A client asking how much detail drawings cost usually has a specific package on the table, for example a series of connection details belonging to a live project. We take over that package in its entirety, from working up existing sketches to the final sheets.
The price follows from the number of details, how closely they resemble one another and the quality of what you supply. We charge by the hour or at a fixed project price, depending on how sharply the package is defined.
On this page we describe which work we take over for detail drawings and how the collaboration runs. We also set out how we handle ownership and confidentiality, because that question often comes up early with details. We draft and model and do not do engineering, so calculations stay with you. The work is done remotely from our own office, using our own licences. Our clients are based in the Netherlands.
Cable tray routing in the model, built with parametric families that carry the material schedule with them.
What we deliver with detail drawings
A package of detail drawings almost always starts with material that already exists. That might be a hand sketch, an old detail sheet, a photo of an existing connection or a principle from an earlier series. We work that up into complete detail sheets with dimensions, material labels, hatching and references to the corresponding floor plan or section. Most of that work is done in 2D, and where the model calls for it we model the detail in 3D. Revisions are included as standard, because details change more often during a project than floor plans do.
With as-built work we also redraw the details, because what is built on site rarely matches the design one to one. We draft in Revit, AutoCAD and Rhino and use Inventor or Grasshopper where that helps. We deliver in DXF, DWG, Revit formats or STEP, and in practice in any common CAD format. For Revit details we build parametric families wherever possible, so a detail adapts to a different size without redrawing. The material schedule then follows along, which saves recounting at the purchasing stage.
What we do not deliver is just as important to mention. Calculations, structural advice and permit documents fall outside our work, because we draft and model. The substantive choices in a detail come from you or from your consultant. We put those choices on paper correctly and flag it when a supplied principle is internally inconsistent. That demarcation keeps the estimate clean and prevents arguments afterwards about who was responsible for what. We would also rather discuss that up front than halfway through.
Communication during a detail drawings project
Detail drawings raise more questions than other drafting work, simply because each sheet involves more choices. That is why we set up communication sharply from the start. Barry, our project manager, is the first point of contact for a new enquiry and remains available throughout the project. Sam, our team leader, takes on the technical side, directs the drafters and decides what needs to go back to you on substance. That way there is one fixed point of contact and nobody gets lost in a string of separate emails. We set the rhythm together with your project lead.
If the project is tight, we speak every two days. If there is more breathing room, a weekly meeting in which we go through a block of details is enough. We bundle questions that come up in between as much as possible instead of calling each time. That saves you internal time, and that time counts just as much as our hours. For larger projects, such as greenhouse construction projects, we use software that you can log in to and follow the project. For standalone AutoCAD work, files simply go back and forth by email.
We come to you when a project calls for it, and you are welcome to visit us. The work itself remains remote, because our team works from our own office. For a client with poorly legible and partly hand-drawn material, we deliberately worked out for ourselves what was there. Only when a real decision had to be made did we get in touch. That balance between doing things ourselves and consulting keeps a detail project affordable.
No ongoing payroll costs and no idle staff once the peak is over. If one of our people is off sick or on holiday, we replace them and the work simply carries on.
Ownership and confidentiality of your detail drawings
Details often contain the knowledge that sets a company apart, so the question of ownership rightly comes up early. We draft, and the intellectual property of that work belongs to you. We retain no rights to the sheets, families or templates we create. You receive the source files and can continue working with them without us. That matters more with detail drawings than with other work, because a detail library stays in use for years. So far we have not signed a non-disclosure agreement, simply because clients have not asked for one. We are, however, open to an NDA and will sign one without fuss whenever a client asks. Material stays within our team and goes no further than the people drafting on the project. We work in our own environment with our own licences, not in the client's system.
That keeps licences and versions on our side, so you do not have to free anything up. Files go back and forth by email, or through the project environment on a larger project. We agree at the start who may view which files. We see that as a matter of decency, not legal frills. On the cost side, none of this makes much difference, because an NDA or an agreement on ownership costs no extra hours. What does count is clarity up front about what you intend to do with the detail drawings. If the details are later going back into your own library, we build them straight away so that reuse stays easy.
From first conversation to delivery of the detail drawings
A detail drawings project starts with a conversation in which we go through the package. We respond to new enquiries within 1 to 2 working days. In that conversation we want to know how many details are involved, which of them resemble one another and where the deadline lies. We then request the documents: existing drawings, sketches and your company's drawing conventions.
As soon as that information is complete enough, we can start. We deliberately begin with a few representative details rather than the entire series. We deliver those first sheets, after which you review them and give feedback. We process that feedback, and only then does the rest of the series go through the mill.
That way a wrong assumption stays limited to a few sheets rather than an entire library. For that first round, a short assignment often provides enough to go on. It lets you assess our speed and accuracy before the rest follows. Every sheet passes through at least three review layers before delivery. A drafter draws it, a second team member checks it, Sam reviews it and Barry signs it off. As a result, errors stay minimal in practice, even with a series of hundreds of details.
If the volume rises, we deploy as many drafters from our large, flexible team as the project requires. In case of illness or holidays we replace someone, so the detail work never grinds to a halt. If you want to know what a specific package of detail drawings costs, give us a call or fill in the contact form. We will go through the material and come back with a well-founded estimate.
Frequently asked questions about how much detail drawings cost
Let us handle your detail drawings
Send us your documents and drawing conventions and we will let you know within one to two working days what we can take on and when.