As-Built Drawings vs Construction Drawings: What’s the Difference?

As-built drawings show what was actually built. Construction drawings show what was planned. The gap between them is where renovation surprises, insurance disputes, and facility management failures live.

Construction drawings: what was planned

Construction drawings define what is to be built — produced by architects and engineers before construction begins. They represent design intent: floor plans, structural drawings, MEP layouts, civil drawings.

As-built drawings: what was actually built

As-built drawings (also called record drawings) reflect what was actually constructed. During any project, things change — pipes get rerouted, walls shift, materials get substituted. As-built drawings capture the final dimensions, actual MEP locations, field modifications, and material changes.

Why the gap matters

When a renovation contractor opens a wall expecting a pipe where the construction drawings say it should be — and it's not there — the as-built drawings should have shown where it ended up. When an adjuster needs to understand existing conditions before processing a claim, accurate as-builts are essential. When a facility manager needs to find an isolation valve in an emergency, they're working from the as-builts.

Who is responsible for as-built drawings?

See our guide: who creates as-built drawings — roles and responsibilities. The short answer: the GC typically delivers the overall as-built package, compiled from subcontractor markups. Design teams may or may not update official documents.

How to create as-built drawings from your phone

See our step-by-step guide to creating as-built drawings. Manifold's Orbit Measure feature lets any contractor walk a space for 60 seconds with any iOS or Android phone and get a measurable 3D model. The Manifold as-built records page covers the full product workflow.

Photo plan: $16/user/month. Photo+Scan with Orbit Measure: $24/user/month. No seat minimums.

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