Understanding Construction Drawings

Introduction

• Presenter: Tom Stevenson
• Key Topic: Reading and interpreting construction drawings
• Target Audience: Construction Project Management, Trades, etc.
• Series Context: This video focuses on a site plan
• Reference: Materials from the book “Understanding Construction Drawings for Housing and Small Buildings” (available on Amazon)

Site Plan Overview

• Definition: A site plan shows building placement on a property using data from a legal survey
• Details Included:
  • Property boundaries
  • Setback amounts (distance of building from property line)
  • Finished grading information (to direct water away from buildings)
  • Drainage systems (swales, storm sewers, etc.)

Importance of Grading

• Purpose: Ensures water is not pooling unpredictably, which can cause flooding
• Zoning Requirements: Cities have specific codes for proper grading

Drawing Formats

• Sheet Sizes: Varies—e.g., house plans on 11x17 sheets; larger sheets for bigger projects
• Digital vs. Paper: Digital allows zooming for details, paper provides a bigger overview
• Orthographic Views: Standard format for construction drawings (flat, straight-on views)
• 3D Models: Useful for visualization

Understanding the Legend

• Symbols & Abbreviations: Essential for interpreting the drawing (e.g., FFE = Finished Floor Elevation, ToBW = Top of Basement Wall)
• Consistency: Symbols can vary between designers—always review the legend provided
• Elevations: Indicate how far to excavate based on a benchmark
• Benchmark: Standard elevation based on mean sea level

Key Site Plan Elements

• Compass Direction: Indicates North, helping to deduce other directions (West, East, South)
• Property Lines & Building Outlines: Essential to distinguish both
• Spot Elevations: Specific elevation points on the site
• Sidewalks & Utilities: Indicated by specific symbols
• Setbacks: Distances from property lines to building points
• Slopes & Grading:
  • Slope Percentages: Indicate drainage slopes (e.g., 4.34% slope)
  • Spot Elevations: Help visualize grading
• Annotations & Symbols:
  • Fences & Gates: Indicated by lines and symbols
  • Super Mailbox: Indicated on site plan and affects the utility layout
  • Posts & Porches: Shown for construction purposes

Practical Tips

• Visualizing the Layout: Helpful to mentally or physically highlight property and building outlines before diving into details
• Common Measurements: Understand typical elevations, setbacks, and slopes to effectively read and interpret the drawings
• Stay Current: Always ensure work uses the latest set of drawings
  • Tools: Use software like Field Wire, Procore, Bluebeam for document management

Drawing Interpretation Examples

• Color Coding: Differentiating property lines, house boundaries, and other key elements using different colors
• Elevation Understanding:
  • Finished Floor: Metric (millimeter) vs Imperial (foot/inch) systems
  • Benchmarks & Mean Sea Levels: Essential for proper grading and drainage
  • Drainage Systems: Importance of stormwater and sanitary sewer systems

Data & Scaling

• Measurements: Converting between metric and imperial systems (meters to millimeters, feet to inches)
• Spot Elevations: Calculated based on benchmarks and slopes
• Visualizing Data: Converting percentages to practical measurements to understand slopes (e.g., 2% slope)

Real-Life Application

• Project Management Tips: Organize and confirm drawing sets to avoid using outdated plans
• Practical Adjustments: E.g., adjusting steps/ramp elevations during landscaping to ensure proper water flow
• Regulatory Compliance: Adhere to local codes and standards

Final Notes

• Interactive Learning: Recommended to continuously practice by interpreting actual drawings and using the guide for reference
• Upcoming Lessons: Further videos to dive deeper into reading and interpreting construction drawings

Closing

• Presenter: Encourages comments and subscriptions for ongoing learning.

Next Steps: Look forward to more in-depth lessons on specific aspects of construction drawings.