Architectural Graphics 101: Finish schedules are a key aspect of architectural graphics that I’ve been thinking about for almost five years. They have been added to the agenda for the first-year seminar. I’m not sure why I’ve waited so long to discuss this, but it might be related to how furious I feel when I speak about legends and people disagree with me. I realise how that previous phrase sounds, but if you disagree, I must inform you: you will not alter my opinion.
If anybody has any questions about what a Finish Schedule is or why it exists, please leave them in the comments and I’ll explain. Even if you’ve never heard of a completion timetable, the image below should help you understand what it implies.
The image above is of a completed schedule template I created more than 22 years ago. For a little over a year, I worked for a business where I was the sole architect and everyone else was an interior designer. During that period, I learnt a lot and gained a lot of valuable experience. I didn’t picture myself working there for a long time since I was primarily considered as “technical support,” a job I didn’t enjoy at the time.
Anyways.
I’ve always been concerned about timetables in general, not just completion schedules, because of how people believe a “legend” works, particularly when it comes to abbreviations. When I initially began working at this interior design firm, it was difficult to match up the various acronyms I was accustomed to using with the ones the interior designers used. What do you suppose the letters “ST” stand for, for example?
ST = Steel in Construction Plans
For interior designers, ST stands for “stone.” (In least, at our workplace.) We debated whether “stain” belonged under “Finish,” and I contended that it should.)
We began breaking down the schedule’s components after settling on our acronyms. At my prior employment, knowing where things were (floor, wall, ceiling, etc.) was more essential than knowing what they were (ceramic, wood, paint, etc.). Making a legend for where items go increases the likelihood of material specs being repeated. Floor tiles (FT), wall tiles (WT), and ceiling tiles (CT) are all examples of tiles (CT). And they may even be the same tile!
What an odd plan!
“Tile” is a broad phrase that should have a single material requirement regardless of where it is used. Another criteria would be if the sizes differed or if the floor was matte while the walls were shining. In the schedule I’m presenting, the abbreviation for “Tile” should be T-1, T-2, and so on, so that specifications for either ceramic or porcelain tiles may go here, even though it shouldn’t matter because of how legends function.
I don’t want to describe this timetable since I believe it speaks for itself. It’s crucial to note that I went back and removed some information, so the gaps do not imply that my records are incomplete. Because this information is so ancient, I have my doubts that a) the phone numbers mentioned are still valid and b) the address listed is still valid.
I’d want you to pay close attention to the Materials Description column and the Vendor List section. However, I will add one more item at the conclusion. Let’s take a look at each one individually.
Information about resources and providers
This is a complete listing of all items, with the “Materials” column at the top. (Tile, Carpet, Paint, Stone, Wallcovering, Wood, Finish, and Misc.). These are the only organisations necessary for this project; however, more may be viable. We were able to determine which product (or combination of things) went there by looking at the product’s abbreviation (PT for Paint). And its number extension (1, 2, etc.).
The information in the next section, “Vendor,” is exactly what you’d anticipate. It includes the names and contact information for all of our vendors as well as the individual who assisted us. Even while it may seem that include this information in the drawing set rather than the project specs document (which SHOULD be adequate) is superfluous, it doesn’t take much experience to realise that not everyone who should have both the drawings and the specifications really does. Having everything here is just handy, and it should aid in achieving the desired goals.
I’ll be the first to tell any architects who read this that our interiors finish schedule is more stringent than the average architectural finish schedule (perhaps), but we’d also include columns for cabinet type (to distinguish between painted, plastic laminate, and stain grade), and countertop column.
I’d like to emphasise that our calendar often contained a large number of legend classes. It may be see in several locations in the image above. But I’ve brought your attention to the North elevation to emphasise the base finish there. As you can see, the coating contains both WD7 and WF5. I’m guessing you’ve heard of WD7 (Stained Hardwood Quartersawn Oak) and WF5 (Medium Light Oak – Match Designer’s Sample). To distinguish these coatings, we only need one intrinsic legend entry rather than two. Which we can do by separating the wood type and the stain kind. The 9 kinds of wood and 6 finishes may be combin in 56 different combinations. But I can explain everything in the legend with only 15 entries. Which saves me a lot of time and makes better use of the page space.
Every set of architectural drawings should include a completion date for the project. It is critical to consider how this information is present. Of course, we want everything to be simple to discover and comprehend. It will take some time to determine precisely what data needs to be show. And it is conceivable (though unlikely) that this format will need to alter from project to project. I have to admit that I really enjoy this specific arrangement that I produced. This fundamental framework should assist you and others in need, but you may have additional considerations that I haven’t considered.
