Thank you all for your patience while we prepared the detailed status report. This report will be posted to an expansion specific blog as time allows. We will try to answer questions as we can.
The following is a Current Status Report of the Expansion Group from a technical perspective. This was written by Richard Meyer, a member of the Expansion Group.
This will be a rather detailed report as there will soon be new members to the Expansion Group and I wish to bring everybody up to speed as soon as possible. For those Makerspace members that wish to respond to this Status Report, please be kind. I will do my best to respond.
Expansion Group Authority: The Board of Directors created the Expansion Group as a technical advisory group. All final decisions and approvals are made at the Board of Director’s level. The Expansion Group was purposely formed with a minimal number of people required to cover all technical aspects of construction. The Group spent hundreds of hours interfacing with all the various Makerspace Committees for their requirements. Recently a few members have resigned, therefore there are openings available for new members. For those Makerspace members that wish to join the Expansion Group please contact the Board of Directors and provide a list of technical expertise.
Meeting with Code Authorities: On Monday, 2/18/2019, Richard Meyer had a meeting with the City of Carrollton Building Inspection Department and the City of Carrollton Fire Marshal concerning the expansion of Dallas Makerspace.
Residential vs. Commercial: The Expansion Group has received a lot of criticism in the past from various DMS members about how stringent the City Inspectors are. Why do we have to follow this rule? The Dallas Makerspace is not a hobby room, it is a Nonprofit 501c3 Corporation housed in a commercial building complex, and is required by law to act as one. The rules are different for commercial buildings versus your own home. In your own home one can add your own electrical wiring and do remodeling if the owner feels they are competent to do so. The same is not true in commercial buildings, all electrical and mechanical work must be performed by licensed trade people and in many cases a City Permit must be in hand. Gone are the days at DMS when a new electrical drop cord or a water line magically appears overnight by some volunteer. DMS will comply 100% with all City regulations as we go forth. DMS has a lot of volunteers that are willing to help out, some things they cannot legally do, some things they can.
Volunteer Positions: If any Makerspace members are licensed in Air Conditioning, Electrical, Construction, Legal, Architectural Drawing, or Regulatory trades, then I have a great volunteer position for you.
Current Status of Suite 102: City Permit 018-6890 was issued last year, an inspection was performed to assess whether Suite 102 was safe for the basic utilities to be turned on. This is called a Temporary Utilities Permit. After the permit was issued the utilities were legally turned on. DMS is currently allowed to perform non-structural changes in Suite 102 at this time. Such as; painting, dry wall minor repairs, carpeting, floor finishing, installing low voltage network wiring, adding security cameras, etc. No Makerspace operations are allowed in Suite 102. We have received allowance from the City for the few pieces of unused office furniture that are currently in storage, but nothing more. We had a visit from a City Inspector on 2/6/2019, he walked through Suite 102 only to verify that no DMS operations were being done per the current Permit. The City is keeping a close eye on us due to past issues.
Current Status of Suite 104: The Fire Marshall walked through the Suite 104 on 2/6/2019. The Inspector found two discrepancies, 1) Ceiling tiles were missing, 2) and extension cords were daisy-chained into each other. The Infrastructure Committee has been notified and the replacement of the ceiling tiles are their highest priority to repair. The issue with misuse of the extension cords will rely on additional training and labeling to resolve. The Fire Marshall stated that he will re-inspect the facility at an unannounced later date. As soon as the ceiling tiles have been repaired, Richard Meyer will notify the Fire Marshall in writing. This is how one deals with various Regulatory Inspectors, keep the communication lines open. The Inspector does not wish to close down the Dallas Makerspace or any other business although he has the legal authority to lock the doors for serious non-compliance issues. Inspectors understand that some discrepancies cannot be corrected overnight, some issues require outside contracts, delivery schedules, City Permits, etc. Just keep the Inspector informed along the way, most likely the re-inspection will not take place if they believe the issues have been resolved. City Inspectors can legally enter the building at any time for an inspection. The key here is to minimize the reason for their wanting to enter the building in the first place. Once inside the building then anything they see is fair game for them.
Building Classification: The City of Carrollton is having a difficult time defining what type of business the Dallas Makerspace is in. We are treading on new territory here, charting new waters. The same goes with other Makerspaces throughout the country. We are one of the largest Makerspace’s, so we are learning alongside the various Regulatory Agencies as to how we are legally defined per City Code. An educational and training facility requires instructors and teachers to be present at all times, this is not the case since our members have 24/7 access to the facility without instructors present. Our current designation with the City of Carrollton is a combination of Warehousing (code 2428), Storage (code 4931), Schools (code 0808) and Instruction (code 6116).
City Building Inspection Department: Richard Meyer met with Thomas Wood, Senior Plans Examiner. Our current set of architectural plans, all 60+ pages, contain the entire expansion of Suite 102 and the remodeling of Suite 104 in a single package. The Board of Directors have approved these plans. The Architect submitted these plans to the City of Carrollton (Application 18-9139), they were reviewed by the City, and approved on 12/10/2018. Due to the size of construction the City requires that DMS have a General Contractor. Per State Code, any construction permit over $50,000 must comply with the laws pertaining to disabilities.
Construction Permit: The City has approved our current set of construction plans. To get our Construction Permit we must provide the City with, 1) the name of a qualified General Contractor, 2) names of all Sub-Contractors, 3) and pay a $1,075 permit filing fee. After completion of the construction the General Contractor will submit a request for a final City Inspection, and upon approval a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued by the City.
New Address: After expansion completion the new address of Dallas Makerspace will be Suite 104 only, the term Suite 102 will no longer exist in city records. This was done to prevent changes to our current Post Office address, stationary, websites, utilities, and other media. There are four front entrance doors, the City does not care which door we choose as our main entrance as long as it is correctly marked and meets all Code requirements.
Contracts: We currently do not have any contracts with a General Contractor or a Sub-Contractor. Previous bids were either too high or were withdrawn. We are back to square one again in the bidding process. The Expansion Group will now have to review the current architectural plan set and submit a cost reduction proposal to the Board of Directors.
Building Codes: The City of Carrollton refers to the International Building Codes (2015 IBC), International Fire Code (1015 IFC), and the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70-2017) as reference in all construction. The City and State also have some Amendments to these codes. As of January 1, 2019, the City updated to the newer set of Building and Fire Codes (IBC 2018 and IFC 2018) which are even more stringent.
Architectural Plans: The construction plans were approved by the City under then current International Building Code (2015 IBC). If one were to say that we throw out the current plans and start over from scratch, then all new plans must meet the additional compliance issues with the newer 2018 version of building codes resulting in months of additional delay and increased costs. We are allowed to make changes to the current plans which will be grandfathered under the older 2015 building codes since they were approved last year. Any changes will be reviewed by the City prior to the issuing of any further permits. At this point, making a change to the current plan set is less expensive and quicker than starting over.
Architectural Files: As typical in the Construction industry, the Architectural firm created all the plans using AutoCAD software. As of this writing, The Dallas Makerspace has only PDF copies of these plans, not the original AutoCAD DWG files. Any future changes to these plans will have to be accomplished through their firm. This is a concern due to recent legal actions.
Construction Cost - Concerns: The Dallas Makerspace was hit with some unexpected construction costs. Our move into Suite 102 is not a simple move in, especially with the amount of electrical work that needs to done. I will list a few areas below that were the major cost drivers.
Construction Cost – City Code: Due to the overall size and complexity of our plans, the City requires that both Suite 102 and 104 be brought up to current City Building Codes. Keep in mind that this building was built over 30 years ago.
Construction Cost – Disability Access: Due to the overall size and complexity of our plans, the State requires that both Suite 102 and 104 be brought up to current Disability Access standards. The changes to Suite 102 were minimal, but in Suite 104 the changes are huge. Outside ramps must be installed, restrooms renovated, water fountains moved, etc.
Construction Cost – General Contractor: Due to the overall size and complexity of our plans, the City requires a General Contractor which adds cost to the project.
Construction Cost – Electrical: The electrical panels in both Suites 102 and 104 need to be replaced to meet current Code requirements. Over the years and several renovations, additional circuit breaker panels had been legally added one by one. To meet current code, these panels must be consolidated into larger panels resulting in a massive amount of re-wiring. One of the auxiliary circuit breaker panels in Suite 102 was manufactured by a brand name that is a known fire risk and must be replaced. The amount of electrical work is staggering for a building that was originally designed for warehouse usage only. Two weeks ago the outside main transformer to the building was replaced by Oncor Electric at no charge to Dallas Makerspace. After 30 years, even Oncor’s transformer had to be replaced.
Construction Cost – Plumbing: The hot water heater in Suite 102 is currently only of 4 gallon capacity, it must be upgraded due to the assembly occupant load. Adding plumbing to the North wall of Suite 102 for a general purpose sink has become extremely expensive. Since there currently is no sewer line in that area, the cement foundation must be cut and a new sewer line installed to connect to the outside sewer line. Water lines are available nearby above the dropped ceiling.
Construction Cost – Ventilation: The cost to add ventilation ducts and fans into the roof to meet all City Codes was excessive. Our Landlord limited us to only a few roof penetrations that required combining some duct work and more expensive roof top ventilation equipment. Based on Fire Code requirements, some areas required an expensive dedicated roof top ventilation system which added to the costs.
Construction Cost – Air Conditioning: All heating and air conditioning requirements for Suite 102 have been installed and paid for, they are not part of this construction plan. There was a request for dedicated air conditioners for the Suite 102 and 104 computer server rooms which are in the current plans.
Construction Cost – Fire Sprinkler System: Building Code requires the main Electrical Panels in Suite 102 to be in a dedicated lockable room, similar to what now exist in Suite 104. Several of the sprinkler heads will have to be re-positioned here and elsewhere. In Suite 104 the Woodshop will require new sprinkler heads that are flush with the ceiling to minimize the collection of dust.
Future Plan Modifications: I expect that once the word gets out that the Expansion Group is making changes to the current plans, then every Committee will request changes as well. My personal belief is that the Expansion Group should not go down that road. Any changes should be for cost reduction purposes only. It is easier to do Plan Changes with the City approved set of plans, removing items versus adding to them.
Immediate Future: We as a Group need to review the construction plans and suggest major cost reductions to the Board of Directors. Once approved by the Board of Directors then these Plan Changes must be presented to the City for approval. After approval by the City we can release the official plans for contractor bidding. In the meantime, we can approach several General Contractors and Sub-Contractors presenting in general terms what the potential contracts will consist of.
Your constructive comments are welcomed.
Richard Meyer, PE
Member, Expansion Group
Licensed Professional Engineer, #75672, State of Texas
