Residential Vs Commercial Blueprints

Pipewrench

Hi all,

Couple simple questions about blueprints. For residential construction prints are the measurement's on the plans frame to frame or finished wall to finish wall. Like wise for Commercial. I do a lot a work for a commercial builder that loves the 1/8 = foot scale. Anyone tell me how to scale that to fractions of inches. The scale ruler leaves 2" increments in the 1/8 scale side, what if I needed 1/4" or 5/8" ect. Thanks in advance for any help.

precisionbuild

Can be both ways for commercial. You have to stay on your toes.

As far as residential, it is always frame to frame in my experience, although I'm sure you could run into the other way depending on the architect.

As far as 1/4", etc., use the smaller scale markings on the other end of it.

Bodger

Not to sound too picky here, but they are typically referred to as plans these days, not blueprints. Cyanotype is a thing of the past.

Plans I get seem to vary depending on architect. One recent framing plan I had called out everything for the exterior walls from the center of the framing. PITA.

As for scaling to 1/4" with a ruler using the 1/8" = 1' scale......? It can be done I suppose, but I wouldn't trust doing that where it counts. RFI the archy or verify exact measurement in the field.

precisionbuild

You lost me there Bodger... Nevermind I see you edited.

Bodger

Sorry, I think I may have misunderstood the OP.
Is he saying he wants to use the 1/8'" = 1' scale, and try to get down to a quarter inch accuracy from the plan?

precisionbuild

Yes, and it is hard, not impossible, but hard. It takes practice but a good A/E ruler set will be able to do it.

precisionbuild

Using your known measurements and doing the math usually works.

Bodger

I think I lost the necessary eyesight to be able do that about ten years ago!

Is that what those really small lines to the left on the ruler are for...?

I thought that was a bar code....

And Precision, do you find in your area that there is much standarization on plans for how measurements are called out by the archy's? In residential or commercial? Seems like out here they are all over the place with it, and just when you think you've spotted a standard way of doing it, it changes again. Very frustrating.

precisionbuild

Aggie67

Regarding scaling, I'm going to teach you how to fish. That's the biggest favor my first boss ever taught me. The path to knowledge is always brighter when you're holding the flashlight, was his favorite saying.

http://www.tpub.com/content/draftsman/14040/

http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Ca.../dp/0131633058

Also, every print I ever read or drew had blurbs in the notes section saying things like "all dimensions shown take precedence over scale" or "all dimensions indicated as 'clear' are finish to finish dimension" or "all dimensions are clear finish to finish unless noted otherwise", blah, blah, blah. It depends on how the architect or engineer drew them and noted them. If there are no notes, then you got yourself a crapola drawing.

Bodger

I'm going to remember and use that saying, that's a good one.

I find most architects get lazy about the notes and they aren't consistent with them on their drawings. Seems like I'm on the phone constantly with these guys asking about dimensions that aren't called out, and the conditions are such that I don't feel good about scaling it and moving on.

Especially where there are different finishes involved, 5/8" drywall vs. tile with a mortar bed, things like that. It can be nerve wracking when I'm framing interior walls.

KentWhitten

My suggestion, if I read your post right, would be to NEVER scale ANYTHING to get a measurement, especially an accurate measurement. It should be/better be already on the plans for you, but as we all know, that is rare. "field verify" is always the great escape clause for architects.

Now the first question about where the measurements are to....I would say the best answer is that it varies from architect to architect. I've had some finish to finish, some frame to frame, and some mid wall to mid wall. No real industry standard.

Along the line of what Bodger was saying, I've hear them called plans, prints, black prints (since the "ink" is black), and CD's (short for construction documents) along with blueprints, though I get what Bodger was saying. I still smell the ammonia!

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Pipewrench

Since the big boom the last four years in building, I have come across a lot of do it yourself builders, that don't use architects. Cad the PLANS, hehe, themselves and use odd scales cause they don't have large plan printers, and fit the plan on whatever size paper they have. I usually ask, whether their prints are finish to finish or frame to frame, and sometimes get some strange looks, which is why I asked. Thanks all for the info and responses.

Bodger

There is still an old shop out here in Los Angeles called Capitol Blueprint. They are on the Paramount Pictures lot, and they will still make a set of actual blueprints for you.
They reproduce the standard black plans for movie sets, and I've been told that almost exclusively, the "blueprints" they produce are used for movie props.
You are right Framerman, you can still smell the ammonia in there.

Chris Johnson

How's your liability insurance???

Never, repeat, never put a scale rule on a drawing, you should not even have one on the job, it is not your job to scale a drawing and if you do, you take responsibility.

If the dimension is not there, call the guy who did the drawings...it's his job and it's what he was paid for.

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Bodger

Can't argue with that.

ScipioAfricanus

I agree with this also, I am the one who is supposed to put the dimensions on the plans and I have my cell phone on all the time and I give the customer's builders the number.

I don't get too many calls but I miss a dim. here and there, so I make myself available.

Mostly I get calls asking about the engineer's notes and I respond to those as well.

Andy.

Bodger

Andy, I wish all archy's and engineers were like you. Most of the ones I've worked with act like they're put out by calls to clarify, and get defensive about it too, as if you're challenging their plans.

I had one case where the floor plans showed one dimension, and the foundation plan showed another. I called the archy, didn't get a call back. We set the forms to the foundation plan. Wrong, says the archy, the correct dimension is on the floor plans, and you should always go by that!
That actually happened.

Unless I'm totally uninformed, they should be the same throughout and called out correctly in both places.

ScipioAfricanus

Hey thanks Bodger, and you are not ill informed, the correct dimensions should of course always be on both. I have made that mistake before, off by about six inches in one instance. That was embarrassing. I took care of it though.

Let me ask you how it is you prefer your plans dimensioned, exterior framing to center lines of interior framing, which seems to be the most common standard or from exterior framing to one side of interior framing?

I think I will start a new thread on this topic.

Andy.

Deadhead Derek

damn right the should be the same. cad has mad people lazy and stupid. click and paste had led to the death of the art of architecture. when you have to write it out on each page, you tend to get it right, or at least see the issue before making a bunch of sets. I still use a drafting table, and always will for that reason. as for dimensional standards, they too used to be taught, and were explain to me as such: draw as if the person using the plans does not speak your language. Little did I know in the 70's that that would come to fruition in my lifetime.

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