Yes, we offer a window frame schedules service, and that is the straight answer to the question most clients ask before reading any further. We provide it as part of our outsourced drafting for architectural practices, contractors and manufacturers who lack the in-house drafting capacity for this kind of detailed schedule.
A window frame schedule demands accuracy, because a wrong dimension or type feeds straight through to the order and the work on site. Our drafting team consists of people with more than ten years of CAD experience, led by Sam, our team leader, who has a background of more than fifteen years in architecture.
We work in Revit, AutoCAD or Rhino, using the latest versions of these packages, and deliver in the format you need. The work passes through at least three review layers before it leaves our office, which considerably reduces the risk of errors in a window frame schedule. That gives you a schedule you can put to use straight away.
Cable tray routing in the model, built with parametric families that carry the material schedule with them.
Who Uses a Window Frame Schedules Service
A window frame schedules service is mainly relevant to architectural practices, contractors and manufacturers, and more broadly to companies with technical drafting work in which window frames are a recurring element. The people at the table are usually managers, team leaders or owners who can see that their own drawing office can no longer keep up. At an architectural practice, the problem often lies in planning: an ongoing design has to move forward while a detailed window frame schedule is needed for the construction phase at the same time. For a contractor, the issue is more likely that an existing schedule no longer matches the current situation on site, for example after a change during construction that nobody has processed yet.
Window frame manufacturers face something else again: a range with many variants in size and finish, each requiring a similar schedule. The trigger is almost always the same: too little time, too few drafters, or a peak the in-house team cannot handle without letting other work slide. For this kind of work, precision counts for more than speed alone, because an error in a window frame schedule only becomes visible on site, when it is already costly to fix.
Our drafting team is set up for this, with drafters who have more than ten years of CAD experience and are used to working to your standard and drawing conventions. Barry, our project manager, is usually the first point of contact for a new enquiry, after which Sam takes over the technical side. That way, whatever type of company you are, you know you have one fixed point of contact with us throughout the project.
Quality Control in Our Window Frame Schedules Service
The work passes through at least three review layers before we deliver a window frame schedule. A drafter draws up the schedule, after which a second team member checks the work for dimensions and completeness. Sam then reviews it again as team leader, and Barry carries out the final check before the schedule goes to you. With a window frame schedule this is particularly relevant, because it is an overview with many separate lines, each with its own size, type and quantity, in which a single slip can easily hide.
This sequence keeps the number of errors to a minimum in practice, even in an extensive schedule with many variants. An example from our own work shows why this works: an as-built file that had partly been drawn by hand and was hard to read, which we sorted out ourselves rather than repeatedly bothering the client, and still delivered neatly. We take the same approach to a window frame schedule based on existing, possibly outdated drawings. We follow your standard and drawing conventions, so the layout of the schedule matches what happens to it further down the process, for example when placing an order with a supplier.
Because we deliver in stages, you can check along the way whether the layout is right, instead of only discovering a discrepancy in the final result. That check applies to every line in the schedule, not just the special cases. That keeps the chance small that an error only comes to light on site.
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.
What a Window Frame Schedules Service Costs
We structure the cost of a window frame schedules service in two ways, by the hour or per project at a fixed price, and we decide together with you which form suits best. With hourly work, we only bill net working hours. If a drafter steps away for five minutes for a coffee, that time is deducted, so we never bill hours that were not spent directly on the window frame schedule. With a fixed project price, the amount is set in advance, regardless of small fluctuations during the work, which often works out better for a client with a tight budget. What keeps costs down above all is structure in what you supply. If you provide a clear set of existing drawings and a clear standard, less time goes into sorting out ambiguities.
Where there is a lot of repetition in frame types, we also build parametric Revit families, setting up a frame type once and then using it in other sizes without redrawing it. We do not work with prepaid hour bundles or a monthly hours subscription, and you pay no ongoing payroll costs. If a team member drops out due to illness or holidays, we replace that person, so the work continues without you paying extra for it. A short first assignment is possible, so you can assess our speed and accuracy before we agree on a larger project. We discuss which pricing structure suits best in the first conversation, based on the documents you supply and the layout you want for the schedule.
How We Differ From a Freelancer or New Employee
Bringing in a freelancer for a window frame schedule often means you depend on one person, with no backup in case of illness or other commitments. Taking on a new permanent employee takes time to recruit and train, while payroll costs keep running regardless of how much work there is at that moment. With us, the team is already in place, with drafters who have more than ten years of CAD experience, so we can start quickly as soon as you have supplied enough information.
During a peak, we immediately add extra capacity from our large, flexible team, something a single freelancer or a single new employee cannot offer.
If someone drops out, we replace that person, so the project keeps running without you having to arrange anything extra. There is also always one fixed point of contact, Barry for the initial enquiry and then Sam for the technical side, whereas with a freelancer the point of contact and the backup are the same person. The intellectual property of the delivered window frame schedule belongs to you, as with other forms of collaboration. If you are undecided between these options, the best thing to look at is the size and repetitive nature of the work.
For a one-off, small job, solving it in-house or using a freelancer is sometimes enough, but with repetition and volume it is a different story. A small first assignment is a low-threshold way to experience the difference in practice. That gives you a picture of how working with us goes, without taking a big risk.
Frequently asked questions about our window frame schedules service
Let us handle your window frame schedules
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.