Now that I am pretty committed to publishing the drawings of all of our past projects that anyone could learn from, I thought: "Specs!?"


We have produced specifications by Masterspec using Framework III and, later, Word; then by SpecLink and SpecLink+. But most of the digital files that were produced are gone. But we do have hard copy, paper Project Manuals. A lot of them. 


So how can I get these paper specs scanned and ready to publish? A Google search turned up several companies that do this paper to PDF conversion. One of the companies was "docufree".


So I filled out an online form like this: "I have approximately 100 specifications (Project Manuals) that contain about 200 pages each. They are GBC punched and bound. I would like them converted to PDFs."


The next morning I received an email with a link to a very complete proposal, including a step-by-step description of what I would need to do and what they would do. My job would be to put the specs in the boxes they send me. They do everything else, starting with picking up the boxes; and ending with sending me a DVD and shredding the originals.

A day later I had an enjoyable (no joking) low-key conversation about the process with Mike Matton at "docufree", followed two days later with a memorable reminder by mail! [The ballpoint pen is for scale.] I guess the miniature foam rubber box is a conversation starter (seems to be working).


The experience reminded me of how powerful having a niche can be. They are clearly experts at docufree, and they have taken the trouble to explain the process in a memorable and engaging way. 


I could give the job to Kinko's but they charge by the scan, plus hourly for them to scan, I have to drop off and pick up, I have to organize the work for them (remove bindings, add file name, place in separate folders that I will have to buy), and hope that they don't get confused sometime during the 20,000 page process.

I don't know if I will get the specs scanned, but I do know who will do the scanning. Mike Matton at docufree, 877-362-3569 x 1143

I've been trolling through our old projects looking for something to publish that might be interesting. The choice is a courthouse that we designed in the 90s. (Providing the .dwg files aren’t corrupted.) 

Courthouses since then have gotten more and more elaborate. I wonder where the money comes from? In this case the budget was hanging over our heads before we drew the first line. 

The state agency that manages court facilities had a non-negotiable maximum rent that they would pay. If the actual rent was higher, local government paid the difference. This local government entity was our client. So the first meeting went like this. 

CLIENT: "Find out how much rent we will get per square foot; then work backwards from there to make sure that rent payment will retire the bonds we sell to pay for construction, design, and any other soft costs because we can't put a nickel into this project." 
ARCHITECT: "Got it."

The project came in about $100,000 less than budgeted...which the judges quickly spent on more wood paneling.

Another quirk of this project was that ’Pammy’ was the judges chief administrator and ran a tight ship. Nobody crossed Pammy. We decided that our main goal, after meeting the budget, was to make sure Pammy was happy. Luckily, we did.

I will probably pull a few details out of the drawings to publish separately. I remember we had a clever system for hanging the panelling, there was a skylight that worked out pretty nicely, there were ’brick beams’ at the entrance, and the judges benches were bullet-proofed with steel plates. Metal detectors were not common yet, so they thought they might need a place to hang out until the shooting was over. (Never needed.)

I’ve got the file folders set up. Next is copying the CAD files into them and start the sanitizing process while keeping an eye out for helpful details I can share. You should see something by Monday or so...

Whew! Taking on this Store idea is not only a lot of work, at least for now, but it keeps the pressure on to fill up the Store so it doesn't look like a 7/11 just before the hurricane hits - bare shelves.

SIGN-UP
Every page has been updated with a link to the Sign-Up page. So everyone can find that page with a click from just about everywhere. Once you sign up you have access to free PDF downloads. This is explained in the Welcome email you will get. You also receive a discount code for 50% off any native file format "products".

STORE
The Store has a new addition - a set of templates for simple contracts. I'm working on an article to introduce this new addition. 

PRODUCTS
I'm getting used to calling the downloads 'products', technically digital products. This seems foreign. But the service I am using to implement the process calls them Products, so I will be assimilated pretty quickly.
The new MGMT-01 Contract Templates that was added yesterday gave me the opportunity to see how that would work. The process requires more clean-up of the originals than I expected, but I think it will be worth it to you. 

I also had a chance to find and incorporate our 'ctb' file for AutoCAD into the process of converting the DWGs to PDFs. This was the missing link in getting the line weights to look normal. When I get a chance, I will re-do the Corporate 01 PDFs and JPGs so they look better.

NEXT
Coming up next is Issue No. 1 of the newsletter! Target date is September 10th.