How to reduce your cost of roofing shop drawings

Today I would like to give you some tips on reducing your cost for shop drawings.

1. Have a plan:
A lot of customers want me to do drawings for them and send me a link to an FTP site or a large set of architectural drawings to go through myself. Big mistake if you have a budget on your mind. Sending your designer a carefully laid out plan can reduce your cost up to 70%. Remember your designer knows how to draw. This is your project and you are probably familiar with the drawings. A laid out plan can be as simple as "I need you to draw 1,4,7/A001, 3/A102, etc....." . 

2. Know your assembly and warranty information:
Letting your designer know exactly how your system is going together will save him/her valuable time so most of the time will be spent drawing. Here is an example of a detailed assembly:

The following proposed system qualifies for Sika Sarnafil’s Décor 20-Year 90 MPH
System Warranty when the system is properly installed by Sample Contractors, Inc.
and the completed project has been accepted by Sika Sarnafil. The proposed
system also meets FM 1-90 in the Field. Perimeters and Corners uplift increased
according to FM’s Prescriptive Enhancements method based on the 1-90 Field
approval. This system also meets U.L. Class “A” (up to 2/12 slope):

Deck:  An approved minimum 22 gauge Steel Deck;
Substrate: 5/8” DensDeck (4 ft. X 8 ft.) mechanically attached to the metal deck with
Fasteners: #12 Sarnafasteners and 3” square Sarnaplates at a rate as follows:
* Field -8 fasteners and plates per 4’ X 8’ board
* Perimeter -16 fasteners and plates per 4’ X 8’ board
* Perimeter -32 fasteners and plates per 4’ X 8’ board
Vapor Barrier: Sarnavap Self Adhered 32 mil vapor retarder installed onto the primed
DensDeck Boards;
Insulation: 1.5” – 12” SarnaTherm isocyanurate insulation (4’x4’) boards adhered to the
Sarnavap SA below with Olybond 500 board adhesive at a rate of 12” on
center in the field, 6” on center in the perimeters, and 4” on center in the
corners;
Roof Board: 1/2” DensDeck Prime boards adhered to the insulation boards below with
Olybond 500 board adhesive at a rate of 12” on center in the field, 6” on
center in the perimeters, and 4” on center in the corners;
Membrane: Sarnafil 72 mil G410 membrane adhered to the DensDeck Prime boards with
Sarnacol 2170vc membrane adhesive;

3: Mark up a set of drawings for your designer and scan it:
Another way of drastically reducing cost is to mark exactly what you want drawn on the architectural set of drawings. This eliminates any guesswork there will be and your project will turn out exactly how you want it.

4: Give your designer plenty of time:
We all know that sometimes things get put off till the last minute. This can lead to an increase in cost for a rushed job. Giving your roofing shop drawing designer plenty of lead time will result in a lower price and an overall better product.

5: Review the drawings carefully before sending them to the architect:
Getting all the kinks worked out before you submit the roof shop drawings to the architect will save you money by getting them approved the first time without being marked revise and resubmit.

6: You get what you pay for:
Sure you can send your drawings anywhere to get done. You can outsource them to another country where someone will be happy to throw some crap on paper and pay their workers nothing. But most of the time this will lead to your drawings being rejected and poor customer service. Use a reputable shop drawing service to do your drawings.

If you follow these tip I guarantee you will save money on your next set of roofing shop drawings.