The Purpose of a Specification
Drawings are the best way to convey most of the information required for a building project, but a specification is needed to explain anything that cannot be included clearly in the drawings. Specifications are commonly used to communicate the following.
- Fixture and fittings to be used, where things like dimensions, colour or model number are important – for example ‘Acme ‘De Luxe clawfoot bath, 1675mm, white’.
- To provide instructions to the builder or tradespeople for how something is to be done. For example, drawings might show that internal walls are to have a plaster finish, but it is the specification that tells the plasterer how – ‘bring walls to a reasonable flat surface by the application of a cement render float coat while the plaster is setting’. Instructions can also relate to regulations – ‘all lintels shall be galvanised treated, in accordance with BCA Clause 3.3.3.4’.
- To provide instructions to the builder about things that may not be part of the finished building but that nevertheless need to happen during the project – for example, safety barriers, disposal of rubbish or protection or adjoining properties.
Specifications usually include a clause about making good any damage to footpaths, fences and any other amenities in the vicinity of the project.
There will also be a clause that deals with the general quality of the materials and workmanship to be used. This usually reads something like:
All materials are to be new and of best quality and all work is to be carried out to best practice and to the relevant Australian Standard® where one applies.
