As-Built Drawings Service

Architecture firms

Three projects under way, and the modelling for the fourth is stalling.

Manufacturers

The product line needs to become smart components, but nobody in-house can be freed up.

Contractors

The as-built dossier needs updating while the drawing office has already moved on to the next job.

Engineering firms

A peak in drafting work that your own team cannot absorb.

Your fixed points of contact

Project manager Barry leads the first conversation, team leader Sam keeps a firm grip on the technical side

Get acquainted Send your documents

Step 1

Drafter

Creates the model and the drawings.

Step 2

Second team member

Checks the work for structure and dimensions.

Step 3

Sam

Team leader: reviews the technical side of the set.

Final check

Barry

Project manager: gives it a final review before delivery.

An as-built drawing records the actual situation as built, rather than the situation as someone originally designed it. What was built often differs from the original design, because of changes during construction or because a fully digital design never existed. At Firefly, for example, it concerned as-built material whose drawings had been printed incorrectly and partly drawn by hand. We worked that out ourselves at the time instead of constantly calling the client, and still delivered it neatly.

A file like that then forms the basis for maintenance, revisions or a next project at the same location. Without a correct as-built drawing, that basis remains unreliable. That invites errors later on. A first conversation makes clear how much work a specific file involves.

That happens more often than you might expect, especially with older files that have been updated by different people over the years. We first work out which information is usable. At Firefly it concerned exactly this kind of material: incorrectly printed and partly hand-drawn documents that were hard to read. Instead of consulting the client about every uncertainty, we worked it out independently and built it up properly.

A project like that takes more thinking on our side than a normal revision. The result is a digital file that matches your standard. For a comparable file, this is exactly the kind of work we are set up for. A conversation about the state of the documents quickly gives clarity.

We deliver the work in stages, not all at once at the end of the project. After each stage, you respond or have something changed before we pick up the next part. That prevents a wrong assumption from coming to light too late. Our rhythm differs per client: on one project we talk every two days, on another weekly contact is enough.

Files usually go back and forth by email, and on larger projects we work in software with login access. Alongside this feedback round, the work goes through our own review layers, from the drafter to Sam, our team leader, and on to Barry, our project manager. That way we look at a drawing several times before you ever see it. That combination keeps surprises to a minimum.

We usually deliver as-built drawings in AutoCAD or Revit, depending on what you use yourself. Rhino comes in when a situation is better captured in 3D. We always work with the latest versions, so a file fits your environment without any hassle. Our file formats are DXF, DWG, Revit formats and STEP, and we handle almost every common CAD format without problems. Everything runs in our own environment, on our own licences. Where repeating components occur, we use parametric Revit families so we do not have to redraw them. With a set-up like that, the material schedule also updates automatically as soon as a component changes. A conversation beforehand maps out which format suits you best.

That depends entirely on the size of the file and the speed you need. Our large, flexible team scales with each project, from one drafter on a small assignment to as many drafters as needed when we process a larger file in a shorter time. Our team is already in place, so scaling up does not mean we first have to recruit and train. When it is urgent, we add extra people to a running project straight away.

At Firefly we have already applied this way of working on more than twenty projects, resulting in hundreds of drawings. If someone is temporarily unavailable due to illness or holiday, we replace that person. Once the peak is over, we scale back down again. A conversation beforehand gives an indication of the staffing required.

We charge by the hour or per project at a fixed price, and we decide together which option suits best. If we work by the hour, we only bill productive working hours, without counting breaks. With a fixed project price, the amount is set in advance, which gives clarity once the scope is clear. What mainly keeps costs down is how complete the information supplied is: the less investigating we have to do, the more focused our drafting.

We do not use prepaid blocks of hours or monthly hours subscriptions. You pay no ongoing payroll costs. A short, clearly defined first assignment is possible, so you can first judge how we work. A concrete price only follows after a conversation about the size of the file.

We respond to a new request within 1 to 2 working days, followed by a conversation. As soon as we have enough information about the file, we start the drafting. How quickly that happens depends on how much investigating we need to do before we actually draw. When a deadline cannot move, we put extra people on the project straight away. Contact runs by phone or through the contact form on the website, after which Barry usually responds first. Sam then takes over the technical side, with one fixed point of contact. If you prefer, we start with a small, clearly defined part of the file. A first conversation usually gives a quick indication of the lead time.

Yes, we work to your standards and drawing conventions, which we request in advance. That covers the layer structure, the file organisation and the way we build up a file, among other things. Without that alignment, a technically correct drawing still would not fit into your own archive, and this is how we prevent that. We work in our own environment with our own licences, but deliver in the format you are used to.

With existing families or templates, we assess whether we can reuse them or whether rebuilding would be faster. If an existing set is very messy, rebuilding is sometimes wiser than repairing. We always make that choice in consultation with you. A conversation about the existing standard is part of the start of every project.