Sample entry: Harbor Street Stormwater Retrofit
This is a made-up project written to show how a draft is structured. Every name, place and number below is invented. A real draft uses only the facts you give us and flags anything it cannot support.
Executive summary (about 150 words)
The Harbor Street Stormwater Retrofit replaced a failing 1960s storm system in a flood-prone commercial corridor while keeping all 41 businesses open. The owner asked for three things: end the repeated street flooding, avoid a full road closure, and finish before the spring tourist season. The design team combined a 1,200-foot trunk-line replacement with two underground detention vaults sized to a 25-year storm, and phased the work in four segments so at least one lane stayed open throughout. The project finished six weeks ahead of schedule and $410,000 under the construction budget. In the first storm after completion, a 3.1-inch rainfall event, the corridor drained within 40 minutes. Previously, comparable storms kept water on the street for more than three hours.
The challenge
Water table at four feet. Utilities of unknown location under the roadway. A business association that had already lost two seasons of sales to construction on a neighboring street. The sample shows how a draft states each constraint, then ties it to what the team did about it.
The solution
- Phasing. Four segments, each under 300 feet, with a lane open at all times.
- Detention. Two vaults sized to the 25-year design storm to cut peak flow to the existing outfall.
- Utility conflicts. Potholing ahead of each segment resolved 14 conflicts before excavation.
Results, each with its source
| Claim | Source the firm supplies |
|---|---|
| Finished 6 weeks early | Substantial completion letter vs. contract date |
| $410,000 under budget | Final pay application vs. original contract |
| Drained in 40 minutes after 3.1 in. storm | Owner's gauge log and site observation, dated |
Client quote
"[Quote from the owner, with name and title, approved for use.]" We ask for this in the intake form. The owner writes and signs any letter on their own letterhead.