When it comes to spec reviews, you might be thinking, “Oh, that’s the easy part! You just get to go through your facility and revel in the beauty of all your hardware choices!” Well… if it were only that easy and went that smoothly, then you, my friend, would be in business. Unfortunately, time and time again we’ve seen the same issues pop up when it comes to hardware specification reviews.
Spec Review Issue – Wrong Style
At first glance and to the untrained eye, the wrong style of hardware might not seem like a big deal at all. However, it’s very likely that the particular style originally requested was requested for a reason. For example, if a door was originally requested to have ball bearing hinges, but instead gets spring hinges in its place, you’re going to have an issue. When it comes to durability, ball bearing issues were made to hold the weight of the door while spring hinges were not. This is going to result in money lost when those hinges need to be replaced sooner rather than later.
Spec Review Issue – Over Spec’d
Yes, it’s easy to get caught up in the “we want the best of the best!” attitude, but sometimes it’s smarter to pull back on those reins a little bit. Most hardware has a specific purpose in mind and overlooking that is basically washing money down the drain. Think of it this way – there’s no need to put a 3 point high security device on a cookie jar. Yes, you want to protect your cookies but why spend the money to Fort Knox a cookie jar when a simple airtight container will do?
Spec Review Issue – Parts Missing
We would love for this to not happen as much as it does because it’s such a simple fix! Make sure you really look at all your hardware when going over your spec review. We’ve seen everything from levers missing to two door closers on one door. So, folks, make sure you aren’t looking over the details because you’re so focused on the big picture. Pretty please?
Spec Review Issue – Design
We’ve discussed this before on our blog but it’s worth mentioning again – you don’t have to sacrifice the aesthetic component of your facility in order to achieve maximum functionality! Many aren’t aware of all of the different design options so they simply breeze right past the various options available. You spend countless hours designing your facility. Why should you stop at the door hardware?
Spec Review Issue – No Spec
There are so many companies out there who have absolutely no door or hardware specification listed or required for their new builds and franchises. This leaves the door open for quality and maintenance issues as you have different General Contracts offering disproportionate bids. Sure, Construction Company A may be able to get the job done for X amount of dollars but is the hardware going to hold up? Are we looking at Grade 2 hardware when we really need Grade 3? These are the types of issues you’re going to face if you have absolutely no specifications. Trust us – specify what you want and if you don’t know, simply call and talk to an experienced architect or consultant.
All of this may seem overwhelming if you feel like you’re starting from square one, but with one simple step of partnering with a company who has in-house professionals can resolve a lot of your worries. They’ll be able to rewrite your specifications to ensure that they meet the life cycle requirements of your facility. In return? You’re getting a big sigh of relief.