Job planning

[danmoriarty]

Evening all! (question is in the third paragraph, paragraphs 1,2,4 & 5 are purely decorative)

I spent 1 1/2 hours in my local town hall discussing my planning permission today, and the reasons why my extension was rejected. After doing battle with these beasts I finally think i got them to see things my way. This is all good news

So now that i know which set of plans im using (my original) I can get busy and do a nice cable plan etc for myself.

Do any of you guys use a particular computer program to draw out cable plans and circuit diagrams (assuming you have access to digital plans) or is everyone still in the stone age with a pencil? If you do use a computer, what programs do you use?

As some of you may know, i've already done the one big wiring job in ireland but that was done in my head as i went along and did little drawings on scraps of paper. I want to be a bit more organised this time.

If im slow to reply its because the sun is out and im making the most of it by cutting my lawn and opening some beer Guinness <-- thats a coronaB-)

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 16:37 ---------- Previous post was made at 16:35 ----------

PS i've been upgraded to a member!! :Salute How do i rank up next?

 

[NozSpark]

Well done on becoming a "member"; you advance through the ranks by the number of posts that you submit,, don't do non-sensical ones though as you will annoy others

As for plans, if it's a standard domestic or simple commercial then I wouldn't do any

 

[Steve3948]

I've yet to find a simple program, I have tried lots but still end up doing schematics for say a heating system on a small A1 drawing board.

TBF if anyone knows of one please post, I would really be interested and so would the OP by the look of it.

 

[Manator]

I have used a few but find them next to useless, and more time consuming, all line drawings are sent away to be done now and issued after the works are completed.

I just do A3 drawings and mark outlets along with the distribution board designation, I then do all the cable calcs and include them in the design so I can handover the CDM O&M file at the end.

 

[Steve3948]

Canoe - Looks interesting, I have tried to use AutoCad many years ago but came to the conclusion a course may be required to learn it, so gave up.

I will have a look at this, many thanks for the link.

Steve.

 

[steptoe]

Ive used this a few times,

still not got a clue how to get anywhere near its potential though.

 

[Steve3948]

Ive used this a few times,still not got a clue how to get anywhere near its potential though.

When you say I've used "this" how do you do that in your post, there's lots I'm trying to get my head round on the forum.

 

[Naquadah]

If its only for basic circuit diagrams you could use Microsoft Visio. I know it's not the most professional way to do it, but it will give you a rough idea.

 

[steptoe]

When you say I've used "this" how do you do that in your post, there's lots I'm trying to get my head round on the forum.

type the word, highlight it, then click on the little globe thing 6from the right in the bar above the typing box, then in the box that opens put the url of the site, and click OK,

I can actually do it slightly differently, but I DONT use windoze, so its easier for idiots like me to get stuff to work.

 

[Manator]

I am going to make an official complaint if you keep calling yourself an idiot steptoe, its clearly false representation.

 

[steptoe]

its only 'cos I have Brian on speed-dial, :C

 

[sellers]

Do you need to do a cable diagram, I take it you mean schematic?

Schematics and drawings are ideal when you've got a gang of sparks, but if its just yourself then you shouldn't really need any, unless its speced for them?

I do actually miss working from drawings.

 

[kerching]

I make 99% of mine up as I go along, jot down a few notes if I have to do something a bit 'funky'

If it is important then [when I have time] I transfer it to Visio

All floor plans are done in Visio, if .dwg Autocad files are sent then these are imported into Visio as well.

TBH domestic wise I don't bother............. :coat

 

[steptoe]

I make 99% of my qualifications up as I go along, jot down a few notes if I have to do something a bit 'funky'If it is important then [when I have time] I transfer it to Visio

All floor plans are done in Visio, if .dwg Autocad files are sent then these are imported into Visio as well.

TBH domestic wise I don't bother............. :coat

I thought as much!

:slap

 

[danmoriarty]

Sorry been away for so long, went to Ireland to do a few jobs. I've had a play around with some of the suggested programs and i think i need to spend some time practicing with them but they are definitely going to be helpful. I think at the moment though im going to stick with a staedtler on the paper plans.

In response to one or two questions. The job ive done for my parents in ireland i "made up" as i went along. Im extremely confident everything is correct but i just would have been more comfortable having pre-planned everything just for ease of reference. It was a big job and my first large scale domestic, very different from doing a two bed terrace. The fiddliest part was routing data cables away from everything else. Every other tradesman who has worked on the house has remarked at how much cabling has gone in.

TL;DR

i just wanted to be more prepared when i do my next job (my own house). Doing drawings prior to the job seems like a good idea. Currently using draft sight.

 

[ProDave]

If you are just talking about planning cable routing. I don't try and do that on the plans. I've tried before and not had any luck.

Now, I go to the site at the start of first fix and have a GOOD look around the whole building and see it's construction, THEN I can plan the easiest / most eficient routing.

Up here most new builds are timber framed, and you might think it will be easy to plan a route on the drawings. But often you will find a steel RSJ stuck in somewhere to make the building work, and that totally scuppers what might look like a logical cable route, hence I want to see what's where for real.

If you are talking about drawing actual circuit diagrams, well my favourite is Orcad, but that's really an electronic drafting package and it's not free.

If you want free drafting programs, then the ones I have are Eagle, SEE Electrical, Proficad and A9CAD all free, google for them.

For more general drawing, Google Sketchup is free and many recommend it, but it's an Autocad like tool, and I have just never been able to get on with Autocad, it's just not intuitive enough for me.

 

[Evans Electric]

You seem to talking about house bashing Moriarty , so don't worry about pharting about with computer programmes , just get some T/E , a box of clips and do it .

A word with the builder about avoiding pipe runs and thats it .

You'll have wired the place while you're prattling about on the computer .

Come on guys ...its lights and plugs!.

 

[danmoriarty]

Dave: Google sketch up looks pretty nifty, cant be that difficult to draw some straight lines :-D

Evans: Agreed house bashing is easy!! I'd consider it house bashing if its a 3 bed (which ive done a total of 4 with out need for planning), but the one in ireland was an 8 bed including 2 kitchens, out house, data comms through out, ufh controls, allowances for pv to be installed later on, cctv plus usual carp. quite a bit went into it as you can see from some of the photos on profile. Im not yet a seasoned sparks, so was just looking for a nice planning tool, some nice ones have been suggested. (also doesnt help that i live 443 miles from job site)

Its only because im twiddling my thumbs lately that i thought id do it. next project is the same spec just slightly smaller house. I did the one in ireland no trouble without drawings, i just don't quite consider it house bashing after a certain size/spec.

 

[steptoe]

no matter the size of house Ive yet to run some tray and 25mm galv through the living room,

a house is a house, even if its on 3p, its still a house.

 

[ProDave]

(also doesnt help that i live 443 miles from job site)

Is that on my patch then? Must be somewhere north of the border, so just remember no part.........