Advantages of Shop Drawings

Advantages of ordering Shop Drawings

… even when the General Contractor says they are not required.

Clarify design and ease installation process

Contract drawings that show ductwork in single-line form often suggest insufficient planning, which can lead to design issues and coordination challenges due to limited space. Shop drawings provide the detailed research needed to resolve these concerns.
Turn the engineer’s vague, conceptual, diagrammatic drawing into a practical and useful one for your crew, providing up to 10 times the useful information. This facilitates pre-fabrication, ensuring a smooth and efficient installation in the field.
Ensure your plan view drawing is consistent with risers, flow diagrams and other drawing details. This helps avoid discrepancies between plan drawings and riser sizes.

Identify problems early

Take the mystery out of whether the job can be installed correctly within the building’s parameters. We often find that the design doesn’t accommodate actual installation requirements.
Identify missing duct and pipe sizes early, preventing unnecessary delays and rework.
Identify potential coordination issues early with preliminary drawings. To better facilitate RFIs, we can also provide a 3D model of the issue, helping to visualize and clarify complex coordination areas.
Provide a sleeve drawing, which can also point out fit-related problems ahead of the pour schedule. For example, issues like ductwork risers not accommodating sub ducts, resulting in a total blockage of air flow. Risers usually need to be enlarged, which can affect the size of the duct sleeves. Identifying these in advance allows adjustments before they become costly on-site issues.

Improve project planning and efficiency in the field

Send RFIs (Request for Information) to the architect and engineer well in advance, minimizing surprises on-site and avoiding last-minute issues.
Give yourself a better chance to meet deadlines by resolving problems before the work begins.
Shop drawings allow for accurate and detailed representation of mechanical equipment size, configuration and required access, helping to ensure they fit properly within the room.

Save costs and meet budget requirement

Shop drawings are crucial for bid projects coming in “under budget.” When owners lower your price, shop drawings help cut labor costs and avoid expensive changes on-site. By identifying and fixing issues on paper before installation, you save much more than making corrections in the field. This approach leads to substantial cost savings.
With today’s tighter building schedules, the ability to pre-fabricate using detailed shop drawings helps meet deadlines in a shorter window.

End with a strong impression on the owner and GC

As-builts are often required by contract. This is typically the last thing an owner sees from you—make a lasting, professional impression with accurate and professional as-built.
What’s better? Once the project is completed and fully paid for, our as-built drawings are provided at no additional charge upon completion!