What do you do?

I get asked about my job quite frequently, so I thought I'd share what I do everyday at work.

I am technically the "Plan Review Specialist", or in plan English: the plan reviewer.

Big plan cabinet, holding plans that are waiting for review, or for permits to be issued

At first I was only reviewing Commercial building plans, but now I also review site plans, and will eventually review storm water and residential plans.

What do I look for when I'm reviewing? I have several checklists, depending on what type of plan I'm reviewing. For a commercial building, I review the City's Ordinance to make sure the Zoning and Development Codes are met. I also look at the International Building Code, ANSI 117.1 (for accessibility), mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fuel-gas, energy conservation and existing building codes (if the project is an infill).

Oh, the joy of Code books

For site plans, I review Zoning and Development, portions of the International Building Code, and ANSI 117.1. The Building Code and ANSI contain information regarding parking spaces, allowable grades and other accessibility stuff. Our Development code contains everything from driveway and parking lot size requirements, to lighting, retaining walls, sidewalks and landscaping.

In a typical week, I review about half a dozen plans. I write a letter to the designer containing all my comments and then wait for revisions to come in to review. I've been told this is a rather slow period for plan review and building permits.

There has been a definite learning curve in this position. At my previous job in an architect's office, I was very familiar with the Building Code and ANSI, but didn't look much at the mechanical, electrical and plumbing codes. The engineers dealt with that. That's not to say that I didn't work on their drawings ever; I picked up revisions and worked on preliminary layouts for lights and outlets. But I never did the calculations.

Depending on the size of the project, the plan review could take anywhere from half an hour to all day.

There are several people that review plans: me, the fire marshal and the Development Review Group. After all three determine the plans in compliance, a permit can be issued for the work. Some people build without getting their plans reviewed or getting a permit. This backfires. Some utility companies won't turn on utilities without the City approval by inspection. A building can't be inspected without a permit. A permit can't be obtained without a plan review.

When I'm not reviewing plans, I research and work on continuing education to maintain my architect license and my LEED AP credential.

my wall-o-achievements and drafting desk

Sometimes I feel like I'm back in architecture school. I review my plans on a drafting desk, nearly identical to the ones I used in school.

This job is a good fit for me because I like variety. I get really bored doing the same things over and over again. Every plan is different. Every designer is different. I don't have harsh deadlines here, either. I typically try to get comments back to designers within 3 days of receiving their plans. Definitely not as stressful as working against a deadline to get a project out to bid.

I like this job because I like codes. Some people see codes as restricting their creativity. But that's not why they're in place. The codes are there to protect the health, safety and welfare of our communities. I see codes as one of the many pieces that makes up the puzzle that becomes a project.

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Why I love my new job

1. Jeans Fridays.

2. I can wear my boots everyday and no one says a peep. Most people here wear boots anyway.

That's my fancy schmancy new architect stamp!

3. I'm respected. Something about the credential "Architect" makes people more respectful.

4. The view outside my window is 1) The rose garden behind City Hall, 2) the "new" Emerson Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River to Illinois. Even now in the dead of winter, the bridge is still beautiful.

5. I got a box of Christmas chocolates and mixed nuts. For the first time ever, they weren't sent to my boss or to my office in general, but hand delivered to me! (I shared with coworkers of course...)

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Grown Up Decisions

Ever since I moved to college and left the family farm I've dreamed of moving back. I haven't lived on the farm for over five years. Each time I go home for a visit, it gets harder to leave.
The Hubs will graduate college in May 2012 and then options will open up as to where to live. He knows I don't want to have kids when we're so far away (five hours) from my family. You know that saying, "It takes a village to raise a child"? I completely agree with that. I grew up within a five mile radius of both sets of grandparents and my aunt Lisa. I wouldn't want it any differently for my children.

There are a couple things we have to consider when moving back to the Cape area:

1. Where will we live? I don't like the idea of subdividing the farm. I know, everyone wants their own homestead, but that reduces the amount of usable land for farming needs. I asked Dad awhile back if we could build a house on the farm and he didn't seem very excited. The Hubs recently told me he would like 5-10 acres so we could have some farm animals. I've always wanted goats, I'd like some chickens and a big garden, and the Hubs said he would like to raise cattle. He's been looking at land, but it's expensive! It would make sense for us to move back and help out with the farm, but we need a place to live. What's also getting expensive is gas. Right now I drive 3.5 miles to work in town. The farm is 10-15 miles from town. If we had our own businesses, would they be in Cape? Would they be on our land?

2. Where will we work? There are very few architecture firms in the Cape area. The main one is Drury Hotels, but there are also several small architectural firms. I might have to start my own business. There are machine shops, but the Hubs wants his own shop. Is Cape really the right fit for us? We want to move back, but we don't want to be unemployed. Is there a demand for our services? I'm going to work on my resume and portfolio again and decide on some places to send it to, but I'd also like to talk to local contractors about potential clients.

At this point, the plan is for me to move home first, because I'd have family to stay with while looking for a job. Then once I get a job and we find a house, the Hubs can move over.

He found an awesome house with land and two shops on craigslist: http://semo.craigslist.org/reo/2347762088.html Anyone want to buy it for us? lol

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