Substandard Drawings: A Plan Reviewer’s Perspective to the Design Process

Workshop Goal •

Shorten the permit review process –

o Well organized and complete submissions get reviewed faster.

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Familiarize Home Owner applicants with submission standards and design process.

o Educate how to include permit review time in your schedule (2 review cycles).

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Reduce common submission errors.

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Help applicants submit complete plans and documentation.

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Reduce number of review cycles per application. 2

Workshop Overview

• Home Owner’s Center Submissions • Permit Center Submissions • Project DOX Submissions

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Home Owner’s Center Scopes

• Driveways, patios, parking pads, and walkways • New and replacement porch & steps • Retaining walls • Accessory structures (garage/shed/studios) • Interior remodeling • Additions (1 story at ground level, up to 500sf)

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Who at DCRA is reviewing my plans? Construction project scopes are broken down by disciplines:

Structural Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Zoning Green review Sister agencies: →DC Water →DOEE (Soil Erosion and GAR) →Historic →Fine Arts →DDOT Public Space may apply

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Plan Preparation When preparing your plans..

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Provide 4 sets of scaled plans that illustrate your project.

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Include a cover sheet with code year of design, building designer name, address, and occupation, code analysis (Single Family), project scope, sheet index.

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Supplemental documentation may be required such as structural calculations, site plans, and water fixtures.

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Plans must be signed and sealed by a licensed architect or engineer in the District of Columbia.

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Application & Approval Process Application Process

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Apply online or submit a building application with plans, plats, and supporting documents to the Permit Center on the second floor of DCRA, 1100 4th Street SW Washington DC, 20024

Review Process

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Application will be entered into the permitting database and routed to the required disciplines (e.g. Zoning, Structural, Electrical) for review and approval. Plans submitted via Project Dox must be uploaded by the applicant and will be accepted by DCRA for review. After disciplines have reviewed and approved the plans, plats and supporting documents, the building permit will be issued.

Payment & Issuance

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Applicant pays the issuance fee and the building permit is issued. 8

Common Plan Submissions Mistakes •

Cover sheet with project information.

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Interior layout changes require electrical plans.

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Coordinated drawings.

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Building plat if doing exterior work.

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Schedules (Plumbing Equipment, Appliance, Fixture, and Mechanical Equipment)

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Excessive white space on a plan sheet – incomplete.

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Riser Diagrams if adding plumbing fixtures or gas appliances/equipment (Water Supply, Water DWV, Gas).

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Lack of notes/text – just the drawing.

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Common Mistakes of ProjectDox Submissions 1. Unsigned, undated, and expired plats. 2. Drawings listed in sheet index not loaded or used. 3. Sheets not named consistent with the standard naming convention in the Project Dox Manual. 4. Border standard for stamp. 5. Landscape vs Portrait. 6. Wrong code references. 7. Incomplete submission of supporting documents: • • • •

Soil reports Neighbor notification Statement of special inspections Load calculations 10

Zoning Plat Submission • Provide 4 copies of a D.C. Surveyor’s plat with dimensions that shows all existing buildings and the proposed work, and on-site off-street parking. • Proposed work shall be depicted and the distance of the setbacks shall be indicated on the plat. Indicate the lot occupancy calculation on the plat (e.g. the amount of existing square footage on the property – single family home, garage, accessory structures, divided by the total lot size). • Include pervious surface calculation, if applicable.

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Zoning • For basic information regarding the zoning

designation for a property, uses, and setback requirements, go to www.dcoz.dc.gov.

• To schedule a zoning Preliminary Design Review Meeting (PDRM), contact Ms. Evon Epps at [email protected] or 202.442.4576.

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Common Plat Mistakes

• Plats are unsigned or expired. • Plats are not to scale. • Plats do not show all existing and proposed •

structures. Plats and architectural drawings are inconsistent or conflicting.

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Record Lot Subdivision • Is required when changing a use, building a new building or an addition to an existing building on a tax lot (800 or 900 series lot number). • Zoning regulations require that building permits be issued to record, not tax, lots (DCMR 11, A-301.3). • Apply for a subdivision with the Office of the Surveyor and provide a DC Surveyor’s plat stamped by the Surveyor’s office indicating that a subdivision has been filed. • Subdivision must be complete and recorded prior to the wall check (if required), final inspection or C of O.

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Contact Information If you require additional assistance, please visit the Homeowners Center located on the 2nd floor or contact:

oMr. Andrew Wiley [email protected] 202.899.3621

oMr. Virender Bhogal [email protected] 202.442.9517

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Zoning Contact Information • Mamadou Ndaw - Zoning Manager Office of Zoning Administrator [email protected] 202.442.4627

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ProjectDox Contacts • Shaun Baskerville – ProjectDox Coordinator [email protected] 202.442.8798

• Darnell Watkins – ProjectDox Coordinator [email protected] 202.899.3476

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Contact DOEE (Soil Erosion) • Review projects with over 50 SF of land disturbance:

• Charles Edwards [email protected] (202) 673.6707

• Nykia Barnes [email protected] 202.442.6715

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Other Resources • Deck Guide – dcra.dc.gov/deckguide • Ramp Guide – dcra.dc.gov/rampguide • Schedule a Preliminary Design Review Meeting (PDRM)  These appointments are held with the DCRA Permit Operations Division Staff (e.g. Electrical, Fire, Mechanical, Plumbing, and Structural). Please contact Arlette Howard to schedule an appointment at [email protected] or 202.442.4558.

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Upcoming Events •

Tuesday, May 16 – Insurance: The Importance of Protecting Your Assets – 6 - 8 pm

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Wednesday, May 17 – Building Collapse & Illegal Construction Prevention in the District – 12 - 1 pm

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Saturday, May 20 – Lowe’s Hardware Store – Market St NE – 11 am - 2 pm

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Monday, May 22 – See Something, Say Something Safety Awareness Training – 12 pm - 1 pm

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Tuesday, May 23 – District Water Technology & Efficiency Workshop – 12 - 3 pm

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Wednesday, May 24 – Green Building Residential Solar Workshop – 12 - 2 pm

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Wednesday, May 31 – Green Building Commercial Solar Workshop – 9 am - 12 pm 20

Thank You For Your Time!

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