Query List for Client

I was shocked to see a new Job Order placed on my desk this afternoon when I first step into my workstation.  It was written 'ATY Standard Sample - Query List for Client'.

Almost hesitated to believe such a new task being assigned when I have left just 2 more days in this office.

For better understanding of the new Task, I asked the Boss for her direction.

The Boss said that the Task is sort of sequel from the Task I have done before (Tender Drawing Checklist).  She explained the need to have a Checklist to identify or clarify items that is subjected to Client's right from the early stage of a Project, instead of the situation in the Office now - having to call up the Client from time to time or whenever query arises from the drafting person while preparing the Tender Drawings.

I understand this problem well because I have experienced personally the trouble of not knowing the brand, type of materials or finishes the Clients preferred when I was preparing Tender Drawings and Materials Schedules.  We have to wait for days to obtained Client's confirmation, which is kind of causing delay in completing the Tender Drawings production.

There were cases where Client does not have provision for external floor tiling, skirting, kitchen wall tiling etc. yet the drafting person assumed such works as a standard practice and had since prepared the drawings with.  These items were then omitted from the drawings after having been issued for Client's perusal, which means, effort and time has been wasted while it could be avoided in the beginning of drawings production.

In fact when I was first told to reduce the floor areas for the proposed Alamesra Bungalow, which inevitably resulted in omission of the total room number, I doubted the necessity in doing so - why is not the budget allocation been identified before building plan is drawn?  Is it because such consideration was overlook at the first place, and not that a bigger house could be charged at higher consultation fees.

the Big House

There was a man, a single man, unmarried bachelor, who works as a hairstylist to my Boss. His parents are retired fishmongers, who had worked their whole life selling fishes at the Fish Market. Apart from the hairstylist, the other children are all married and no longer attached to the parents.  

They are just 3 of them living together.

The retired fishmongers have bought 2 bungalow lots side by side at the Alamesra.  These 2 lots are to be joined to form 1 single bungalow lot, to accommodate a Big House soon to be built according to the requirement by the Alamesra management - all houses shall be built before December of 2014.

They are now our Clients.

The house design has been finalized and Building Plan has been submitted to DBKK. According to my Boss, the building as shown in the drawings is what the Clients want, and is the best the office can deliver.

I was very disappointed looking at the floor plans.  Bedroom 1, Bedroom 2, Bedroom 3, Bedroom 4, Bedroom 5, Bedroom 6 and a Master Bedroom.  All bedrooms are planned with attached bathroom. Living Room 1 and Living Room 2 on the ground floor and a huge Family Area on the upper floor.  Huge staircase with tiny study room next to it, many wide corridors and unnecessary balconies.  Just 2 car parking space.  Squarish outlook.

It is hard to believe that this is the house for 3 human beings.

Yet they intend to spend just 1.5M for the house, inclusive of interior furnishing.  

Money not enough.  So I have to reduce the floor areas from 760sq.m to 510sq.m.  No big deal since the changes are just on the drawings.

But, why at the first place, they want a 7 bedroom house?  The most they can occupy is 3 bedrooms.  The rest will be left vacant.  Are they not worry if the vacant rooms turn haunted?

Don't they know building has life span?  Building needs maintenance? 

Building ages with time.  It is not wise to build such a huge house just to avoid building cost inflation.  Of course most of all, big house is also a big waste of money and resources.  And who knows, due to the great physical distance from room to room, it might loosen the tie between family members?

the Truth

This task is a very ‘sad’ and ‘insulting’ job for any designer.  What a designer hesitate most is to be ‘forced’ into a certain ‘outlook’ of a building when he is asked to ‘design’ a building.  This usually happen if the client is a ‘layman’, especially the typical old fashion business man.

The task I was assigned to do was to reduce the floor areas of a proposed 2 storey bungalow house at Alamesra Desa Saujana - due to budget constraint.  I couldn't understand why this kind of hustle happens because it usually can be prevent from the early stage - asking the clients how much money they are willing to spend before proceed to design their house. 

When I was first told to assume the task, I was very happy because the most I like is to design a private residence, and I am always a die heart proponent of ‘small residence’ (which I regard as most efficient and ‘green’).  So when I first heard the word ‘reduce’ floor areas, I was very excited and determined to do my best for the good of everyone, especially for the environment.

I spent almost 1 whole day studying the building plans and drawings. I was very disappointed to discover that the design was really crude, I believed that the boss herself has not look into the design and trusted a very junior draft person to do the job.  There are too many design errors, waste of space, bad circulation, poor orientation, dead ends, lack of natural lighting, bad indoor and outdoor relationship (huge garden not responded to the interior) which I think is not doing justice to the client.  So I started to redesign the floor plan the next day.  I managed to finish redoing the ground floor and just about to continue for the upper floor, I sent an email to the Boss in order to notify her on my progress of work (my Boss was having 10 days leave in Singapore).

However, the Boss replied me a very simple message that the house has to be that ‘look’ because that is what the client wants!  I can only shrink the house but the external looks shall remain the same.  Furthermore she said, the Building Plans has been submitted to the local authority.

This also means all my earlier effort went in vain.  I have to start work all over again, shrinking the floor areas while accommodating the lousy design.