Why the Drawing Set Matters More Than the Price

A lower quotation is usually lower because it leaves something out. That can be a perfectly reasonable trade-off if you understand exactly what’s being left out, and a nasty surprise if you don’t. This page sets out everything a complete residential drawing package should contain, so you can judge any quotation you receive, from us or from anyone else, against the same standard.

Design drawings

These are what actually define the house.

• Floor plans – room sizes and positions, wall thicknesses, door and window openings, and how people move through the space. Every other drawing in the set is derived from these.
• Elevations – each external face of the building, showing heights, openings and the materials used.
• Sections – a vertical cut through the building showing floor-to-ceiling heights, roof pitch, and how the different levels relate to one another.
• 3D views – a sense of how the finished house will actually look. Useful for making decisions, but not something a builder can construct from directly.

Approval drawings

These are what actually get you permission to build. Prepared in the format your Municipal Council, Urban Council or Pradeshiya Sabha requires, they demonstrate that the design respects the street line and building line, leaves the required space at the rear and sides, stays within the permitted floor area, and gives habitable rooms adequate light and ventilation.

If this is missing: you simply cannot build legally, and unapproved construction creates serious complications later when you try to sell or mortgage the property.

Structural drawings

• Foundation layout and details – the type, depth and reinforcement, designed specifically for the ground conditions on your plot.
• Column layout and schedule – positions, sizes and reinforcement for every column.
• Beam layouts – produced separately for each floor level.
• Slab details – thickness and reinforcement specifications.

If this is missing: a mason ends up sizing your foundation by eye. On filled land or where there’s a high water table, that’s a genuine safety and settlement risk, not a minor shortcut.

Services drawings

• Electrical layout – socket, switch and light positions, circuit design, the distribution board, and provision for air conditioning, pumps and hot water.
• Plumbing layout – the supply, tank and pump arrangement, hot and cold water distribution, and waste and soil pipe routes with the correct fall.
• Storm water drainage – gutters, downpipes, surface drainage, soakage, and the connection point to the road drain.

If this is missing: power and plumbing points end up wherever happened to be convenient during construction, and the shortfall usually only becomes obvious once the walls are already painted.

Quantity and schedule documents

• Bill of quantities – every material and item of work, measured and priced. This is also typically required by banks for construction loan applications.
• Door and window schedule – every opening numbered, sized and specified.
• Tile layout drawings – setting out the tiling so that any cut tiles fall in inconspicuous positions.
• Bathroom detail drawings – fixture positions, heights, floor falls and waterproofing detail.
• Setting out plan – dimensioned positions used to physically mark the building on the ground, referenced to the finished floor level.

If these are missing: you have no reliable way to compare contractor quotations on equal terms, loan applications tend to stall, and openings get formed before anyone has actually decided what’s going into them.

How to read a quotation

Before accepting any design quotation, it’s worth asking three direct questions:

1. Which of the above am I actually getting? Ask for the full list of drawings included, not a general summary.
2. Who’s doing the structural design? If it’s being subcontracted out, ask who’s responsible for checking it against the architectural drawings.
3. What happens if the council asks for changes? Find out upfront whether revisions are included in the quoted price, and if so, how many rounds.

You may not need everything

Approval drawings and structural design are non-negotiable for any house you intend to build legally and safely. Tile layouts, bathroom details and setting out plans add precision and reduce the number of decisions left to be made on site, which is genuinely valuable, but they’re also a reasonable place to economise if your budget is tight and your builder is experienced enough to handle those decisions well on the ground.

For anyone planning to build, AEDS offers a detailed planning session through our consultation page, where you can review your land, budget and design goals with a specialist and understand the best way to move forward. You can also explore who we are to see how this integrated, engineering-led approach differs from traditional builders.

Further reach us via hello@aedspaces.com or through WhatsApp +94777689678

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