RAMERK Quality System · Internal Procedure

RFP-001

Facade Quality Procedure

House of RAMERK internal procedure: how we plan, inspect, document, and hand over facade works in accordance with applicable standards, the project, and manufacturers’ requirements.

Collection: RAMERK Quality SystemDocument type: Internal ProcedureVersion: 1.0 DraftStatus: Editorial Review
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Chapter 000

Normative Basis

This document does not replace EVS, RYL, legislation, project documentation, or manufacturers’ instructions.

RFP-001 describes the internal House of RAMERK process: how recognised requirements are translated into a sequence of inspections, evidence, and decisions on a specific project.

Sources used in project work

Applicable EVS standards, including those relevant to the specific facade system; current Estonian requirements; manufacturers’ technical documentation and system solutions; the contract and project; professional practice and RAMERK experience.

Reference Library

Facade Source Register

Facade works are governed by a set of sources determined by the facade system, project, materials, and manufacturer requirements. No single universal external standard is attached to this book because the applicable framework depends on the specific solution.

Original publications remain the property of their authors and rights holders.
We do not claim the standard. We show how we work to meet it.
Chapter 001

Purpose

A facade is not accepted on the basis of impressions or promises. It is accepted on the basis of measurements, appearance, and documentation.

RFP-001 translates applicable professional requirements into a process the client can understand. Its purpose is to define in advance how the completed work will be inspected, what evidence must be collected, and when the result can genuinely be considered handed over.

Trust begins where opinion ends and evidence begins.
Chapter 002

The Three Stages

Facade acceptance consists of three mandatory stages.

01

Instrumental Control

Inspection of flatness, verticality, joints, interfaces, and other measurable parameters.

02

Visual Assessment

Assessment of colour, texture, and overall appearance under predefined lighting and viewing-distance conditions.

03

Executive Documentation

Review of site logs, concealed-works records, material declarations, and confirmation of completed operations.

Chapter 003

Measurement Method

Inspection must be repeatable.

Measurements are taken with a calibrated two-metre straightedge and a suitable feeler gauge. Checks are performed vertically, horizontally, and diagonally at representative and potentially problematic locations.

Control tool2 m

A calibrated straightedge for assessing surface flatness.

Sampling5–7

Inspection measurements per 50 m² as a practical project guideline.

Project-specific requirements prevail.

Where the project, manufacturer’s system, contract, or applicable standard sets stricter requirements, the stricter requirement applies.

Chapter 004

Rendered Facades & ETICS

An ETICS/rendered facade is assessed as one complete system, not merely as the final decorative coat.

Control pointWorking criterionMeaning
Surface flatnessup to ±5 mm / 2 mMaximum gap or local high spot beneath the straightedge.
Single-storey verticalityup to ±5 mmGuideline for heights up to 3 metres.
Building verticalityup to ±15 mmGuideline for a building approximately 10–12 metres high.
Corners and revealsup to ±4 mm / 2 mDeviation of a line from vertical or horizontal.
Reinforcing layeraccording to the system specificationThe mesh is embedded within the layer; thickness and overlaps comply with the system.
Chapter 005

Ventilated Facades

For a rainscreen facade, joint rhythm and the precision of adjacent elements are especially important.

Adjacent panels1.0–1.5 mm

Permissible edge offset between adjacent panels as a practical guideline.

Joint width±1.5 mm

Deviation from the specified joint width.

Substructure step±5 mm

Deviation of the substructure spacing from its design position.

Visual lineContinuous

Joints must read as one continuous straight system.

Chapter 006

Visual Assessment

Appearance is assessed under normal conditions of use, not under artificially created raking light.

The ground floor and plinth are inspected from a normal viewing distance of approximately 2–3 metres.
Upper storeys are assessed from a distance appropriate to the building scale, approximately 15–20 metres.
Diffuse daylight or natural shade is used.
Torches and spotlights at an acute angle are not used as the primary method of visual acceptance.
Chapter 007

Appearance Criteria

Hand-applied work allows natural micro-variation. It does not allow a visible systematic defect.

FeatureAcceptedNot accepted
Render textureMinor local differences not visible from the specified viewing distance.Pronounced areas of differing texture that read as patches or bands.
Colour and toneA visually uniform facade appearance.Transitions, patches, and scaffold-joint marks visible from the assessment distance.
Fixing locationsDo not stand out across the facade surface.A pronounced “leopard-spot” effect.
Panel jointsAn even and consistent rhythm.Broken lines and visible curvature.
Chapter 008

Executive Documentation

Anything that cannot be seen after completion must be verified before it is covered.

A construction log recording dates, conditions, and key operations.
Concealed-works records signed before subsequent layers are applied.
Photographs of stages, junctions, and areas that will later be concealed.
Declarations of performance and conformity for the materials used.
System specifications and manufacturer instructions.
Chapter 009

Hidden Works

Concealed work becomes reliable only when it is inspected before it disappears from view.

Substrate preparation and confirmation of adhesion.
Bonding and mechanical fixing of insulation.
Water- and wind-protection layers, substructure, and rainscreen junctions.
Reinforcing mesh, overlaps, and diagonal reinforcement at openings.
Plinth, window, roof, parapet, and penetration details.
Chapter 010

Material Evidence

Every material must have a traceable origin, defined purpose, and confirmed system compatibility.

The handover package must make it possible to identify which products were used, which system they belong to, and which characteristics were declared by the manufacturer. For critical materials, markings, batch numbers, or other available identification are recorded.

Chapter 011

Defect Record

A defect is recorded so that it can be located, verified, and closed out.

01

Locate

Facade, gridline, storey, room, or area coordinate.

02

Describe

Type of deviation, size, method, and observation conditions.

03

Evidence

Photograph, measurement, reference to a project requirement, or system document.

04

Close

Correction method, responsible person, deadline, and reinspection.

Chapter 012

Acceptance Decision

A signature means the result has been verified, not merely viewed.

If a visible defect can be distinguished from the specified viewing distance, or an instrumental measurement exceeds the agreed requirement, the issue is recorded before the final acceptance document is signed. Acceptance may be full, conditional with a correction list, or deferred until significant deviations are resolved.

Editorial and contractual status

This edition is an internal House of RAMERK standard. The final criteria for each project must be aligned with the project documentation, contract, manufacturer’s system, applicable regulations, and supervision requirements.

Chapter 013

House Promise

We measure. We document. We show. We do not ask the client to trust what we are unwilling to prove.

RFP-001 exists neither to appropriate other parties’ standards nor to find grounds for refusing acceptance. It exists so that applicable requirements are understood in advance, inspections are repeatable, and care for the client’s request is given a technical form.

RFP-001

Facade Quality Procedure · RAMERK Quality System · Editorial Review