Do you want to avoid stress on your way to a successful construction project? Another critical factor on a successful project site is probably the MEP shop drawings also known as “one of the most important keys.”
You appreciate as a construction professional, engineer, architect, or owner that by carrying out effective and appropriate processes in addition to well-planned procedures throughout the design and construction phases of your project, there are great chances that they would be accomplished satisfactorily.
This includes having correct and detailed MEP shop drawings so that all interested parties get complete details during all stages of procurement and installation. The relevance of adding shop drawings for MEP in construction workflows toward achieving success will be explored in this blog post.
Detailed documentation allows people who work with you, including designers, engineers, and tradespeople, to do their best easily!
What Are MEP Shop Drawings?
Construction will turn into chaos if this phase is skipped. Shop drawings, as it is referred to, are highly detailed technical drawings that explain what equipment will be bought and how each one of them will be installed.
They provide important details on equipment, materials, and how to go about installations for design and construction purposes. With shop drawings, one enhances coordination between contractors on the project and other stakeholders in ensuring that project development follows the specifications set for it.
There are two typical kinds of MEP shop drawings. The second one is the equipment and material shop drawing submittal to the consultant or engineer to make sure the equipment and materials procured correspond to the design intention for the job.
Secondly, there are the installation shop drawings that the general contractor and the subcontractors use to make sure that there is no conflict during the installation so that these things can be avoided once it is installed. Shop drawings in these two forms are necessary for the smooth running of the installation.
Consequently, it is important for employees engaging in construction to have a total grasp of shop drawings so that they can confirm whether a project is being done correctly or not.
Why Are They Important?
The importance of MEP shop drawings construction in building and house designs cannot be underestimated. They contain details of all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing equipment including fixtures, pipes, ductwork, electrical panels, etc.
Contractors are used to help visualize the system’s overall plan of operation. With the help of shop drawings, such problems are spotted prior to any construction thereby averting expensive delays and re-works.
They also play a role in making sure that they are up-to-code while fulfilling the goals of their design. Therefore, any construction project will call for a mandatory inclusion of shop drawings which ought to be treated with proper care. However, skipping the shop drawing stage only leads to delaying construction work and more expenses.
Why Should You Insist Upon MEP shop drawings for your project?
Ensures Clarity and Accuracy
MEP shop drawings help in selecting the correct equipment, materials, and system layouts in the field at different locations. The shop drawings are essential as they have a description of the MEP systems together with their performance parameters, sizes, and quality of materials used.
These details are reviewed and approved by stakeholders before actual construction; and with this, the final constructed result corresponds to what the client expects.
Reduces Errors and Conflicts
Another advantage of shop drawings is that they can be used by different stakeholders to detect possible mistakes or clashes as time goes on before such errors end up delaying or increasing the cost of construction. Mismatches in disciplines on items like electrical requirements or locations where things connect can be identified and remedied at the job site.
The usage of shop drawings reduces the risk of rework, meets specifications, and eliminates expensive mistakes. These problems may incur additional expenses as you go about the construction and could delay your deadline as you wait for the solutions.
Eases Project Management
All project details go into MEP shop drawings as they represent the actual installation of MEP systems in practice. Consequently, project managers comprehend well the requirements for the project such as the scope, and then construct it appropriately. Shop drawings help in sequencing the work and scheduling trades because they make the trading process clearer.
Moreover, the shop drawings provide a clear indication of various modifications that were part of a series of reviews which is beneficial in terms of tracking project details.
Minimizes Project Costs
MEP shop drawing is very essential in reducing construction costs. Stakeholders are able to view what the construction project would look like even before the construction phase starts thereby identifying where they can reduce material expenses, labor charges, or time.
It therefore results in a reduction of cost implications for all parties involved or stakeholders in this particular project.
Information that is critical for owner’s facility management.
MEP shop drawings are invaluable records of the equipment, material selections, and layouts set up during the construction process. The closeout documents go usually to their owner’s facilities management department. The information also helps in replacing spare parts or servicing when necessary in the future.
Challenges and Top Tips for MEP Shop Drawings
Lack of communication between parties
The preparations for the shop drawings are one of the challenges associated with typical MEP shop drawings. When there are no specified communication channels between subcontractors, it can create confusion which may lead to miscommunication that will cause failure.
Information delays between the various parties may also result in it. A result of this is that there are clashes between the shop drawings of each of the sub-contractors, the design professionals might notice these while others do not.
Therefore, in the initial stages of the project, one has to lay down clear communication channels and ensure everybody understands whom to consult when queries or coordination issues arise.
Inexperience with Project Management and BIM software
Most of the subcontractors have very minimal experience when it comes to managing them using project management software programs and even more about BIM that helps in handling the project overall. Such an error may result in an erroneous shop drawing or inadequate coordination amongst different disciplines.
This problem can be avoided if all stakeholders understand and are highly trained in the project management platform as well as the BIM platform applied in the project. Such training needs to be immediate once the subcontractors are boarded in order for the initial coordination to flow smoothly with minimal hiccups.
Conclusion
However, for the contractor, the shop drawings may serve as perhaps the single most important factor in determining whether their participation in the construction results in success or failure.
The success of MPE shop drawing depends on the fact that when we have accurate drawings we achieve success. For instance, one should deal with an experienced and qualified MPE engineer who will supervise, examine, and correct any noticed flaws within the MPE’s shop drawings before having them
We have over decades of experience at shop drawings services as you might trust by clients. Our high standard of excellence combined with our rigorous attention to detail makes your project much more likely to succeed. Contact us today to learn more about working with cad drafting services. Please feel free to reach out to our team in case of any questions.
