If you’re reading this blog Between the Lines, then you probably work in the AEC industry. And because of the industry you work in, you’ve probably heard the terms “as-built drawings” and “shop drawings”.
Do you think you could you explain the difference between these drawings, if someone asked you? If you’re not sure you could, don’t worry because you’ll be able to do so in about one minute!
The Drawing Types
On construction projects as-built drawings are drawings that reflect the as-constructed conditions of a project. The drawings are created by marking on the contract drawings any field built deviations from the contract documents. Think of these drawings as a record of the final constructed product.
Shop drawings on the other hand are drawings in addition to the contract drawings. They typically show more construction details than are shown on the contract drawings. Think of shop drawings as the step by step “assembly manual”, whereas the contract drawings as merely the “picture on the box”.
Conclusion
So, you can now see that these two types of drawings are completely different. And in the process of discussing these terms, we’ve even determined how they differ from “contract drawings”! Therefore, let’s summarize all three terms.
In short, contract drawings depict the proposed construction, shop drawings provide additional details for construction, and as-built drawings are a record of the final construction including changes.
That’s it in a nutshell!
This is a guest post by:
Brian M. Curran www.draftingservices.com
Follow Brian on Twitter @brianmcurran and Google+ Thank you Brian!
If you would like to share your knowledge of design or Autodesk products please email me with a proposed posting.
Cheers,
Shaan
@ShaanHurley on Twitter
Generally speaking, the term ‘as-built’ is discouraged. We use the phrasing ‘Record Drawings’ for anything that is an ammended post-construction contract drawing. The contractor can submit as-builts to the Engineer of Record, but the AEC professional is better off using “Record Drawing” afor his drawings, and labeling them “Revised for the Record” instead of ‘as-built’. It’s a question of liability/responsibility – the AEC people working in the office were not on the job site 24×7, and can only record what they’ve been told. The contractor on the other hand, was on the site, and should have the responsibility for maintaining a record of any field modifications or variations from the contract drawings.
Hi JG!
Thanks for your comment! Actually, the scenario determines if the term “as-built” is proper or not. Yes, some professionals are discouraged from using the term, but others are not.
Proper use of the term is a whole different subject, which I didn’t touch on in this post. Maybe I’ll do that in the future, here or on my own site.
Have a super day!
Brian
What is the difference between shop Drawings and Execution Drawings?
Personally execution drawings might be another word for field or construction drawings. I have not heard that term before.
Regards,
Shaan