Construction drawings focus on a building’s shape, appearance, and dimensions, while

the written construction specifications, or specs, focus on what materials will be used
and how they should be installed. What information goes in notes on the drawings, and
what goes in the specs is up to the designer, but a good set of detailed specs goes far
beyond what could possibly be put into a drawing. It’s OK if the same information
appears in both places, but if there is a contradiction, the specifications generally take
priority, at least legally.

At a minimum, building specifications list what materials to use, and call out any special
installation requirements. Specs are much more valuable if they go farther and provide
detailed installation requirements and establish quality standards for the materials and
the workmanship. Equally important is providing a measurable way to determine
whether the work has met the standard.

On a large job, the specs will be broken down by trades, so there will be specs for the
painting, roofing, concrete work, flooring, and so on.

On a small remodeling job, the roofing specs might be as simple as:

Existing asphalt roof shingles shall be removed and disposed of by contractor. New
shingles shall be 30-year architectural shingles with 36-inch-wide Grace Ice-and-Water
Shield, or approved equal, at eaves. Underlayment shall be 15-pound asphalt felt paper.
Premium F-8 aluminum drip edge to be installed at eaves and along gable ends, with
Air Vent Shingle Vent at ridge.

On a high-end new home designed by an architect, the roofing specs might go a lot
farther – stating that the roof shingles must meet specific standards (UL) for fire
resistance and (ASTM) for wind resistance, that the “tar paper” underlayment meet a
specific ASTM standard, and that the drip edge must be of a certain minimum thickness
of aluminum. It may go further to state that the shingles must be installed within a
certain temperature range, which may be more restrictive than the manufacturer’s
requirements. For example:

Existing asphalt roof shingles shall be removed and disposed of by contractor. Site shall
be left free of nails and other debris. New shingles shall be GAF Timberline Series 30
year architectural shingle, or equal acceptable to owner, installed as per the written
manufacturer’s instructions, and within the temperature range recommended by
manufacturer. All eaves shall be lined with 36 in. Grace Ice and Water Shield. Grace Ice
and Water Shield shall also line all valleys and any roof areas with a slope of 3:12 or
less. Underlayment shall be ASTMD226 TypeI or II asphalt-impregnated underlayment
or an approved synthetic underlayment, lapped min. 6 in. at horizontal seams and min.
4 in. at vertical seams. Nails shall be double hot-dipped galvanized roofing nails of
sufficient length to fully penetrate roof sheathing. Use step flashing at all roof
penetrations; Flashing shall be .032 in. aluminum or 16 oz. copper or lead-coated
copper. Use .032 in. aluminum drip edge at all eaves and gable ends. Install Air Vent
Shingle Vent II at ridge, as per manufacturer’s written instructions.

HOW MUCH TO SPECIFY

Many construction jobs are done with no or minimal written specifications. The customer
doesn’t really know what he or she is getting, and often is often disappointed with the
results. In the absence of a written spec, you will often get so-called “builder’s grade”
products, a euphemism for cheap and basic. Builder’s-grade windows are typically solid
vinyl with very cheap screens that are difficult or impossible to remove without breaking
them – I know, as I have some in my current home and previous home. Builder’s-grade
doors, floor coverings, tubs, showers, bathroom fixtures, and cabinets share the same
minimal price and quality.

If you want better, and if you want to know ahead of time what you are getting from a
contractor, you need at least basic written specifications, identifying the products that
will be used, how many coats of paint or floor finish you are getting, and so on.
Otherwise, it’s a complete crap shoot. If you are working with a quality-minded,
conscientious contractor, you may get an excellent job, but why leave it up to chance?

You can’t and don’t want to spec every nail. But reasonably detailed specs will reduce
your risk of getting substandard materials or workmanship, and it will reduce the risks of
disputes over the completed work quality since the standards for material type, quality,
and workmanship are spelled out in black and white.

How detailed a spec should be depends on the complexity and requirements of the job.
I’d recommend basic specs, such as listing the products to be used by brand and model
for just about every product and material to be used on the job. For paints and coatings,
you will want to know what prep work will be done and how many coats applied.

Beyond that, you’ll want detailed specs for portions of the job that are very costly (or
costly to fix, such as the foundation), critical to the success of the project, prone to
problems (like radiant floors), or require specialized products or workmanship that may
be unfamiliar to the tradespeople doing the job. If problems show up after the work is
done, you will be in much stronger position to get the work repaired if you have a written
spec to fall back on. Examples of products or systems that should have detailed
installation specs, and issues to cover in the specs, include:

 Foundations – Concrete mix, strength, reinforcing

 Concrete slabs – Concrete mix, strength, reinforcement, flatness, finish,
expansion/movement joints, allowable cracks
 Roofing – Type, weight/thickness/warranty period of roofing; type of underlayment,
flashing, and fasters. Carefully spec details for low-slope roofs, and for complex
roofs with hips and valleys, detailing how valleys will be waterproofed. Get
detailed material and installation specs for roofing materials such as wood, metal,
tile, slate, and composite materials.
 Windows and doors – Specify type, model, and energy efficiency. Also provide
flashing details around doors and windows to prevent leaks, which are common
here.
 Skylights – Prone to leaking. Make sure installation follows manufacturers specs.
Extra membrane flashing around skylights recommended in freezing climates.
 Insulation and air sealing – If you care about energy performance, you’ll need to
spec this carefully.
 HVAC systems – A lot can go wrong here. System can be oversized, undersized,
uneven, noisy, leaky (ductwork), and inefficient due to installation errors.
 Radiant heating – Needs careful specifications by an experienced designer or
installer.
 Wood flooring – Moisture content, substrate, fasteners, vapor barriers (over slab),
finishes. Follow the recommendations of the National Wood Flooring
Association (NWFA).
 Ceramic tile – Follow the methods and standards in the TCNA Handbookif you
want trouble-free installations. Floor must be stiff enough. Also pay attention to
substrates, adhesives, and movement joints.
 Special construction for wind or seismic loads: This includes wind-resistant
roofing, impact-resistant windows, engineered framing fasteners, and shear wall
requirements.
 Metal components in coastal areas: Make sure that any exposed metal flashing,
fasteners, or hardware is stainless steel, copper, brass, lead, or double hot-dipped
galvanized. Other metals and finishes will not last long due to the corrosive power
of salt spray.

Over the years, I’ve learned to assume nothing about a job where the scope of work is
not in writing. If the work description or construction drawing is not specific, you won’t
really know what you’re getting until the job is done. You may be happy with it – or not,
but changing it mid-job or after completion is always expensive and who will pay for the
changes will always be contested.
If you know what you want, specify it. Do you want the nail holes filled with a color-
matched putty on your natural woodwork – if so, put it in the contract. Otherwise you
might find yourself filling several hundred holes by yourself after the job is “done.”

While you can’t spec every last nail, there are times when you have to spec things as
small as nails. For example, I once built a gambrel roof using site-built trusses
fabricated with plywood gussets. The nails in the gussets had to be a specific size,
length, and number, and installed in a specific pattern for the engineered design to
work. Using the proper type and size of nails and fasteners is also critical in truss
hangers and other engineered framing connectors, as well as with tile backerboards,
drywall (to prevent nail pops), and many other building materials. So, in many cases, it
does make sense to specify the nails.

TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS

Specifications may cover the properties and installation of products and materials, and
systems. They are either written as product specifications, installation specification, or
performance specifications.

Product specifications. These can name specify a specific brand-name product, such
as: “Foundation insulation shall be 2-inch tongue-and-groove Dow Styrofoam, or
equivalent.” To give the contractor more flexibility it may provide a technical spec, such
as “Rigid foam insulation to be 2-inch-thick extruded polystyrene with tongue-and-
groove edges, with a minimum compressive strength of 25 psi.”

The first type of spec, that names the product is certainly the simplest – no question
about what is to be used. Language such as “or equivalent” or “or similar” are OK as
long as you state in your contract that any such substitutions must be “approved by
owner or owner’s representative.” In some cases, like with extruded foam insulation
above, all major brands are pretty much the same. With other types of products, such
as paint, doors and windows, siding products, and composite wood products,
equivalency is harder to determine. You’re better off finding the product you like and
speccing just that.

Highly technical specs are probably overkill for most residential products, except in
high-end jobs, and in instances where the design or code calls for specialty products.
For example, if you are putting Styrofoam insulation under a slab or foundation, you will
need a higher compressive strength than what is typically found in the lumberyard. If
you are in an area where the code requires impact resistant windows, wind-resistant
roofing, or special structural connections to protect against earthquakes or high winds,
then technical specifications are essential.

Installation specifications. Most contractors and tradespersons have their own way of
doing things. In the building trades, you’ll often hear things like “This is how I’ve always
done it” and “I’ve always done it this way and haven’t had any problems.” That’s exactly
what the contractor told me who installed a Velux skylight in a shallow roof, violating the
manufacturer’s specs, and guess what – it leaked until I removed it and reinstalled it per
the manufacturer’s instructions.

Unfortunately “the way we’ve always done it” may not work anymore due to changes in
materials, codes, energy standards, or other factors particular to your job. The goal of
installation specs is to avoid these kinds of problems. These describe, in detail, how a
product is to be installed or applied. For example,

Install 2-inch Styrofoam extruded polystyrene insulation over interior side of basement
wall by attaching wood furring strips vertically over the foam insulation at 16-in. or 24-in.
on center. Fasten 1×2-in. or 2×4-in. furring strips through the foam insulation and into
basement wall using Tapcon or similar screws that penetrate about 1-1/4″ into the
concrete wall. Use 4 screws per 8 ft. furring strip.

Quality standards. Installation specs for visible finish work often contain quality
standards as well (see also Quality Standard contract language). Quality standards are
only useful if they provide an objective, measurable way to determine if the standard
has been met. For example, a Level 4 drywall finish, from US Gypsum, based on the
standards of the Gypsum Association is as follows:

All joints and interior angles shall have tape embedded in joint compound and shall be
immediately wiped with a joint knife or trowel, leaving a thin coating of joint compound
over all joints and interior angles. In addition, two separate coats of joint compound shall
be applied over all flat joints and one separate coat of joint compound applied
over interior angles. Fastener heads and accessories shall be covered with three
separate coats of joint compound. All joint compounds shall be smooth and free of tool
marks and ridges. The prepared surface shall be covered with a drywall primer like
Sheetrock first coat prior to the application of the final decoration.
While this goes into great detail about the installation, the only standard about the
quality of the visible finish is that the joint compound should be “smooth and free of tool
marks and ridges.” How smooth and free of tool marks is pretty vague.

A better quality standard is provided by the National Association of Homebuilders

(NAHB) in their book of Residential Construction Performance Guidelines. This provides
both performance guidelines and corrective actions. For drywall finish to meet their
standard it must not have any of the following:

 Any joints visible from a standing position, facing the surface at a distance of 6
feet under normal lighting conditions
 Any nail pop, blister, or other blemishes that are visible from a standing position
facing the surface at a distance of 6 feet under normal light conditions
 Any drywall cracks greater than 1/16 inch in width
 Any defects resulting in cracked corner bead, trowel marks, excess joint
compound, or blisters in tape

This seems like a reasonable standard, although I’d apply the same standard to cracks
as to other defects: Any drywall crack visible from 6 feet under normal conditions should
be fixed.