Brickwork Running Dims

[dazza163968596]

I am probably just being stupid here, but I'm struggling a bit with manufacturers content.
I have compared the jeldwen catalog windows with those supplied with Revit, the UK-mdrn-cottage windows match the catalog perfectly, the problem is why don't the sizes in Revit or in the catalogues ever conform to UK brick opening sizes. I know that the overall frame sizes have to be at least 10mm smaller (5mm all round) but some of these sizes are up to 50mm smaller. At the moment I use families that I have created or adjust the sizes of the widows to suit then in my schedules I have a calculated field for actual frame widths & heights (ie width - (2*tolerance)).
We end up having to specially order windows to the sizes from our schedules, we get charged the earth for not using the manufacturers standard sizes. How are others getting around this annoying problem.

I have attached my brick calculator spread sheet which I use with Revit to ensure that all my dims conform to brick opening sizes, you either look it up on the table sheet or type in the dimension from Revit and it tells you the nearest full or 1/2 brick size.

[Max Lloyd]

Hi Dazza,

Well I've been working for an architectural practice down here in surrey (I have worked and lived up there though, worked on the Trafford centre for a while) for over 6 years and have always been confused why what are standard window sizes, do not correlate well with brick dimensions.

The standard sizes we quote are always divisible by 150mm vertically which is fine (ie: 900mm, 1050, 1200 1350 etc) but are usually then different in width.

For instance for casement windows there are effectively 2 module sizes we commonly use. A 490mm and 630mm module. 490 goes to 915, 1340, 1770 etc.

630 goes 1200, 1770, 2340 etc.

Sash windows are different again, 635, 860, 1085 etc.

These are not all bricks dims widths and I have never understood it personally, but that is what we work to. Strange! Seems obvious to me that the humble brick should determine the size of all other products associated with a typical UK building. Apparently not....

In answer to your question though, we use 'standard' door and window sizes and the brick openings are adjusted to suit. We recently did a job using anderson (US sizes, nice product) windows and tried to go down that route, but eventually started specifying non-standard products, spacers etc. It got very expensive!

BTW, I like your excel document.

[dazza163968596]

Thanks Max glad you like it, I find it very useful when setting up a model. You can also change the module and joint sizes on the table sheet this will update the table and the sizes used on the calculation sheet.

So you try and work with the standard sizes & make the brickwork suit. I don't think we will get away with that. The last few jobs have been OK as we faced the houses in stone so there wasn't modular opening sizes to worry about. The next project is brick, our bricklayers can moan at the best of times, if I tell them that the openings aren't going to course in there might be tears & tantrums before bedtime.

PS <sarcasm on> Thanks for the Trafford Center </sarcasm off> It's about 2 minutes away from my house. Now from October to February it takes me 45 mins to an Hour to get home at night using the M60 because of all the the people Christmas shopping and then going to the sales. Not to mention all the money my girlfriend spend in there.;-)

Seriously it is an impressive building though. Did you see either the Lowery or the War museum buildings while you where up here? I used to work for the company that did the cladding on both of those buildings. I was the lead designer on the War Museum all done in 3D using AutoCAD 2000. (18 months for 3 of us not nice compared to Revit)

[Phil Palmer]

Something I always forget about with Revit is the ability to add a quick formula to the actual temp dimension.This is handy for setting-out modular dimension requirements like Brick Dims.

[J. Grouchy]

Dang metric...I like the old "Even 0, 8...Odd 4" rule for coursing dimensions...