when i worked solo i had the general construction specs on a front page, as you noted, but i also had general notes for each sheet, some of which had specification info, and then i just handled all of the more 'specific' specs right there in the drawings themselves.

for single family residential there's less need for an open performance-type spec so you can just call out what you want.

not so much need for a book spec unless you're going to get seriously deep into the open-bid, performance-spec thing and then you just might as well treat it like commercial and not try to find some middle ground.

When I worked for a start-up (just myself and the principal) - we used to put specs on the first couple pages of the set like steven did - and called out specific products and general installation notes on the drawings. This worked fine with contractors we had a relationship with, with other contractors, we realized we needed to do something a little more substantial.

My last office we had a general spec that we always issued with residential work and would modify on a project-by-project basis. We also had something called a "short form spec" which was a few pages long, called out specific products, and had a several general construction notes (mostly dealing with waterproofing - i.e. building envelope). the short form spec was typically issued with the pricing set, on smaller projects, or with design/build. If we needed to do something more specific/detailed we'd either issue a book or an addenda towards the start of construction.

I'd spend the time to develop a base spec that you pull upon for all projects. Over time you'll learn on each project what works and what doesn't - and make sure you get feedback from the contractor - they are very happy to let you know what they think isn't working. The spec is there to protect your liability, though - so take what they say with a grain of salt.

I've often struggled with this myself.

I work for a small custom residential design firm. Our first sheet in the drawing set has some general notes on it, mostly code & zoning compliance data, abbreviations list, client & contractor info, and some general notes about contractor performance & scope of work.

Then we have schedules and related notes at the end of the set. Other general notes are on the plans, i.e. framing info would be found on the framing plans, roofing notes on the roof plan, etc... Instead of writing a 'spec', we would just call out a the relevant product information (manuf., name, color, size, etc.) and we tell them to provide submittals to us and to follow manufacturers installation req's. If we prefer it to be installed a certain way, we say it there or in our details.

We almost never issue a separate spec book for a residential project unless we're doing a very large & involved & expensive home. I think we've only done it twice.

We've been fortunate in that we are able to work with high quality contractors who want to do a great job and go the length to make sure it's done correctly, and when something is unclear, they ask questions first. Also, over time, they've developed a good understanding of what it is we are looking for.

We give general notes whenever possible, and only spec something out if there's an option for the contractor to submit an alternate item, or if it's something that is unusual. And if we do spec something, it's a pretty abbreviated spec, not something like we would do for a commercial project.

All that being said, I think we could do a better job in our general notes. It would be interesting to see what general notes others are putting on their residential projects.