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As Built

As-built drawings are revised construction plans submitted by contractors upon completion of a project. They reflect all changes made during construction and show how the project was actually built, including modifications, adjustments, and alterations from the original design. Keeping detailed records of changes during construction allows accurate as-built drawings to be created, which are important for future renovations, system changes, and emergency operations and maintenance, helping avoid extra costs that could be incurred without this documentation of what is behind walls or underground.

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Edmund Ray Pega
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20 views2 pages

As Built

As-built drawings are revised construction plans submitted by contractors upon completion of a project. They reflect all changes made during construction and show how the project was actually built, including modifications, adjustments, and alterations from the original design. Keeping detailed records of changes during construction allows accurate as-built drawings to be created, which are important for future renovations, system changes, and emergency operations and maintenance, helping avoid extra costs that could be incurred without this documentation of what is behind walls or underground.

Uploaded by

Edmund Ray Pega
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What are as-built drawings?

“As-built drawings are revised sets of drawings submitted by a contractor


upon the completion of a particular job. They reflect all the changes made
during the construction process.”

As-built drawings are a very important component of a construction project.


They serve as copies or recreations of how the project is constructed, and
pinpoint all changes made as it is being built.

Construction projects, regardless of their size, go through multiple


modifications, adjustments, and changes before their completion. It doesn’t
matter how minor the alterations are, as-built drawings envision the
modifications being made and help anticipate and forecast its effect to the
final building result.

The major purpose of an as-built drawing is to record any modification


made during the building process that deviates from the original design.

The drawings that are first completed for a planned construction project are
not the ones that are needed once the project is finished.  Instead, the
contractor needs to submit the as-built drawings. Those drawings are the
revised version, which includes every change that was made in the
specifications, the exact dimensions, the location of all the elements, and
any extra work. As-built drawings are also referred to as record drawings.

The as-built drawings are normally completed by the architect or designer


of the building because they are familiar with the original specifications and
can record the changes properly. Of course, the contractor and
subcontractors can also add to the changes, as they are familiar with the
project and the alterations that are needed in the course of the entire
construction process.

Keeping a detailed track of all the notes and documents generated during
the building process should be a priority as it can contribute to the creation
of the as-built drawings. Without these notes, it is possible for certain items
to be missed, which can be detrimental in the future.

Recording as-built drawings

Nothing is too little to be noted on as-built drawings, but the items that we
prefer to put on them include the following:

 Clear descriptions instead of vague phrases.


 All changes in materials used, locations, sizing, and more.
 We try not to change the scale of the drawings, but if it is necessary,
we note those changes accordingly.
 Location of all utilities including depth and the materials of each.
 All unexpected obstructions and the solutions used.
 All the dates when the changes were made.
 All changes that were made after the final inspection.
 We never omit original values. Instead, we cross them out and simply
add the new information
 We also include all shop drawings and appendices for future use

It is recommended to have as much information as possible on as-built


drawings. Leaving one small detail out, it could eventually make the
difference between a successful renovation and a bad one. Plus, by
including everything, owners can always go back and effortlessly retrieve
this data.

Once the drawings have been completed, they can be used as a basis for
future additions or system changes. Any renovations will be easier to
complete with these drawings, as all the information will be accurate, up-to-
date, and shared with everyone in the project. The Operations and
Maintenance staff can also utilise the as-built drawings to know where shut
off valves are located or where other items are in case of an emergency.

It can be frustrating for current and new owners, as well as contractors, to


do work on a building that has no as-built drawings, because they don’t
know the intricacies that they might encounter. Imagine attempting to
renovate a room, update the heating or cooling system, or create an
addition without knowing where the utilities are or what issues might be
lurking behind the walls.

No as-built drawings may mean that new owners, or even existing owners,
need to pay more for the work that they need to have completed. They may
have avoided that extra cost, or been more prepared for it if they had the
drawings that showed what they were about to face.

Of course, as-built drawings are only as good as the information included in


them. That being said, they should always be kept up to date. Each time a
new task is completed, the owner should update them in detail. Otherwise,
they will soon end up being useless or even a threat to the success of the
project.

It will cost money to have the as-built drawings updated with every change,
but the owners will find that they are saving more money from having them
updated than they would if they weren’t.

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