Shop Drawing Review: Seven Checks Before Anything Is Cut

07DRAWING REVIEW

WHAT WE READ BEFORE A PANEL IS LISTED

A drawing set that
survives the site.

Most rework does not start in the factory. It starts in a set that was approved with three unexplained gaps in it. These are the checks we run on every set before we list a single panel, and the same checks a designer or builder can run before signing off.

One datum, written down

Finished floor level and the wall line, measured rather than assumed, with the scribe allowance shown. If two people on site can read the same sheet and build to different lines, the sheet is not finished.

Ask for: a datum note on every elevation.

The wall junction

Filler, shadow gap or silicone joint, called out by width and position. Where a cabinet meets a wall that is out of plumb, someone has to own the difference.

Ask for: a junction detail, not a note saying site to sort out.

Ceiling and soffit conditions

Drop heights, service voids and extract routing drawn, with the tolerance stack calculated rather than implied. A tall unit that fits on paper can still fail under a sloping ceiling.

Ask for: a section through the tallest element.

Services and clearances

Power, water, waste, ducting and appliance tolerances located, with a named owner for each. Who moves the waste, who confirms the extract, who signs when it lands in the wrong place.

Ask for: a services overlay on the cabinet elevations.

Revision control

Drawing number, revision letter and issue date matching both the set in the installer's hands and the set that was approved. Two live versions on one site is how a single panel becomes a rework.

Ask for: superseded sheets withdrawn, not just replaced.

Tolerances and adjustment

Which elements are fixed, which are adjustable, and how much movement each has: feet, scribe margins, joint widths, door gaps. A tolerance that is not written becomes a conversation on site.

Ask for: adjustable ranges stated per element.

Packing and handover logic

How the order arrives: elevation packs, room labels, protection, and the sequence an installer needs on the day. Handover is a drawing problem before it is a logistics problem.

Ask for: a packing schedule tied to the elevation numbers.

07INPUTS

WHAT WE NEED TO READ A SET PROPERLY

What makes a set
reviewable.

We review from the manufacturing side, so the useful answer is what is buildable and what is missing. Not a price and a date at review stage.

What to send

Plan and room layout with the cabinet zones marked.
Elevations and sections for every run, including the tallest element.
Appliance and fitting specification, or the model references.
Finish schedule and any sample references.
Site measurements, or an explicit note that they are still pending.
Revision status of the set you are sending.

What we return

A written list of what is buildable as drawn.
The items that need a detail, a sample or a decision before production.
Where the tolerance risk sits, element by element.
What we would change in the set if it were ours.

Seven checks.Before anything is cut.

A drawing set thatsurvives the site.