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Construction drawings and as-built drawings are two of the most important documents on any construction project — and they're often confused. Here's the definitive breakdown.
Construction drawings (also called contract drawings, working drawings, or design drawings) show what is planned and intended. They're produced before construction starts and represent the design intent. Architects, engineers, and designers create them. Contractors build from them.
As-built drawings (also called record drawings) show what was actually built. They capture every deviation, change order, field modification, and adjustment that occurred during construction. The contractor who does the work produces them — because only they know what actually happened on site.
On a straightforward project, construction drawings and as-builts may be nearly identical. On a complex project, or any project where field conditions forced changes, the gap between them can be significant. Future maintenance technicians, renovators, and engineers rely on as-builts — not the original plans — to understand what's actually in the building.
A facility manager trying to locate a buried valve, a contractor planning a renovation, an engineer assessing load capacity — all need the as-built, not the design drawing.
Manifold's Orbit Measure lets any contractor capture measurable 3D documentation of existing conditions from any iOS or Android phone. Walk a space for 60 seconds. Upload. Get a model accurate to half an inch. See our as-built records page for the full workflow.
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