What Are As-Built Drawings?
By Wyatt Cooper · Published · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- As-built drawings are the field's marked-up set, kept current during construction, showing every place the work differs from the design.
- Record drawings are the final, cleaned-up set compiled from the as-builts and handed to the owner.
- They are built week by week, not at the end: some owners tie each pay request to a statement that the as-builts are current.
As-built drawings are the contract drawings marked up during construction to show what was actually built, including every deviation from the design that came from RFI answers, change orders, coordination or field conditions. Kept current on site by the contractor and its trades, they become the basis for the record drawings handed to the owner at closeout.
As-builts and record drawings
The federal closeout specification defines both. As-built drawings are "the marked-up drawings, maintained by the Contractor on-site, that depict actual conditions and deviations from the Contract Documents", which may come from "contract modifications; official responses to submitted Requests for Information (RFI's); direction from the Contracting Officer", contractor-designed work and differing site conditions. Record drawings are "the final compilation of actual conditions reflected in the as-built drawings" (UFGS 01 78 00, 1.2).
Owners enforce the habit through payment. The Navy version of the quality control specification has the contractor certify with each payment request "that as-built drawings are current" (UFGS 01 45 00, 1.11.3). Each trade marks up its own work, and every RFI answer or change that moves something belongs on the set the same week.
Example
As-built markups, sheet E-201
- Markup 1
- Feeder to panel LP-2 rerouted above corridor 2 per RFI-022; conduit now 14 ft north of grid C
- Markup 2
- Panel LP-2 moved 3 ft east to clear the door swing, per field coordination
- Markup 3
- Two receptacles added in room 118 per change order #6
- Marked by
- Electrical foreman, in red, dated
As-builts vs. shop drawings vs. record drawings
| Set | Prepared by | When |
|---|---|---|
| Shop drawings | Subcontractor or fabricator | Before fabrication, for review |
| As-built drawings | Contractor and trades, marking the contract set | Throughout construction |
| Record drawings | Compiled from the as-builts (by the contractor or the designer, as the contract says) | At closeout |
A shop drawing shows how work will be built; an as-built shows how it was. Both end up with the O&M manual in the closeout package; see how to assemble a closeout package.
How it works in Conflo
In Conflo's closeout package, as-built drawings are their own deliverable, requested by spec section from the company that owes them with a due date, turned in by the sub, approved or sent back with a note, and delivered to the owner with the rest of the package.
The bottom line
As-built drawings record what was actually built, so the owner never has to guess what is behind a wall.
Mark the set as the work happens, tie each markup to its RFI or change order, and turn it into record drawings at closeout.
Sources
- UFGS 01 78 00, Closeout Submittals (August 2026) — Whole Building Design Guide (USACE / NAVFAC / AFCEC). Read October 22, 2026.
- UFGS 01 45 00, Quality Control (August 2023) — Whole Building Design Guide (USACE / NAVFAC / AFCEC). Read October 22, 2026.
Questions
Who prepares as-built drawings?
The contractor and each subcontractor mark up the drawings for their own work. The general contractor keeps the set and turns it over.
Are as-built drawings the same as record drawings?
Not quite. As-builts are the field markups; record drawings are the final set compiled from them, sometimes by the architect.
Can as-builts be kept as PDFs?
Yes, if the specification allows. The federal closeout section allows red-lined hard copies or red-lined PDF files.
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