24 Chapter 2
Sometimes the printing may be difficult to read or important information may be missing from the
drawings. Occasionally entire pages may be missing, or the contractor may have received only a set of
plans or specifications. If the prints are incomplete or of poor quality, the consultant should be immedi-
ately notified and asked to address the problem.
Working drawings serve many functions:
- They are the means for receiving a building permit. Before construction begins, the local building
authority has to review the working drawings to ensure that they meet required building codes. A
building permit will be issued after approval of the drawings. - They are used for competitive bidding. They allow contractors to study the documents and make
bids based on their review of the drawings and other documents, thus providing the owner with the
most economical cost for construction. - They provide instructions for construction. Working drawings should contain all the necessary in-
formation to build the structure. - They are used for material take-offs. Labor, material, and other estimates are made from working
drawings prior to commencement of construction. - They provide a permanent record for future use (such as remodeling and dispute resolution).
- They can be used as a basis for leasing purposes.
- After the project is awarded, the drawings form the basis of the contract between the contractor,
subcontractor, and client.
The pages in a set of blueprints are usually carefully lettered and numbered. The letters shown here
are the ones most commonly used in the industry:
- A: Architectural pages
- S: Structural pages
- P: Plumbing pages
- M: Mechanical pages
- E: Electrical pages
Thus if a set of blueprints consist of 30 pages, it may be numbered as follows: A1 through A8 (eight
architectural pages); S1 through S10 (10 structural pages); P1 through P3 (three plumbing pages);M1
through M4 (four mechanical pages); E1 through E5 (five electrical pages).
Shop and Assembly Drawings.
Shop and assembly drawings are technical drawings prepared by various contractors, subcontractors,
and suppliers participating in the construction process to show how their product is to be made. Since
many products contain more than one component, shop and assembly drawings (also called fabrication
drawings) identify each component and show how they all fit together. These drawings should contain
all the necessary information on the size, shape, material, and provisions for connections and attach-
ments for each member, including details, schedules, diagrams, and other related data to illustrate a ma-
terial, product, or system for some portion of the work prepared by the construction contractor, subcon-
tractor, manufacturer, distributor, or supplier. Product data includes items such as brochures,
illustrations, performance charts, and other information by which the work can be evaluated. The infor-