As-Built Drawings and As-Built Plans
In short: an as-built drawing set records a building as it was actually constructed, not as it was originally designed. Rendimension delivers as-built floor plans, elevations, sections, site plans and 3D models of the existing building, working from laser measurement of the property where the project calls for it, or from measurements, scans and existing drawings you already have. Delivery is in PDF, DWG or DXF.
Buildings drift from their drawings. Walls move during construction, mechanical routes change, a later renovation is never documented, or the original set was lost with the previous owner. The moment somebody needs to renovate, add on, sell, insure, refinance or file a permit, the gap between the drawing and the building becomes an expensive problem. An as-built set closes it.
Where we specialise: large custom homes
Our as-built work concentrates on high-end residential from roughly 5,000 square feet upward, and we regularly document homes well past 13,000 square feet. Large custom homes are where as-built sets get difficult and where a careless one causes the most damage: complex rooflines, multiple levels that do not stack, indoor-outdoor transitions, specialty ceilings, and additions layered on over the years. At that size, hand-measuring is not a realistic option, which is why we measure with laser equipment. This is the work we do most, and it is different from documenting a rectangular commercial floor plate.
We also produce as-built sets for commercial and mixed-use properties, on the same terms: we measure the property or work from the survey you already have, then draft and model from it.
What an as-built set from us includes
As-Built Floor Plans: Scaled plans of the building as it actually stands, with room dimensions, wall thicknesses, and door and window locations recorded from the measured building rather than from the original design intent.
As-Built Elevations: Exterior and interior elevations showing built vertical dimensions, material designations, and window and door profiles, including changes made during construction.
As-Built Sections and Details: Section cuts with floor-to-floor heights, structural elements, and ceiling conditions, plus enlarged details for conditions that a plan and elevation cannot describe on their own.
As-Built Site Plans: Property boundaries, the built footprint, setbacks, parking, circulation, and utility connections as constructed.
3D Model of the Existing Building: A dimensioned model built from the as-built set, useful when the next step is a renovation, an addition, or marketing visuals of the existing property.
You choose the set. Many projects only need plans and elevations; a renovation heading into design usually wants the 3D model as well, because everything downstream reuses it.
What we need from you before we start
The accuracy of an as-built set is capped by the accuracy of the measurements behind it. Either we measure the property, or you bring measurements you already trust. These are the inputs, in order of how much they help:
| Input | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Laser measurement of the property | The most reliable starting point. We can measure the building with laser equipment, which is the route most large homes take because hand-measuring 13,000 square feet accurately is not realistic. |
| Or your existing measured survey | If you already have a measured survey, a surveyor report or a measured sketch, we work from that and skip the measurement stage. |
| Laser scan or point cloud | If the building was scanned, the point cloud is the most accurate starting point and reduces back-and-forth. |
| Original drawings, if they exist | Permit sets, architect drawings, or old blueprints. Useful even when outdated, because they establish structure and intent. |
| Photographs | Interior and exterior photos with a reference for scale help resolve ambiguities in the measurements. |
| Notes on what changed | Anything altered during construction or in later renovations. This is the whole point of an as-built set. |
Laser measurement or an existing point cloud is the fastest path to a set you can hand to a designer or send out for renovation bids. If all that exists is old drawings and photographs, we can still work, but we will flag what we could not verify rather than draw a dimension we cannot stand behind.
Timing and formats
Typical turnaround is 5 to 7 business days per drawing set once the measurements are in hand, with rush delivery available at 48 hours when a permit or closing date is driving the schedule. Files come in PDF, DWG or DXF, formatted to your drafting standards so they drop into your workflow without rework.
Where the property needs to be measured, we handle it with laser measurement so the set is dimensionally reliable rather than reconstructed from guesswork. Where you already have a measured survey, a point cloud or drawings, we work straight from those and the whole project runs remotely, which is how we serve clients across the United States and abroad.
As-built drawings and the rest of the project
An as-built set is usually the first step, not the last. Once the existing building is documented and modelled, the same model carries into whatever comes next.
If you need new construction documents rather than a record of what exists, see architectural drafting and construction documents. If the goal is to present, market or pre-sell a renovation or addition, see architectural rendering services, or 3D floor plans when the deliverable is a plan buyers can read.
Need an as-built set?
Send your measurements, scan or existing drawings and we will come back with scope and an estimate.
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