What are as-built drawings and what do they cost?
As-built drawings show a building as it stands today, not as it was designed. For a remodel they are the starting point for every other drawing, bid and permit. Here is what goes in a set, how they are made and what you should expect to pay.
Updated 2026-10-08. Prices quoted are published ranges, not quotes for your house.
The short definition
An as-built drawing records existing conditions: where the walls actually are, how thick they are, where the doors and windows sit, how high the ceilings run, and where the kitchen and bath fixtures are. On new construction the contractor marks up the design drawings at the end of the job to show what changed. On an older house there is usually no design set at all, so the as-built is drawn from scratch from measurements.
People also call them existing conditions drawings, measured drawings or existing plans. In a permit set they appear as the "existing" sheets, placed before the "proposed" sheets so the plan reviewer can see what you are changing.
Who needs as-built drawings?
- Remodelers and general contractors who need an accurate base before they price demolition, framing, drywall and finishes.
- Homeowners planning a kitchen, bath or layout change who want a designer or contractor to work from one shared plan.
- Designers and drafters who will draw the proposed layout on top of the existing one.
- Building departments, which often want to see existing and proposed floor plans side by side when walls, plumbing or electrical move.
If you only want new flooring or paint, you rarely need drawings at all. As soon as walls move or fixtures relocate, an accurate existing plan saves money, because every later quantity and price is measured off it.
What is in a residential as-built set?
A useful set for a remodel of a detached house usually includes:
- Floor plans for each level, with room dimensions in feet and inches, wall thicknesses, door and window sizes and swing directions.
- Ceiling heights noted per room, plus soffits, beams and bulkheads that affect cabinets or lighting.
- Fixture locations: sinks, toilets, tubs, showers, range, refrigerator, water heater, furnace and the electrical panel.
- Interior elevations of the rooms you will change, such as the kitchen walls with cabinets and windows.
- Exterior elevations if windows, doors or siding are part of the job.
- Key sections where a stair, a vaulted ceiling or a level change matters.
Sheets are usually delivered as PDF at 11x17 and 24x36, the two sizes most US contractors and plan reviewers work with, and sometimes as CAD files.
How as-builts are made
There are three common methods, and the price follows the method.
1. Tape measure and photos
Someone walks the house with a tape or a laser distance meter, sketches each room and takes photos of every wall. A drafter turns the sketch into a scaled drawing. This is the cheapest method and is accurate enough for most interior remodels if the measurements are taken carefully. Our guide on how to measure a room for drawings covers the routine.
2. Phone scan or 360 camera
Apps and camera systems create a rough floor plan from a walk through. They are fast and useful for real estate, but the plan usually lacks wall thicknesses, fixture positions and the detail a builder needs to price work. Treat the result as a starting sketch, then confirm key dimensions by tape.
3. Laser scanning
A surveyor scans the building into a point cloud and a drafter traces it. It is the most accurate and the most expensive, and it makes sense for large, complex or historic buildings. For a typical single family remodel it is rarely needed.
What do as-built drawings cost?
Most US providers price residential as-builts per square foot of floor area, with a minimum fee. Published price guides we read on 2026-10-08 put residential as-built drafting at roughly $0.40 to $2.50 per sq ft, with California quotes running somewhat higher, and plain 2D CAD redraws of an existing plan as low as $0.15 to $0.35 per sq ft (sources: LiDAR As-Built Drawings cost guide, Design OTB California guide, Future3D guide). These are the providers' own published ranges, so treat them as a band, not a promise.
For a 1,500 sq ft house that band works out to about $600 to $3,750. Where you land depends on:
- Who measures. A site visit is the biggest cost driver. If you or your contractor supply measurements and photos, you skip it.
- How many sheets. Floor plans only cost less than plans plus elevations and sections.
- Complexity. Angled walls, split levels and many small rooms take longer to draw.
- Accuracy needed. Scanning to a fraction of an inch costs more than tape accuracy, and an interior remodel rarely needs it.
- Turnaround. Rush delivery is usually priced as a surcharge.
As-builts as part of a remodel set
The cheapest as-built is the one you do not pay for twice. If the same model that records the existing house is used to draw the proposed layout and to count materials, the as-built cost is absorbed into the remodel set. That is how we work: the existing sheets, the proposed sheets and the material takeoff come out of one model. See our as-built drawings service for what we need from you, or permit-ready drawings if the job also needs a permit set.
What as-builts do not do
An as-built records what is there. It does not certify the structure, prove that past work was permitted, or replace an engineer's inspection. If you plan to remove or alter a bearing wall, you will need a licensed engineer or architect, whatever the drawings say.
Checklist before you order
- Decide which floors and rooms are in scope. A kitchen remodel may only need the main floor.
- Gather any old plans, permits or listing floor plans. They help even if they are out of date.
- Take photos of every wall in every room in scope, plus the panel and the water heater.
- Measure rooms, ceiling heights, doors and windows, or have your contractor do it.
- Ask for a fixed price and the sheet list before you pay.
Not sure which kind of drawing you need? Our comparison of as-built drawings and measured surveys explains the difference.