Don’t let this happen to you

The importance of shop drawings

Timing is crucial when it comes to shop and coordination drawings. Waiting until the last minute to request these essential documents can lead to a cascade of avoidable issues, including costly delays, design errors, and unexpected complications on site.

By securing your shop drawings well in advance, you ensure that potential conflicts are addressed early, giving your team ample time to make necessary adjustments. Proactively planning and ordering these drawings early leads to smoother project coordination, fewer field adjustments, reduced material costs and minimized delays.

Below are some real-life examples that highlight the consequences of waiting too long to order these critical drawings.

“Above the law.”Law firm office building

Challenge: The required ductwork did not fit in the building space allowed. Unfortunately, shop drawings were not ordered until after the building was erected. The ceiling needed to be lowered, but the floor-to-ceiling windows and eight-foot doors had already been purchased.

Recourse: The solution was to use soffits. The ceilings were lowered everywhere except for around the doors and windows where they used soffits.

Unfortunate Outcome: The final look was messy, at best, and did not meet the original vision of an impressive law firm that the owner and architect had in mind.

Lesson learned:

Make sure your ducts fit before you build the building
Order coordination drawings early – before the doors and windows are ordered.

“Mansion without a view.”$25 million ocean-side mansion

Challenge: The design had too much horizontal drainpipe in the ceiling and did not allow adequate space for the pipe to slope.

Recourse: Soffits were added to allow proper drainage, but they covered up part of the tall architectural windows. Also, unsightly access doors were added for cleanouts.

Unfortunate Outcome: The mansion does not have the “incredible” view that the architect and owner were dreaming of, because it is blocked by unattractive soffit.

Lesson learned:

Order coordination drawings early. If drawings were done before the home was built, the pipe could have easily been re-routed to underground.

“Parking lot full.”College parking lot

Challenge: The engineering drawings did not account for the slope requirement for Sanitary and Storm Drainage. If they had, these drawings would have pointed out early on that the slope of these pipes would force the pipe down so low that it would interfere with the clearance necessary for car parking.

Recourse: Parking was prevented in the spots that were hindered by sloping pipe.

Unfortunate Outcome: The college lost nearly a dozen parking spaces in their new garage.

Lesson learned:

Make sure your drainpipe has adequate room to slope so the pipe actually drains!
Consider running pipe underground.
Had drawings been done before the structure was built, the pipes could have been moved underground.

“Low overhead.”College classroom building

Challenge #1: The architect didn’t allow for adequate space for the HVAC equipment, ductwork and piping in the basement.

Recourse #1: The architect had to modify the basement, which was supposed to be used for offices, into an unusable crawl space.

Challenge #2: There was no coordination between trusses and ductwork on the other floors. The prefabricated truss openings for the ducts were in the wrong locations.

Recourse #2: The contractor reportedly used hydraulic jacks to separate the trusses to fit the duct.

Unfortunate Outcome: This college building lost the use of an entire floor.

Lesson learned:

Make sure there is adequate space for your equipment before you construct the building.
Double check to make sure that your trusses are coordinated with your necessary ductwork.
Don’t wait too long to order shop drawings.

Conclusion

Your goal is to achieve the owner and architect’s vision. However, this can be difficult when soffits block the desired view, or the owner has to abandon an entire floor.

Don’t wait for these problems to happen. All of these problems could have been corrected, with shop drawings that identify issues ahead of time. You’ve heard the saying, measure twice cut once. Remember the old saying: measure twice, cut once. The same principle applies—plan it on paper first, then build it in the field.

Resolve issues BEFORE you send your costly crew and materials to the job.

Avoid these mistakes and ensure your next project runs smoothly: request a quote today!

Get in touch!

The importance of shop drawings

“Above the law.”Law firm office building

“Mansion without a view.”$25 million ocean-side mansion

“Parking lot full.”College parking lot

“Low overhead.”College classroom building

Conclusion

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