Words You Should Know
Bid: How much the contractor will charge to build the house. Different than “estimate.” (“Bid” is to “estimate” as “getting wife flowers” is to “maybe thinking about getting wife flowers.”)
C of O: Stands for Certificate of Occupancy and is required by many municipalities. After the inspections are complete and the permit fees paid, the city gives you one. If you move in without it, you are basically a terrorist.
Change Order: An official authorization that you owe the contractor more than you originally did. Change orders are usually associated with surprises, some good (upgraded appliances!), some sucky (abandoned septic tank!).
Construction Documents: The detailed plans and specifications, developed and stamped by an architect. These are referenced in the contract.
Contract: A document with plenty of fine print that describes the financial and legal specifics of a project. If you’re using a contractor, you need one of these. (“Having a contract” is to “not having a contract” as “family planning” is to “beer bong.”)
Kenny: If the contractor or the [something] guy is male, there is a 25 percent chance his name is Kenny.
Punch List: A painstaking, end-of-the-project, room-by-room accounting of all the stuff that’s not right.
[Something] Guy: A contractor may subcontract out work to specialists—–the concrete guy, the painter guy, etc. Note: The term is gender nonspecific, e.g., “That drywall guy is hot. Too bad she’s married.”
Stink Eye: The pre-judo-chop look you give the contractor when he slaps you with an unfair change order.
Articles
-
Soho Row House Renovation
The New York City-based firm Delson or Sherman Architects assembled this duplex apartment in a Soho row house from two stacked apartments and a new rear extension. Their clients were a single…
-
Row House
With a modernist palette of concrete, glass, and steel, Ziger/Snead Architects constructed an ode to rowing in rural Virginia.
-
An Introduction to Contractors
Architect-author, Dan Maginn of El Dorado Inc., in Kansas City, Missouri, gives us the inside track on one of his favorite subjects: contractors. Learn what makes them tick, how to work with them…
Products
-
Screw Table
From lunch at the kids’ table to romantic dinner for two with a simple spin of the solid marble top, Dixon’s industrial-strength aluminum screw allows this table to achieve great new…
-
Big Bang Chandelier
The Big Bang Chandelier has a powerfully structural luminous body, characterized by a play of shadow and light. It provides an intense, vivid and direct light and an airy appearance. Available in…
-
Jazz in Central Park Wallpaper
Whether you're planning on plastering an entire room, a feature wall, or simply adding a single panel of pattern, UK-based Lizzie Allen's hand-printed wallpapers are the perfect addition over plain…
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Related Products
-
Screw Table
by Tom DixonFrom lunch at the kids’ table to…
-
Big Bang Chandelier
The Big Bang Chandelier has a powerfully…
-
Jazz in Central Park Wallpaper
Whether you're planning on plastering an…
Latest
-
05.24
10 Design Insiders Sound Off on Knockoffs
In researching the much-discussed essay "The Real Cost of…
-
05.24
Elements by William Kaven
So often the architectural press gets caught up in the look of…
-
05.24
ICFF 2012: Offsite Design Exhibitions
Each spring, New York Design Week gets bigger and better…
Follow
Dwell
Reloading tweets…
Be the first to comment.
RSS Feed
Add a Comment