BEFORE THE ARCHITECT – BUILDER DRAWINGS

SCHEMATICS

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Schematics are Builder Drawings that show where utilities go, how they should operate, be connected.  They're diagrams.  The Autocad Granddad has seen Schematic Drawings for low- and high-voltage wiring, air and water plumbing, and HVAC installations.  Most such drawings are plan views.

Plumbing schematics are usually addressed in drawings by plan views of an area with symbols depicting where plumbing fixtures go, along with a list of materials specifying what type – make, model, color, etc. – of plumbing material or fixture goes there.   The rest is left to the plumbing contractor and the plumbing code.  There is no plumbing contemplated in Phase one of the Case Study, so we'll pass on depictions for now.

Wiring is another matter.  Less is left to the installer's workmanlike ways.  While the overlying National Electric Code (NEC) is brutally complex and definitive of itself, there's much to be determined beforehand with wiring, in terms of fixture placement and connection paths, power loads and material capacities.  Simply, there are more electrical switches, outlets, circuit breakers, and cable in a residential construction than plumbing valves, drains, and pipes.  As with plumbing, retrofitting electrical work can be highly disruptive and expensive.   

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CASE STUDIES

By way of introduction, the Autocad Granddad has good news and bad news for you.  He likes wiring — it's intellectually challenging to him, more so than framing or plumbing or most any other single building discipline.  That's the good news.  Now, here's the bad news.  The Autocad Granddad's season of life where he had the eyes of an eagle is history.  So, all those itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny electrical symbols that the younger guys use are history, too.  The Autocad Granddad's electrical symbols are a little larger than most, and there'll be no eye strain when peering at any of them.  Sure, a plan view can get a little crowded with the bigger symbols, but it's the thought that counts here . . . and the thought is: if the Autocad Granddad can't easily read the symbols, then what good are they?

Let's move on to a couple of schematic drawings.

Household Electrical Wiring Diagram.  The three major building areas of the basement build out are described here in terms of their wiring plans, albethey at this point provisional.

Commercial Leasehold Improvement, Electrical Wiring Diagram.  This is a two-part study.  In both, this commercial build out is to create 4 working areas with ample lighting and active ventilation.  Two areas are to be finished for retail sales, and two areas are for light industry labor.  In the former drawing, we work with all four areas in an property in which the client has taken an interest in leasing.  Subsequently, it became clear that the lessors wanted too much for the wares.  Thereafter, we pursued another property, this one is a slightly different configuration.  Here, an office is included up front and the two retail areas are joined together.

Commercial Leasehold Improvement, Tutorial and Electrical Wiring Diagram.  This page is dedicated to two ends – a tutorial on commercial build outs (and remodels) and a case study in commercial electrical wiring design to exemplify the tutorial.  Construction design projects for commercial build outs are a breed apart from most space planning and building design opportunities.  As a case study, each of the points of the tutorial above can be identified. 

Commercial Leasehold Improvement, Plumbing Layout.  You'll find the sort of plumbing schematic here that you generally won't find elsewhere.  It's not only in plan view, but also in 3d design line perspective.  Take a look at this commercial application.

Residential Plumbing Layout, Roughed.  This is from the Spahaus series.  Herein, a schematic of sorts is presented to help plumbers all over the planet rough in right the first time.

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