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"The painter will fix it." I wish I had a dollar for every time a contractor gave me this excuse for sloppy workmanship. I'll grant that a good painter can do amazing things, but even the best of them can't fix work that's not plumb, level and square. Don't fall for this cop-out. The only way to get an acceptable job is to ensure that each and every trade does acceptable work.
Below are some minimum quality standards for construction - and I stress the word minimum. You'll note those three terms - plumb, level and square - recurring again and again, because they're the fundamental charge of every builder since ancient times. Plumb means surfaces are aligned to a true vertical; level means they're aligned to a true horizontal, and square means they intersect at a 90 degree angle. There's no excuse for work that fails to meet these three basic checks when it's supposed to. For starters, it's critical that foundations be plumb, level and square, because errors here can raise havoc for the duration of the project. The accuracy of a builder's foundation work is also a pretty good indicator of his standards for the rest of the job. Wall framing should likewise be plumb, level and square, with no obvious bows in the wall planes. The poor quality of today's solid lumber can make this a big challenge for contractors, but it's nevertheless crucial to a presentable job. Windows should be installed plumb and level, but the units should not have to be forced into place to accomplish this. The same goes for doors, with two additional checks: The gap between the jamb and the installed door should be uniform all the way around, and the lock and strike should mate properly so that the door closes and latches without forcing. Drywall should be neatly nailed or screwed, and it should have reasonably accurate cutouts for switches, plugs and the like - not jagged, gaping holes. The metal reinforcement on outside corners should be plumb, level and straight on even the longest runs, as deviations here will be obvious. Texturing, whether done by hand or machine, should be uniform from surface to surface, and without obvious skips in hard-to-reach places. Painting should be cleanly confined to the surfaces it's meant to be on, without overspray or sloppy edging. Stone, brick, glass, plastics, most metals, and any surfaces with a factory finish, such as hinges, lock sets or fixtures, should not show a speck of paint. Moreover, the object is to avoid getting paint on these things in the first place, not to try to clean them up afterward. Door trim should be installed parallel to the door jambs. If the trim has mitered corners, they should meet accurately. Baseboards should be mitered at outside corners, but butted or coped (sawed to match the mating profile) at inside corners so they won't pull apart when nailed. Kitchen cabinets should be hung - surprise, surprise - plumb, level and square, and again, it shouldn't require forcing to achieve this. The individual cabinets should be accurately aligned and installed with screws and not nails. The cabinet doors should close without dragging. Hardware should be installed plumb or level as applicable, and with the proper size and finish of screw. Individual hardware items that repeat, such as cabinet pulls, should line up properly. Welds on railings and the like should be ground at least enough to remove burrs and welding slag. Don't imagine that these standards apply only to big-budget projects. These are fundamental standards of workmanship for any job - big or small, expensive or not. It's a pity that they're being met less and less often. Arrol Gellner is an Emeryville architect who also teaches at Chabot College, Las Positas College and the Building Education Center. Write to him at
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