Anyone with 10 large for a stove shouldn't have any problem coughing up 500 bucks to put everyone on the same page literally.

I would spend the $500 to make sure I got outlets and wiring, and everything else where I wanted them
everyone works from your plan. electrican, cabinet maker, framer..

order what you want, and make sure yo youu have a correctly detailed plan.

give all the working guys what they need.

This is NOT the place to save $500! You could end up with an hot mess with your electrical etc.

What you are asking for is called a change order and change orders need to be in writing with every single detail spec'd out. If you don't, it becomes your word against theirs and it will wind up costing YOU a heck of a lot more than $500 when they need to fix whatever wasn't done right.

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. And if $500 in a new build is such a big deal to you then you probably shouldn't be building

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish.

I was going to use those exact words. Definitely have the drawings made up. Is this an oversized stove? If so, you're probably looking at a reinforced floor in addition to the electrical, etc. If you have a blueprint that says, "It is to be done this way", and the contractor does it wrong, it's his problem ... if you just have a conversation and leave him with a sketch you've made and something goes wrong, it's your problem. Your expensive problem.

Out of curiosity, and given the long lead times on the French ranges, why was it not accounted for in the original drawings?

I am in the process of building a new construction. I completely modified my kitchen layout as well. My modifications were handled by GC, EC and my cabinet designer on site.

Wow, just wow.

Thanks to those who provided helpful information, as this is the first time we've been through this process. Thanks for not judging when, where and how we decide to budget our build.

I must say this is only my second question on Houzz and both times people have made comments that were not helpful, and downright hurtful. We really were seeking advice from others who have been through this process and who have made changes and how it worked out for them...like Ms. Bryson and JMM1837. So I say thank you, to you both.

bowenfamilyreno:

Sorry if the practical side of my comment didn't show through. It is critically important to get everyone on the literal same page. That is done by paying someone to revise the drawings and make sure everyone acknowledges receiving their copy. $500.00 can save you thousands in dollars and millions in relationships and heartache.

I'm sorry you feel frustrated here.

Here's the point: construction is a complicated endeavor with many competing interests. A significant part of construction is all about handling risks, i.e., who takes the risk if something goes wrong. What happens if someone doesn't remember that conversation on the job site? What happens if someone doesn't install something according to drawings and specifications? Who has the ultimate responsibility for anything not according to the construction documents?

That's always the way construction is. There is the owner; the general contractor; the sub contractors; the lender; the local jurisdiction; and who knows who else, depending on location and conditions. The only person at risk for incomplete, insufficient, changed or minimal drawings is...the owner. No one else has a risk.

You need something (and someone) which clearly represents your interests. If you have detailed drawings and specifications which are part of the construction contract, then that is what represents your interest in the case of failures to comply. Or mistakes. Or anything which doesn't comply with the construction documents.

Lacking specific accurate and up-to-date drawings and specifications, and in the case of a dispute, one is left with "he said, she said", and no responsibility may be determined. Except the owner will pay the expenses. Whatever they are.

So...ruffle up your tutu and decide whether or not your interests are sufficiently defined to your satisfaction in the case of a future disagreement.

Paying $500 to have everything defined and specified seems like simple and very reasonable "insurance" to me. But then, I'm a retired architect and have seen what can go wrong when general and subs don't read drawings.

Good luck on your project.

PS: Don't be upset with the comments here. Most are from experienced folks who simply don't mince phrases or waste words. If they didn't want to offer useful advice for you they wouldn't even comment.

In the throws of construction, even with the most DETAILED of written plans, ^%$# goes wrong. To think about engaging in this on a wing and a prayer by just "talk to the contractor" is asking for a lot of trouble. Expensive, stressful, time consuming and possibly dangerous trouble.

Detailed written specifications and plans can reduce the amount of that (they can never eliminate it) and $500 will be a small price to pay.

I don't think anyone meant to be hurtful. I be been through the process, several times as a home owner, and the most important thing to have to give everyone a clear plan, a guide, and fair bids, is a completely detailed, well thought out plan.
when something in the plans is unclear, or changed onsite, you are left in the position of arguing a new plan and a new price.
that's more than I said before. probably more than I should say. hope you take it the right way.
that said, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your dream house come out of the ground. a completely detailed plan makes it more of a dream, and less of a nightmare.

You’re not tough enough to endure a build if you don’t have a sense of humor, and you get offended that easy. You’ve got big problems ahead. Buy a couple of cases of wine and loosen up.

I get the idea of economizing where you can, in the interest of having other things available while staying on budget. But, in this case, failing to redo the drawing really IS pennywise and pound foolish.

Now, it may have been a little rude to state that anybody who can afford $10K for a stove can afford $500 to make sure it goes in right. But that isn't a judgment of how you're allocating your funds as much as it is an implication that the wisdom accrued by the professionals commenting above (who have see this and worse happen!) is that you really DO need to spend the extra 5% to protect your investment. And your sanity.

Whether or not you choose to listen to that advice is entirely up to you.

Look at it this way:

You talk to your contractor. You tell him, hey we're adding a specialty French stove that requires hookups in a different spot and a wider area in the kitchen to account for it. Oh, and freezer and beverage drawers.

He makes a note and says he'll take care of it, scrawls something illegible on the corner of a drawing and drives off.

But the drawing he gives to the KD to order cabinets and the electrician to put in fixtures and the plumber to run the gas line is still the original drawing. With a small note. He might point it out, he might not. Maybe no one notices.

And no one notices at all until the cabinets are in, and countertops are cut. Then the appliances arrive.

And there is a 36" spot of a 43-1/2" range. With the gas hook up in the wrong spot. You have cabinet bases on both sides that have to be pulled out, replaced, and reordered so that the range will fit. Oh, and the one on the right is now going to be so narrow that it's not really useful for anything, but it's that or pull out ALL the bases on that side and redesign the entire thing. The countertop also doesn't fit, and has to be recut entirely.

Oh, and there is NOWHERE for your fridge and beverage drawers. You have to order another base or have someone finagle space for them, as well as being left with another couple of cabinet bases you can't use, but paid for. Then the electrician has to be called back in to wire for them.

All of this?^^^ Your financial responsibility. The electrician, plumber, and KD were just doing what was in the plans. Even for the GC, you talked to him - but can you prove it? Find that note? Make him take responsibility?

That's a lot of wasted time and $$$.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Construction documents are referenced in your contract. They are legally binding. They are what require the builder to use 96" doors in your 12' ceilinged great room. If your documents are not up to date and accurate, you have no legal recourse for not being charged a change order for something that you wanted in the build. Those 96" doors aren't on the plans? You get standard 80" doors, or you pay a 10K change order to get what you actually wanted.

If something isn't on the plan, it doesn't exist as as a specification. The documents rule what will be done. You can't expect anything otherwise. Documents protect you and the builder both. If he orders those 80" doors and 96" doors are on the plan? His fault. He fixes it.

Thank you all for the guidance. As previously stated this is our first time doing a build, so your information really helped and gave insight on thing we had not thought of.