Question:
Does this line in GS Buildings mean that in my fee I should propose 1 or 2 qualitative testing rounds during construction to check for leaks i.e. commissioning for air tightness?
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My answer:
That’s a possibility. 1 or 2 rounds of qualitative testing in along the project timeline is one strategy in a commissioning plan.
If a project is confident they will get to their permeability target, they may not need these extra rounds, and they’ll just do a whole-building test at the end. Think of CarbonLite or Eclipse Passive House prefab manufacturers. They regularly crank out Passive Houses. They are pretty confident that they’ll hit their target right from the start, so they may skip too many intermediate tests.
If a project is not confident, they might include lots of tests along the way. For example a first-time builder of a Passive House may end up testing half a dozen times to make sure they pass at the end.
I would give them the options. Lay out your offerings and discuss with them their options. If they simply want a price right now for your services, they might not care how well they do because obviously it's just another thing they want to put to the side and ignore.
I might propose at least one round of qualitative testing - focus on the problems you expect to see.
And don't skimp on the inspections!
Does this line in GS Buildings mean that in my fee I should propose 1 or 2 qualitative testing rounds during construction to check for leaks i.e. commissioning for air tightness?
================================================================
My answer:
That’s a possibility. 1 or 2 rounds of qualitative testing in along the project timeline is one strategy in a commissioning plan.
If a project is confident they will get to their permeability target, they may not need these extra rounds, and they’ll just do a whole-building test at the end. Think of CarbonLite or Eclipse Passive House prefab manufacturers. They regularly crank out Passive Houses. They are pretty confident that they’ll hit their target right from the start, so they may skip too many intermediate tests.
If a project is not confident, they might include lots of tests along the way. For example a first-time builder of a Passive House may end up testing half a dozen times to make sure they pass at the end.
I would give them the options. Lay out your offerings and discuss with them their options. If they simply want a price right now for your services, they might not care how well they do because obviously it's just another thing they want to put to the side and ignore.
I might propose at least one round of qualitative testing - focus on the problems you expect to see.
And don't skimp on the inspections!