# Specifications



## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 19, 2007)

So we are doing a water/sewer replacement at a mobile home park, then totally resurfacing the road afterwards.

I've got about 25 tech specs for this job, not including all the general conditions and that stuff.

I can only pull about half of the specs from other jobs. Meaning I have to start with the SPECTEXT template and do the entire thing.

The template provides metric and Imperial units, as well as old and new CSI division numbers. So you have to delete all the stuff you don't need. Then you have to reference what standards apply. "Perform in accordance with Vermont DEC...crused stone in accordance with VTrans item no. 649.13...etc." :blink:

That's the problem with working for an upstart office. You gotta do everything from scratch the first time. There's nothing better than dusting off an old report and changing the date and project title and submitting it. :huh:

Any other specifiers out there? What program do you use?


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## Road Guy (Jan 19, 2007)

have not actually done that in a log long time, so long I dont even recall the software.

do you need road specs or water/sewer specs?


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## GTScott (Jan 19, 2007)

My Firm is 100 years old...for better or worse, we have basic templates for just about anything we ever do. I have never had to use specialty software for it.

I think the last spec I had to actually write was for some wallpapering that was required in a 2'x2' area on a project. I could have driven to SC and done it myself in less time than it took to write a spec on it.

-GT


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 19, 2007)

Yeah, I wasted half an hour this morning on a spec about how to pile dirt. :BS:


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2007)

VTEnviro said:


> Yeah, I wasted half an hour this morning on a spec about how to pile dirt. :BS:


Engineered soil piles rock !! :th_rockon:









JR


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 19, 2007)

Nothing engineered about this. Just a topsoil stockpile. You'd be surprised how often they screw that up though.


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## GeigerBC (Jan 20, 2007)

How'd they screw that up and what'd the spec state (in general)?


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 20, 2007)

The pile was way too high, we called for 8' max height and this was more like 12'. They also did not stabilize or put silt fence around the pile, which was stated in the plans and specs, and required by the erosion control permit for the job.


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## ktulu (Jan 20, 2007)

Sounds like either somebody cannot read, or they didn't bother reading the specs. Unfortunately, the latter happens way too often...


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 20, 2007)

The ones I deal with are usually pretty bad about that.

I got a call the other day from a contractor who was all bent out of shape because I rejected his shop drawing for a geotextile.

He told me he uses his stuff all the time and it works fine. I pointed him to the table in the spec with the physical properties required for the product and noted his did not meet the requirements. This wasn't a judgement call, it was obvious he hadn't read it because it's spelled out right there.


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## Dleg (Jan 21, 2007)

I had a guy last week who was trying to use this green, gardening fabric of some sort as silt fence material, across the mouth of a storm drain at a beach. I could tear the stuff apart with my fingers it was so weak.

(But at least he trenched it in - half the time around here, even though it may be the right material, the contractors install it with a 1-inch gap at the bottom. I think they must think "silt" has four legs and goes "oink oink." There's even a project site right now, just near my house, where the contractor trenched in about 400 linear feet of orange safety barrier - the 2" mesh type, and then stapled the silt fence material to the posts afterward, with the edge of the fabric above ground. :wtf

We had specs included in our new erosion control and stormwater design manuals, but that doesn't mean anyone uses them.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 22, 2007)

Dleg said:


> I had a guy last week who was trying to use this green, gardening fabric of some sort as silt fence material, across the mouth of a storm drain at a beach. I could tear the stuff apart with my fingers it was so weak.
> (But at least he trenched it in - half the time around here, even though it may be the right material, the contractors install it with a 1-inch gap at the bottom. I think they must think "silt" has four legs and goes "oink oink." There's even a project site right now, just near my house, where the contractor trenched in about 400 linear feet of orange safety barrier - the 2" mesh type, and then stapled the silt fence material to the posts afterward, with the edge of the fabric above ground. :wtf
> 
> We had specs included in our new erosion control and stormwater design manuals, but that doesn't mean anyone uses them.


My state just put out new erosion and sediment control guidelines recently. I wonder if it's federally driven changes if others are putting out new manuals too?

Our doesn't have specs in it as far as calling a particular products or performance standard. It's more like a procedural thing for installing and maintaining erosion control measures, provisions for winter construction, etc.

If you're not from somewhere where it freezes, you'd be surprised how many winter provisions there are and all the extra stuff you have to go through to stabilize your site.


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## Dleg (Jan 22, 2007)

Yes - there are some federal requirements that are pushing it, but also just the advancement in "BMP" design since say the early 1990s, which is probably about when the last batch of manuals got produced, so there is a technology push as well.

But on the federal side there are the NPDES Phase II requirements and all new MS4 permits require standards for new construction, and then there's the 6217 coastal non-point pollution program requirements, which require the same thing (those are the two things that I fall back on, anyway, when our new political leaders ask me why we have to do this. Protection of the environment and the tourism indistry that depends on the environment never seems to be enough justification on their own)


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 22, 2007)

^ I used to be heavily involved in the MS4 program in a couple of towns in NY. Major pain the ass. It wasn't even engineering most of the time, just planning and reporting and good housekeeping measures.

Back to the main topic...

I finished that set of specs I was bitching about today. The best part was on the spec for contract closeout requirements where they talk about submitting as-builts, warranties, etc., there was a section called "Erection Drawings". :lmao: :thumbs:


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## tmckeon_PE (Jan 22, 2007)

That was during your 'down time', right?

:lmao:


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 23, 2007)

Nah, I was working really 'hard' at that point, facing a 'stiff' deadline.


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## DVINNY (Jan 23, 2007)

This thread is making me "NUTS"

I do specs all day damn near every day. They drive me crazy. Sometimes I wonder if I go too specific, but then every project something comes up where you wish you were even more specific.

Like you said, necessary evil


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 23, 2007)

I'd be less grouchy about this if we had a library of standard specs up to current to current DOT, DEC, health dept. specs.

But I've had to start with a shell and fill in all the blanks from scratch.

Everything down to stupid shit like how many copies of submittals we need, number of days in advance to contact us about starting up equipment, etc. Not to mention the actual technical stuff - aggregate for backfill, concrete class, silt fence requirements, etc...

I'm glad I'm done with that. I just need to whip out a bid form now.


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## Dleg (Jan 23, 2007)

Well, for heaven's sake make sure you're polite about it:

"Excuse me while I whip this out."


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## Guest (Jan 23, 2007)

Did someone say whip ?? :whipping:

:angry:

JR


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## grover (Jan 24, 2007)

If you think finding specs to reference is bad enough, trying having to write the reference specs in the first place! Oh, the joys of working for the government...

I'll stay silent on which ones I've authored, I'd prefer to be cursed anonymously


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 24, 2007)

^ Oh, so you write the old DOT spec book.



I just call out whatever's in there rather than doing any real work myself.


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