimum scale of 1:100 (1:75 for complex drawings, where a
building is too large to fit on a 24x 36paper). All legends & drawings are required to be visible and accurately
labelled. (Generally Applicable in Jamaica, Trinidad & Barbados and other islands)

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Floor Plan- The entire floor layout including existing as well as proposed floor plans (use of rooms, doorways,
windows, openings etc.)

Foundation Plan -shows all structural members including stiffeners, column pad footings etc.

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*Location & Site Plan These drawings are produced to indicate where the building would position on the
land and the setbacks based on values stipulated for the area you choose to build.

Roof plan-shows all structural members (sizes, spacing, types, roof pitch, drainage etc.)

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Electrical Plan - Layout of all electrical components; electrical outlets, lighting fixtures etc.

Sections-a minimum of 2 (1 longitudinal & 1 cross-sectional) sections through a critical part of the building
depicting interior details and showing ground and finish floor levels

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Elevations-label all exterior finishes (Walls, roof material), highlighting ground levels both existing and final
(All elevation details for new development, alterations or extensions).

Structural Details - Include details of all structural components; foundations, columns, beams, footing, lintel,
stiffeners, staircase plan (reinforce and section), roof vent detail, etc.

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*Drainage Details - must include grease trap, trap gully basin, septic tank, absorption pit, tile field, manhole
etc.
*Drainage Plan - The existing and proposed storm water drainage and Plumbing layout. Position of existing
and proposed features such as sanitary drains, septic tanks, absorption pit, soak away pit, tile field,
surface/storm water collection, containment and final disposal point etc.

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Choosing a Contractor/Builder
CHOOSE YOUR CONTRACTOR/BUILDER CAREFULLY
Most construction projects undertaken in the Caribbean; whether a highway or a house extension requires a
professional. Selecting and dealing with a contractor is not always the easiest of tasks. There are numerous
clients who are eager to share horror stories about their experiences with contractors - from financial rip-offs
to piles of unfinished and sub-standard work.
The main purpose of this article is to guide those persons with smaller jobs (simple house construction) in
selecting and dealing with contractors.
When looking for a contractor, the writer recommends one of the following:
1. Builders Association in your country, you could seek advice and recommendation.
2. Institution of Professional Engineers can also recommend suitable contractors.
3. Check someone who has done a similar project to yours.
The main drawback of committing to a contractor in the act of no-turning back, that is why the section process
is so important.
Using one or a combination of the above, select three (3) possible contractors for the job;
Ask them for their credentials, and make sure they are qualified. That may sound like common sense, but
most people take for granted that any contractor can do any job, but this is not necessarily the case.
Each time I am told by owners of their grief with construction projects, I have always enquired of them how
much they pay their doctor or lawyer and how they go about selecting them.

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Typical answer would be "US$500 - US$1,000" (depending on the assignment undertaken) you would not go
hire a real estate lawyer to represent you for a criminal matter, you should get where I am going, same you
could not go to a dermatologist doctor if you have just feeling pain in your head. This is the same approach as
in relates to contractors, check their area of specialisation and get references from your friends. You will be
pleased with this common sense approach, why not take the same approach for the largest investment in your
life - YOUR HOUSE?

So the contractors have now been selected, what next? Set up appointments and get bids on the project, try
to meet with bidders individually, and allowing sufficient time for them to be fully appraised. Note an estimate
is not a bid. An estimate is an approximate cost. It can cost you thousands/hundreds of dollars more when the
project is completed. Ask the three (3) contractors for references relating to their work on a project similar to
yours.

Get three (3) references for each and talk to those customers. If possible, visit the locations to see the
projects. Once you have chosen the contractors, make sure they provide signed itemised bids, including all
taxes, permits etc. If you have to change the scope of the work to be undertaken, make sure it is agreed and
signed-off by both parties before starting.

After all the work is completed, hold on to the final payment, this should be explained in your contract
documents signed by both parties. This is essential to ensure the job is 100% complete. For some jobs, for
example roofing, it is necessary to hold back part of the payment, (called retention) five to ten percent, for up
to six (6) months to allow for defects to show.

The above warning comes in light of the many times that contractors receive all their money and do not return
to finish the project or to correct defects. When this happens, both the owner and the contractors will be in
dispute.
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The owner displaying extreme annoyance and the contractor putting up a stone wall, as there is no interest in
satisfying the owner, since he would have already been fully paid.

Like all other business transactions, knowing a little about the contractor's personality may also help. Like so
many Caribbean business people, some contractors lack financial management and support.

Like I have said to so many persons and organisations; having a hammer, a saw or even owning a
construction company, does not make one into a good contractor.

A good contractor is a trained professional who is able to properly plan and implement projects in a timely
manner and at reasonable cost.

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