During the construction process, few things are as certain as unplanned changes. Whether the result of unknown variables or a sudden change of heart, unplanned changes quickly make as-designed documents outdated. This is where as-built surveys come into play.
With accurate as-built surveys, you can tell a building’s whole story — even if that story had numerous revisions and drafts before reaching the conclusion. In the past, as-built surveys were a manual, time-consuming process. Today, they’re more doable than ever.
Before diving into the technical advantages available to you today, it’s important to fully understand what as-built surveys are and why they’re critical to construction.
What is an as-built survey?
As-built surveys are an as-is blueprint of a project, detailing the project as it exists after any changes occurred. They are an in-depth record of a structure as it was built, not planned, and include final utility locations, measurements, materials, and more. The as-built survey is the first part of the two-step process that makes as-built plans possible, and is all about accurately gathering measurement or placement data.
As-built surveys are typically accompanied by an as-built drawing or as-built model, which provide a visual record of the structure/project following any changes to the original plan. This set of as-built documents is an essential part of complete record keeping, as it ensures any future renovations or maintenance decisions are made with as much information as possible.
The significance of as-built surveys in construction
As-built surveys are a critical component of any construction project, whether it’s a renovation or a net-new build. Without as-built surveys, you’re stuck relying on blueprints and as-designed documents, and your best guess based on what you can see. But, with as-built surveys, your construction efforts are bolstered by a number of benefits.
Accuracy verification
As-built surveys are typically conducted using advanced surveying equipment, like laser scanners, meaning the measurements are often more accurate than those taken by hand. As-built surveys are also conducted after a project is completed (and often during the project). Between this and the technology used, you can rest assured the measurements are accurate and verified before documents are created and reports are handed off to any stakeholders.
Documentation of changes
While as-built surveys are often conducted at the end of a project, you can also run them after changes occur, but before project completion. Coupled with detailed notes from your on-site staff, this can result in thorough documentation of any changes that occurred during the project.
Future modifications or renovations
When approaching any modifications or renovations, more details and information are usually for the best. Approaching a renovation or update without accurate information can result in costly mistakes, and unexpected changes and challenges.
As-built surveys detail any changes that occurred during a project, including utility location changes or material substitutions, all of which can impact a renovation or modification. For example, if you’re trying to add additional outlets to a room, knowing where existing wires are can allow you to piggyback when creating new outlets.
Maintenance planning
Maintenance planning and budgeting is only accurate when you know what it is you’re dealing with. As-built surveys ensure you have accurate information on what materials were used on build sites, which utilities are newer and vice versa, and so on.
In other words, accurate as-built surveys allow you to determine which structures or projects pose the biggest risk in the coming year in regards to maintenance. They also save you the time and resources that come with hunting down an underground utility, and so on.