Creating Cheap and Easy Floor Plans

[AWheating]

I must say on reading this post i am thinking what is the point.
On new build or for extentions the drawings are supplied and if the builder or archietech wants an as is pipework drawing i do it on one of theirs in pencil. No one else ever gets a drawing because they don't require one and i am not being paid for it. Gas line diagrams are never required for domestic stuff.
If they want to know where the pipes are in 10 years time phone me and for a small fee i'll do my best to remember :lol:

I understand that for most private jobs you would not need drawings. if you wanted to get work with any builders that builds for local landlords and housing bum. you would have to be able to produce drawings to a decent standard and provide design specifications and liabilty. Pencil lines are not good enough for most builders that have promissed there client professional drawings. I guess it depends on what work you are going for, to be able to produce drawings is another selling point in an ever competitive and tight market space.

 

[tamz]

A builder, especially bigger ones, will never ask for anything other than an as is drawing which will be passed to their architect who, for an arm and a leg, will produce a proper set of drawings. It is not the responsibility of the plumber to do proper drawings. If you are pushed, knock it back to them.
Large plumbing firms may offer these services which will be done by architects and someone will be paying well for them.
If you are asked to spec materials get the manufacturer involved.

I & C gas stuff needs a line diagram provided which is easily drawn by hand on an A4 or A3 and laminated.

Where drawings can undoubtedly be an advantage, is to private individuals. They love to see 3d drawings of how their bathroom of kitchen layout will look. This is where programs like sketch up would come in handy, but only if it can be done reasonably quickly. Kitchen and bigger bathroom companies have offered this for years. Most merchants will spit them out for you too if you ask.

2d plans are of little use to the average customer as they have little perception of what they are actually looking at and a pipework layout even less use.
If you are giving pipe layouts to customers, never give one until the work is done. Why plan the work for someone else to follow your drawing.

 

[AWheating]

i guess we have different experiences of how builder/clients work.

My old company who worked for taylor wimpey, lovells, FHM, Thomas Vale and many other builders over 25 years or so was required to produce there own layout (both plumbing and electrical) drawings with a full design specification for plenty of jobs, this ranged from sites with 12 flats to sites with 300+ houses. Builders will not request plumbing and electrical designs from architects because they would cost a fortune as they would employee design engineers etc... my old firm used a £35 computer program to make all its drawings. I guess we have different experiences of these types of jobs but my old firm won plenty of work while being able to produce what its customers requested of them.

When you say average customer you have to remember that not all your customers are single jobs, large landlords and housing bum. would require you to provide a design for approval by there clarke of works. If you only ever and ever will do one off private work then you may have no need, if you go into contracting work you will at some point be expected to provide things like design drawings, design liabilty insurances.

With some builders its a good idea to supply drawings and request written approval of them, so when they ask you to move a fixture you can prove it was first in the correct possition. This will make your qs's job easier to claim the dayworks as he/she can prove the work was correct before being relocated. We all know that builder do not like to pay out day works even if its been signed off by site agent.

 

[Bernie2]

Yes! I agree you have to be able to do a drawing and plan even if its just a site sketch to send to the office. A good cheap program I use is Serif Draw X4 its not really a CAD program and its basic. You have to shop around though to get the best price for it.

But it does me and it can be used for all kinds of other things, such as posters and the like. Being retired I mostly use it to show people a proposed layout and if I can get my head around it, which mostly I can't it seems, it will do 3D as well. It all depends what and how you like to draw which program you get. I find the real CAD programs are far to complicated and often it takes ages to do something simple.

But then I think a Plumbing company should be able to produce a proper working drawing for plumbing layouts. And yes do not forget insurance.

 

[Ravenrider]

Just to reiterate what others have said sketchup is a brilliant free program, i use it to design kitchens, bathrooms, floorplans and complete refurbs, once you get the basics it is incredibly quick.