PAINTSQUARE BLOG CONTRIBUTORS

Developing Specifications With a Partner Firm
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

Many firms find themselves at some point partnered with another firm on a project that might be a large project, an out-of-town project for one of the firms, or both. Often this partnership involves s... READ MORE

Things to Consider When Dealing with Submittals
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

Submittals are the bridge between contract documents and construction. They are also a vital aspect of construction administration that the architect needs to handle well. This article offers a few po... READ MORE

Writing Specifications in a Vacuum
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

A 19th century Scotsman said, “Do not isolate yourself. Be among men and things, and among troubles, and difficulties, and obstacles.” The quoted individual was never involved in building design and c... READ MORE

Delegated Design: Where Does the Buck Stop?
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

With the increased use of delegated design in construction projects, questions have arisen over responsibility for and acceptance of the correctness of the design and the engineering... READ MORE

The Good, the Bad, and the Unique
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

“In a highly commoditized world, the name of the game is creating something unique, something that stands out,” stated Catherine Connolly, the chief executive officer and owner of Merida textiles.... READ MORE

Office Master Specs: 5 Things to Consider
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

Perhaps the best argument for creating and maintaining an office master spec is to have a centralized place to consolidate office policies, material and product preferences and “lessons learned.” ... READ MORE

7 Tips for Writing a Spec Section from Scratch
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

For those of you who frequently write construction specifications, the time will come when you will need to prepare a spec section for some item of the building for which no master guide spec or other... READ MORE

7 Areas Where Construction Conflicts Can Arise
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

Many construction projects are rife with potentially overlapping trade responsibilities. Here are several areas where conflicts can arise.... READ MORE

Facility Manager’s Rx for Building Success
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

Maybe you just joined a health-care facility and are taking on a new construction project. Maybe this is your first big project with a new employer.... READ MORE

Murphy’s Laws of Spec Writing
(With Apologies to Murphy)
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

We all know Murphy’s Law: "Anything that can go wrong, will." Over the years, there have been many corollaries to Murphy’s Law. Here are mine, for specifications writing.... READ MORE

5 Things About Specs You Need to Know
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

Last post, I wrote, “We can’t know everything about every material, product, assembly or system, and that’s where industry partners become essential.” Similarly, I try to emphasize to our young staff ... READ MORE

What Good Reps Know (and You May Not)
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

So that you don’t think my previous post was a screed against manufacturers and their product reps, let me tell you about the other side of the coin.... READ MORE

You Can’t Specify ‘Exceptional’
By Bob Bailey, AIA, CCS

When I was a graduate architect just out of college and working in my first architectural firm, I was amazed to find out that such a thing as Sweets catalogs existed.... READ MORE