September 26, 2019

What are shop drawings and why do you need them?

Shop drawings are the set of plans we create to drill down on the details of the architectural and design team’s construction documents. These are the highly detailed drawings that are used to fabricate natural stone into your finished product.

Shop drawings help to provide clear communication between the Architect or Designer, the Contractor, and United Marble. We take all of the information from the construction documents, along with as-built field dimensions, meld all of those details with the design intent and create a set of drawings that outline how everything will be fabricated and installed. The information in the drawings include: type of material (including thickness and finish), edge details, overall dimensions, plan views, elevations, sections, and mounting and installation specifications. Once these drawings have been reviewed and approved, the fabrication process begins and production can flow seamlessly without having to stop and confirm any missing details or dimensions.

In the world of custom built homes, shop drawings are vitally important in ensuring that every detail is correct. From unique countertop edge profiles to stone moldings and custom fireplace mantels and surrounds, each dimension, reveal, curve, and finish must be determined before production can begin. Some details can be extremely complicated to engineer, and we need to make sure all of the information is accurate. Working all the details out in the shop drawing process is the only way to ensure everything has been thought through and is able to be fabricated effectively to make the incredible design ideas come to life in natural stone. By putting in the time and effort up front to produce the shop drawing set, costly mistakes can be avoided.