BuildRevu blog
As-Built Drawings: What They Are and How to Control Them
What as-built drawings must show, who updates and approves them, and how to keep their revisions connected to handover.
As-built drawings record the installed condition at project completion. They should show approved changes, coordinated routes and actual locations needed to operate, maintain or alter the asset. They are not simply the tender drawings renamed “as-built”.
What should an as-built show?
The required content depends on discipline and contract, but commonly includes final dimensions and levels, equipment locations and identifiers, concealed service routes, access panels, valve and isolator locations, approved substitutions and references to commissioning information.
Capture changes during construction
Waiting until the end forces teams to reconstruct months of changes from memory. Maintain controlled redlines as work proceeds and link them to RFIs, instructions, approved shop drawings, inspections and variations. Set regular review dates by area or system.
Keep drawing identity stable
Use the agreed document number and revision sequence. The title, discipline, building or zone, sheet type and issue purpose help users find the drawing, but revision history proves how the final information developed. Never overwrite an approved earlier revision.
Verify against the installed work
The producing party checks completeness, while the appropriate consultant or client representative reviews the submission under the project workflow. Field verification, test records and coordinated models may all support the review. An approval does not remove the contractor’s contractual responsibility for accuracy.
Coordinate the final set
Architecture, structure, MEP and specialist packages must agree at interfaces. Confirm that schedules, schematics, plans, details and models use consistent asset codes and locations. Resolve conflicts before final handover export.
Control checklist
- Agreed drawing list and responsible organisation.
- Stable number, title, discipline and location.
- Sequential revision and issue purpose.
- Incorporated RFIs, instructions and approved changes.
- Field verification and supporting evidence.
- Cross-discipline coordination.
- Formal review decision and comments.
- Link to the handover requirement and asset register.
BuildRevu controls as-built entries, revisions, references, markups and decisions in the document register and links final deliverables into handover.
See document control in the demo or review as-built drawing software.