Everything in life requires a strong foundation to grow from, so it’s important to have a detailed understanding of a structure as it currently exists in order to conduct an efficient renovation or remodel before building begins. As-built drawings are incredibly effective in demonstrating how your current site exists compared to original proposed designs by the architect. By establishing a status quo, we can effectively overlay proposed interior and exterior changes including, detailed elevations, site, doors, windows, ceiling, electrical, HVAC, roofing, equipment, furniture, and fire safety plans.
The Benefits?
Producing these plans helps facilitate upcoming steps, flags potential complications, and supports us in solving preventative issues that may arise during build. Even with pre-existing construction drawings being made available to us, we have found that they fail to accurately display correct features, and have become obsolete because renovations have occurred since without documentation. Working from old drawings often fails to set things up for success, which is a big reason why as-built drawings are becoming the industry standard.
Furthermore as-built drawings serve as a valuable set of documents that provide any future buyers with a clear idea of what was sold, purchased, and renovated. Yet, most importantly for us, they are required by the City of Hamilton’s Building Division as part of building permit application package in order to issue permits that enable us to begin work in compliance with municipal by-laws and Ontario Building Code (OBC).
How Does it Work?
An expert team of site technicians perform a cost-effective and minimally disruptive site-visit, using advanced LiDAR technology with a mobile CAD system, that captures every square inch of an existing structure to produce highly accurate floor plans of existing conditions that we can then detail and customize to our needs together to create proposed plans from. The scan itself takes up to 4 hours depending on the total surface area being scanned. The information captured is then translated into a CAD file which is diligently detailed in order to produce a final set of as-built drawings within 7-14 days.
As part of the process our clients are given an accurate sense of what the project will entail, by alleviating concerns and uncertainties regarding proposed changes that are being made during the design stage, helping us efficiently deliver upon the project brief and supporting estimations with greater precision.
How Can We Help?
We understand that this is all a lot to take in if this is your first time approaching a renovation so it’s normal to be a little worried and stressed and why we’re here to help.
If you need any no obligation advice feel free to get in touch with a project advisor now to discuss your upcoming project by completing our contact form or calling us at 289-788-8100 between 8AM - 6PM Monday to Friday.