and the self-taught, practical man by giving him a working knowledge of the principles and methods, not only of his own particular trade, but of all other branches of the Building Industry as well. The various sections have been prepared especially for home study, each written by an acknowledged authority on the subject. The arrangement of matter is such as to carry the student forward by easy stages. Series of review questions are inserted in each volume, enabling the reader to test his knowledge and make it a permanent possession. The illustrations have been selected with unusual care to elucidate the text. The work will be found to cover many important topics on which little information has heretofore been available. This is especially apparent in such sections as those on Steel Construction; Reinforced Concrete Construction; Building Superintendence; Estimating; Contracts and Specifications, including the principles and methods of awarding and executing Government contracts; and Building Law. In conclusion, grateful acknowledgment is due the staff of authors and collaborators, without whose hearty co-operation this work would have been impossible. CONTRACTS AND SPECIFICATIONS VOLUME VI Revised by Edward Nicholst Page *11 Specification and Its Function: Points of Emphasis in Specification Writing- Prices- - Profit-Percentage-Duplicate Parts -Transportation-Approximate Definitions-Units-Excavation - Stonework-Brickwork-Chimneys-Flue By Eliot N. Jones and O. W. Richardson Contracts Agency - Architect's Duties in General: Position Under Building Contract, Settlement of Disputes, Inspection, Relations to Owner, Relations to Contractor, Liability of Architect, Competitive Design, Ownership of Plans, Compensation-Appendix: Notice to Architects, Builders, and Contractors, Notes on Standard Documents, Uniform Contract, Standard Form of Agreement between Contractor and Owner, General Provisions of the Contract, Professional Instruments and Materials: Drawing Paper, Drawing Board, Pencils, T-Square, † For professional standing of authors, see list of Authors and Collaborators at CONTRACTS AND SPECIFICATIONS In order to build intelligently and with profit, it is essential after the scheme has been developed on the drawings-that the materials and their qualities be so selected and so designated that there can be no misunderstanding relative thereto, on the part of either the owner or the builder, and that only such materials be required as the former is prepared to pay for. INTRODUCTION THE SPECIFICATION AND ITS FUNCTION Essential Characteristics. The province of a specification is to supplement the drawings, setting forth those points in the proposed work which cannot be readily expressed by diagram and figures. It may therefore be said that its principal object is to define the general conditions under which the work is to be done, and to describe the quality of the materials to be used. In other words, a specification is a statement of the conditions under which the building is to be constructed, and of the items necessary therefor which are not indicated on the contract drawings. The specification also presents the general conditions under which the work indicated by the drawings is to be executed. It stipulates the kind and quality of labor and materials desired, and contains all the written instructions and descriptions that may be needed to indicate fully to the bidders just what must be furnished. Clearness. The completeness and clearness of the specification materially govern the amounts of the bids, and also regulate the amount of extra charges brought in by the contractor at the final settlement; a simple description, therefore, giving as briefly as possible the correct idea to the bidder, is likely to achieve a better result than a long treatise on what is recognized as good workmanship and material by any workman capable of undertaking the contract at all. Quality and Kind of Materials. As a general rule the specification should give the quality and kind of material to be used, and the method of workmanship, leaving the quantities and sizes to be obtained from the plans. This method, if carefully followed, simplifies the checking-up in completing the plans. Changes in quantities and dimensions can be made on the plans, while changes in material are looked for in the specification. Notes on Drawings. Specifications are sometimes written in the form of notes on the drawings; but these easily become separated, so that the specification might not be considered for every part of the work on which it would have a bearing. Moreover, as there is not usually room on the drawings for the necessary detail, they never can be as complete as a written description, and at the same time they tend to lead the contractor to neglect the complete specifications. On the other hand, notes on the drawings have a certain advantage in being directly before the contractor. They can be easily and permanently put on when making the drawings, and they show the exact location of the materials mentioned. General Comments on Wording. Clear and Exact Language. Specifications must be written in language perfectly intelligible to all persons connected with the work; special care must be exercised in this, since the specifications, together with the contract drawings, form the basis of the final agreement or bargain between the owner of the proposed building and the builder, this agreement being called the contract. The building to be erected is described by the architect in two ways-namely, by drawings and by a written description, the specification. The same experience and ability that enable him to make the drawings, will be required in formulating the written statements necessary to express what cannot be fully shown in the design. The importance of the specification is shown in the fact that in case of discrepancy it takes precedence over the drawings. The diction employed, should, therefore, be carefully considered, so that the specification will be a continuous description of the matter, dealing fully with each subject or each part of the work in proper sequence, and, avoiding all reiteration of requirements either in whole or in part. Short sentences referring first to one |