Introduction to the
Independent Project Design
General Engineering
Polytechnic University
January 2000
Overview
Project Definition
House Design
Specifications
General Construction
Structural
Construction
Pricing
Progress
Submissions
Final Submissions

What to look for
Point Distribution
Extra Credit
Project Definition
Design layout of a 1-story house
Two twelve person independent design project
Twelve week design period
Paper Design (DCAD) and Computer-Controlled
Scaled Model of the house
*Extra
Credit: A 3D model done on Design Cad
House Design Specifications
AREA:


2500 sq. ft. max (for the house only)
Plot of land will be decided by the group
OTHER:



Floor Area to External Opening Area must at least
have a ratio10% (i.e. glass windows, and glass doors)
At least one form of secondary egress
House Foundation is free
BUDGET: $60,000 max
NOTE: If a garage is required:
- extra 200 sq. ft. and $2000 are allotted
General Construction
Floor and ceiling
joists run the
length of the
house and are
placed 2.5’ apart
o.c. (on center)
Beams run from
floor to ceiling
and are place
1.33’ apart o.c.
Refer to reference section for glossary of construction terms p.102
General Construction
Beams: run from floor to ceiling
1.33’
on
center
2.5’ on
center
Joists:
run the length of the house
General Construction
Dimensions given as



width * length, or
width * height, or
width * depth * length
Dimension in engineering format
(e.g.: 1.50 feet is a SET PRECISION OF 2
DECIMAL Points)
Structural Construction
Walls

Outer walls - 0.5 feet thick (6 inches)
 Brick wall  No plywood but insulation & studs
 Shingles

 Plywood and tarpaper needed
Inner walls - 0.3 feet thick (4 inches)
Structural Construction
Doors


Outer doors – 4.0 feet wide
Inner doors – 3.0 feet wide (3 inches)
Windows are 2.5 feet wide (minimum)*


Any window can be used if less than 5.0 feet
(i.e. double hung)
More than 5.0 feet must be picture window
*Standard size, windows may be bigger
Structural Construction
Plywood placed on



floor
ceiling
outer walls
Sheetrock placed on


All walls, inside and outside
Inner walls need sheetrock on both sides.
Roof


assume flat for cost estimate
angle/slope for aesthetic
 Must be 5 degrees to 15 degrees elevation
Plumbing
Main lines (cold and sewage) enter from the
front of house
Hot and cold water pipes must run under the
house
Sewage pipes must run outside the house
Only one sewage line can enter a room at
one time
Piping placed the shortest distance from the
fixture to the front of the house
Plumbing
Must turn at right angles
Three types of pipes, create legend to
identify each:



cold water = 0.16 feet blue centered line
hot water = 0.16 feet red centered line
sewage
= 0.5 feet black solid line
Electrical
Symbol must be placed perpendicular to a wall
Must indicate location of:
220 Volts
Lights
S
Switches
110 Volts
Electrical
Switches must be connected to the light
with a beveled dashed line
S
Electrical
Outlets must be perpendicular to the wall
Outlets must be placed roughly every 8 feet
220 outlets should be placed in the utility
room and the kitchen



Electric Stove
Hot water heater
Boiler
Pricing
“General Construction” Costs:




Screws, nails, ceramic & vinyl tile, house’s
foundation
Cost of labor for pouring concrete
Installation of electric fixtures and wiring,
joists, beams, plywood, paneling,
aluminum siding, brick, sheetrock, etc…….
See Appendix for prices
DESIGN CAD DRAWINGS
•Include what layer and what revision
•Include information such as company name…
•Scale the border 10 times on the x and y axis
and paste it into its own layer
•Floor plan must be scaled to 10 feet=1 inch
DESIGN CAD DRAWINGS
Layers

Main floor plan
 Walls, doors, windows and plumbing fixtures
(sinks, tubs, toilets, etc.)
 Room labels


Plumbing(hot/cold water lines and sewage)
Electrical(switches, outlets, lights, etc.)
Font size
Sample Pricing
Plumbing Cost
Labor Cost
DoorsConstruction
& Windows
House
Item
Unit Cost Quantity Total Labor Cost
Total
Bathtub
$300
$800.00
Item
Unit
Cost
Total
Item
Unit
Cost/ unitQuantity 2 Total$600Labor Cost$200 Total
General
Construction
and
&
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Central A/C
$5000 / unit
1 $5,000
$2,500
$7,500.00
Vinyl
Sliding
$6
/
1ft.x
8ft.
133x8ft.
$798.00
Exterior
DoorHeater (assuming
$10.00/sq.ft.
sq.ft. 1 Total
$280 Labor Cost
$105
$385.00
Hot Water
$1000
/ unitQuantity
$1,000
$500
$1,500.00
Item
Unit
CostRoof
Total
Roofing
Cost
is28flat)
Sinks(Exterior)
$1508ft.
/ unit210sq.ft.
$750
$250 $1,680.00
$1,000.00
Plywood
$3$3.00/sq.ft.
// 4ft.x
133x8ft. 5$22,250
$99.75
Interior
Door
$630
$1,050
General
Construction
$10
sq.ft.
2225sq.ft.
$22,250
Electric
Item
Unit/ 4ft.x
Cost8ft.
Total
ToiletCost
Bowl
$200
/ unitQuantity 2 Total$400
$100
$500.00
Plywood
(Ceiling)
$3
2225sq.ft.
$208.60
Picture
Window
$6.00/sq.ft.
128sq.ft.
$768
$448
$1,216
Shower
Stall
$150
/
unit
1
$150
$50
$200.00
Motion
Sensor
(Aud.)
$50
/
unit
1
$50
$100
$150.00
Item
Unit Cost Quantity
Total
Total
Spanish
Tiles
$2.00/sq.ft.
2225sq.ft.
$4,450
$2,225
$6,675.00
Plywood
(Floor)
$3 / 4ft.x
2225sq.ft. 1 $400
$208.60
Washer
$4008ft.
/ unit
$100
$500.00
Double-Hung
$10.00/sq.ft.
$160
$560
$2,160.00
Light
Switches
$4.00
/unit
unit 160sq.ft.
19 1 $76
$76.00
Double
Garage
Door
$500
/
$500
$500.00
Dryer
$3008ft.
/ unit
$400.00
Tar
Paper
$0.50/sq.ft.
2225sq.ft.
$3,337.50
Sheet
Rock
$3 / 4ft.x
630sq.ft. 1 $300 (both sides$2,225
of$100
w all) $472.50
$472.50
110V
2-plug
outlets
$5.00
unit / ft.112sq.ft.
19 1 ft. N/A
$95
$95.00
Sliding
Door
(wood) $250
$6.00/sq.ft.
$672
Sewage
Pipe
$2.00
145.9
$291.80
N/A $1,232.00
$291.80
Garage
Door
Opener
/ /unit
$250
$250.00
N/A
N/A
N/A$560
N/A
Fiberglass
Insulation
$17/16'
'
x
40ft.
133
ft.
$56.52
Wood
Shingles
$1.00/sq.ft.
2225sq.ft.
$2,225
$2,225
$4,450.00
Cold
Water
Pipe $10.00 / unit
$1.00 / ft. 146.3
ft. $40
$146.30
N/A $40.00
$146.30
220V
1
plug
outlet
4
Sliding
Door
(Glass) $12.00/sq.ft.
$672
$280
$952.00
Total:
$23,150.00
Hot
Pipe
$1.00
60.2 ft. $60.20
N/A
$60.20
Joist
andWater
Beams
$0.25
/ ft./ ft. 56sq.ft.
Total: $211.00
$14,462.50
Total:
Total: $7,625.00
$12,898.30
Total:
Total Cost in Categories
Plumbing Cost
Electric Cost
Doors & Windows
House Construction
Roofing Cost
General Construction and
& Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Total
$12,898.30
$211.00
$7,625.00
$1,843.00
$14,462.50
$23,150.00
Total:
$1,843.97
Total: $60,189.80
Recitations
A SureTrak chart presented at each recitation
DETAILED
 Indicate who is doing which activity
LOOK OUT FOR PAINTBRUSH
TOTAL FLOAT
MILESTONE (8th week)
Scaled Model
Materials
Foam Board
LED’s & Wires
Open Lab tools
*Extra materials will be at student’s expense.
NO REIMBURSEMENTS!
Scaled Model
Specifications
Scale: 4 feet = 1 inch (for length,
height and width)
Maximum model of 1.09 sq. feet
Final Submissions
Report
(double-spaced)
 design specifications - egress & ventilation
 location of the house and its affects on the
design
 type/size of family
 cost-efficiency of house
 reasons for any unusual features
 roof design
 changes in original design and why
Final Submissions
Report



Fully dimensioned, scaled floor plans with
electrical and plumbing symbols.
Two fully dimensioned elevation views.
Most detailed view.
A cost estimate prepared on an Excel
spreadsheet.
Final Presentation
During the last lab class
10 minutes per group
Purpose: To sell the house

Using specifics such as
 House design
 Special features
 Geographical location
 Cost of construction
Point Distribution for Project
Recitations
Final Report


Technical
Grammatical
Model
Lab VIEW
Final Presentation
= 15%
= 35%
= 20%
= 15%
= 20%
= 5%
= 25%
NOTE: The Independent Project counts to 25% of
your final grade for the course
Point Distribution for Final
Report
Body of Report
Floor plan
Electrical
Plumbing
Elevation Views
Cost Estimate
=30%
=30%
=10%
=10%
=10%
=10%
Extra Credit
3D computer model of the house

Information on how to create a 3D
computer model can be found in the
DesignCAD97 User’s Guide, pages 108-120
NOTE: Extra Credit task is worth 10 points.
Conclusion
Break up class into groups of 2
(TA’s will assign the groups)
Work should be distributed evenly
between partners
Project work done during open lab and
non-presentation recitations