National Drafting 5 Reasons to Get As-Built Drawings

National Drafting provides as-built drawing services to clients on a variety of builds including government, residential, commercial and industrial projects. As-built drawings cover modifications throughout the construction stage of the process as well as additional changes requested by the build team due to unforeseen problems or complications. It presents the design and tests for project feasibility. They do this by providing an as-built drawing to the client. Generally, as-built drawings show the main layout of the building. Key features included in the drawings are placement of walls, doors, windows and stairs. National Drafting recommends customers to as-built drawings and here are five reasons why.

Better Building Maintenance

Having a clear idea of the building layout is crucial in facility management. The owner of the property must know every location of the system in their building. This will save time and money by knowing the system locations. The as-built drawings have to provide the maintenance of the structure and the layout of the property. This gives the locations of the plumbing, wiring and fixings. It also supplies the floorplan and the elevations of the building. This illustrates how the maintenance team can navigate the areas that need repairs. If certain areas of the building need parts for replacement, the as-built drawings specify what materials to use. This provides the specific dimension of the building parts. Following the layout ensures the repairs don’t change the original design.

Helps The Construction Team

There have been over 1.16 million construction labourers in Australia since 2021. Other areas of work can also include working with other equipment to build the structure of a building. Having an as-built drawing allows project managers to assign certain tasks to construction workers. 

It allows everyone on the team to know what areas they're working on during construction. The layout and plan of what each worker is doing can improve the operation and help the team to craft the final design. 

Changes to the final design should also be in the as-built drawing. This includes the changes in materials used in the building. These changes can include the sizes, types and location. The as-built drawing will record all the changes in the locations of openings. It includes the doors, windows, plumbing and fixtures. These changes happen after or in response to inspections done by the architect. 

The final as-built drawing will include unanticipated obstacles in construction. It presents how the construction team overcomes it and provides the team with the final design with the exact building dimensions.

Demolition and Future Renovations

Thinking of renovating your property? As-built drawings will have the exact measurements. They can compare the proposal design with the current design. This particular step sets and focuses on the appropriate budget for the project. 

The as-built drawing provides information on the building materials which will allow future contractors to use appropriate materials during the construction. As-built drawings also allow contractors to locate the alarm system inside the property. This is to also test that the fire and smoke alarms are working as well as ticking it off as a safety concern. 

Owners of the building can get an accurate representation of the final project by using an as-built drawing. If an owner decides to do renovations, they will have the building specifications. They will also need this for future building repairs and maintenance.

Record Construction Process

Contractors always make changes to the original plan during construction. The project manager or architect can then incorporate these changes into the final design which shows the professional workers collaborating when designing the final project before construction. 

As-built drawings are possible thanks to the knowledge of contractors, architects and engineers. These three main workers know how different building systems work and connect. 

The as-built drawings allow contractors to track the process of construction. It shows them the idea on particular areas to work or focus more on. However, having an as-built drawing can also provide construction issues. 

Contractors can use as built drawings to visualise the next step of the construction. It can also help them set provided dates for the following days of constructing. The project managers can also make proper adjustments on material purchasing dates. Accurate as built drawings provide property owners estimates on the time of project completion. This information comes very useful during the sales process. It gives potential buyers the exact date of completion upon sale. 

Future buyers can access the records of all installations during construction. It gives them an idea of what they can add to the building upon buying it.

Improves Onboarding Process

Throughout the construction process, the as-built drawings help other workers adjust faster. They can review the design and understand what other areas of the site need more work. They can detect and address potential issues as soon as changes happen. 

Onboarding is the process of introducing new workers to the construction project. Here, they get all the information they need to know about the building. An as-built drawing is helpful, especially to some workers like subcontractors. Subcontractors are when the primary contractor is assigned to another construction site and they fill in the spot. This happens when the contractor is lacking the resources for a certain task. 

This will include air conditioning, plumbing or wiring service. The subcontractors should know the location of the systems that run the building. This step can avoid accidents like cutting electric wires and alarms. Providing as built drawings can help them finish the task with more efficiency.

Contact National Drafting for More Information About As-built Drawings

National Drafting offers as-built drawing services that cater to the requirements of our clients in residential, offices, leisure, education, healthcare, commercial and government sectors. Our team is passionate about the work we do, and you can always expect dedication, punctuality, and complete professionalism when you come to us. Contact us today.