Ever since the sales guy left for the appointment you’ve been watching the clock like a kid waiting for the recess bell to ring. He left with an arm full of drawings and a hope that the customer will choose your monument design package over the competitions.

 

You’ve been designing channel letters, wall signs and lollypops for years but this is your first attempt at creating a substantial monument sign package of this type. You’ve done your best, and now it’s a waiting game.

 

The phone rings, and the sales guy calling you is elated; the customer liked the proposal so much they signed the agreement and gave a deposit. You’re high-fiving and fist-bumping everybody in the office, especially since this was a big sale for your company—there was a lot riding on this job and everybody worked hard to make it happen. You stand there at your desk with the phone to your ear, daydreaming about the lights, the applause, the long walk across the stage to accept the coveted S&DG Excellence in Monument Sign Design Award, when you are suddenly slapped back to reality by your sales guy as his tone on the phone gets very serious. 

 

“The City is requiring an illustration showing foundation details by Thursday, and because our engineer is out for two weeks you’ll have to create these drawings on your own. Can you do that by Thursday?” 

 

As you listen, your anxiety level shoots through the roof because you’ve never drawn a foundation for a monument sign. It was always handled by the engineer. You hang up the phone. You have a pretty good idea of what the drawing needs, but you’re not sure where to start. How much concrete? Caissons or pads or both? How big is the pipe? How deep does it go? One or two pipes? You’re not an engineer, so how could you possibly know this stuff? Right?

 

You’re right; you are not an engineer and should never infer that your foundation illustration will work until an engineer can put his stamp on it. However, there is a way to quickly provide a drawing that the city, landlord, general contractor and the engineer can work with while at the same time making it obvious you are not trying to be the engineer.

 

So, how do you create a foundation design when you are not an engineer?

 

Let’s think simple, think basic and put your “logic” gene into high gear for this one. First, let’s ask your sales person the following questions: Why do they need that drawing? What do they need to see on it, and why do they want it now? 

 

You will find that the city and or the general contractor understand the difference between a concept and a stamped engineering drawing.

 

In this case (as with many) they want you to show them what is planned for the foundation so they feel comfortable that your company understands how a foundation is constructed.

 

What makes up a monument sign foundation:

There are a few basic components that go into a foundation: pipes, caissons and pads. Pipes are held in the ground with a round plug of concrete called a caisson. The pipe is suspended above the bottom of the caisson hole (usually with some sort of block) to allow concrete to settle under the pipe, preventing it from punching through the bottom of the caisson. The pad is poured under the base of the monument and provides a solid ground structure to fasten the cabinet onto. 

 

In this drawing example, I illustrate how to create a foundation concept without pretending to be an engineer. Notice I have left out every dimension and included break lines that indicate the pipe and caisson go down further than I can show on the page. I have listed (TBD) in the dimensional slots so that the engineer has an open drawing to work with. The city will appreciate this type of illustration as it shows them you understand what is required for a foundation, as well as you have left the final dimensions up to the engineer to calculate. It’s the best of both worlds. 

 

The engineer may have recommendations like adding in more rebar, or increasing the pipe size or diameter of the caissons. You then take his numbers and work them back into the drawing, make the changes and away you go. This type of pre-engineering drawing will usually provide the city or general contractor what they need.

 

In addition, these types of foundation drawings can be pre-drawn for a variety of sign sizes. Keeping them generic makes them easily customizable to the sign presentation at hand.

 

One more tip: Do take the time to look at and study other foundation drawings. Study how they are put together, when they use CMU block and when they don’t. Study how many pipes they use and how thick are most slabs for a variety of sign sizes. These questions can be answered by simply looking at other finished drawings and making a few mental notes. The more you know about the parts that make up a foundation, the better you will be at determining sizes of caissons, footings and pipes for future jobs.