Now that we have signed the contract, please submit your shop drawings for review. This is a standard, simplistic request, which means something different to everyone who says it or listens to it.

 

In theory, a “shop drawing” would be that which is necessary for the folks on the shop floor to actually fabricate the product. We will call that “level one.” A level one drawing has many dimensions, so that somewhere in the set of drawings each piece will ultimately have all three dimensions listed, as well as material and any special instructions, such as notches, profiles or edgebanding. In some shops, this sort of drawing will then be turned over to the folks on the shop floor, and they will do all their own material takeoffs, cultists, optimizing, cutting and assembly. The completed product will be on the dock, ready to be delivered with no additional interaction with the designer/engineer/front office. This information can also be as easily created by a spreadsheet with the information and a rough sketch. Order entry programs create cabinetry without any actual drawings at all. In reality, when someone asks for a “shop drawing,” they are looking for a picture of what they can expect to receive and all the details pertaining to the job. In addition to a visual representation of the concept, it is frequently used to clarify details.

 

Sometimes what the architect feels they would like, vs. what they actually drew, vs. what the client actually thought they were going to get, vs. what the person on the shop floor thought they were actually supposed to make, can be quite different. Shop drawings, once reviewed and corrected by all parties, usually get everyone on the same page prior to fabrication. In addition to all this preliminary work, when the job is over and something goes awry, the shop drawings are referred to, to see if a detail was actually included or specifically omitted, a dimension was verified or “held to” by the general contractor or the material was actually approved. While sometimes it may appear to not be a sign of good faith, it is important to have all shop drawings approved, dated and each page initialed by the person in charge of making the final decisions.

 

It is important to remember who your audience is. Who are you actually drawing for? These signed legal documents are different for a commercial job as compared to a family member or friend. Frequently it is best to provide a “concept drawing” in addition to any other specific drawings. What is a concept drawing? Most members have some sort of software program, or hand sketching abilities, which allow them to create a three-dimensional drawing. This is extremely helpful in the overall understanding of the scope of the job and the spatial layout. For some clients the concept drawing and a list of specifications may be enough. Frequently for owners or designers, drawings need to touch on the major points, and one doesn’t need to go into every little detail.

 

With shop drawings, time is the enemy. The rough concepts with reasonable presentation can be created fairly quickly. For many architects, high-end clients and commercial jobs, plan on the drawings to be in excess of 10 to 12 percent of the job. Many architects, even though they have provided you with conceptual drawings, specifications and anticipated final dimensions, will insist on a “full set of drawings.” A full set of drawings is a work of art, a complete professional presentation of every detail. We will call this “level 10.” Each unit will have:

Many of the full-scale drawings will also include appropriate hatching. In addition to the actual drawings, there needs to be a cover sheet with the job name, disclaimer, address and contact information of the client, architect, general contractor and cabinet maker. A corporate logo and three-dimensional drawing also look good on the cover page. There should be an index page of all the drawings – when they were submitted and when any pages were revised or resubmitted. It is best to have one large set of drawings with the entire job included, rather than a separate set of drawings for each room or unit. In the past, most drawings were on D-size paper (24” x 36”) or E-size paper (36” x 48”). Now many shops are getting away from that and going with 11” x 17” paper, as these printers are available to most everyone at a reasonable price and printing drawings do not need to be outsourced. The only drawback to this is that it takes four times as many pages for the same amount of information.

 

It is best to create a layout or template that can be reused for a standardized presentation to the client. Each page should have a border and title block containing: job name, job address, client name, client address, architect name, architect address, builder, drafter, creation date, sheet number, revision number, revision date, room number, view, scale, page title with unit drawn and a location for approval signature and date. Fortunately, most of this information only needs to be done once per job.

 

Anything that interacts with the cabinetry needs to be planned for and laid out ahead of time. Somehow, along the way, this job seems to have become the cabinet maker’s job, but if no one else is going to do it and the cabinets cannot be fabricated without the information, we need to solve the problems others are unable to see or solve for themselves in a way that allows us to fabricate the products in the most efficacious manner. Fortunately, for many the needs of the clients fall somewhere between a hand sketch and a full set of drawings.

 

When drawings are created with all intended audiences in mind, they become a useful sales and production tool. Most clients will “share” the drawings not only with the architect and other tradespeople, but also with their friends, work associates and families. It is important to have a well-laid-out drawing with simple, yet professional, graphics. The choice of fonts, line widths and physical layouts separate a drawing that is merely informative to one that has a long-term impact on the viewer.