Documents & records
Record drawings
Record drawings are the drawing set brought up to date to reflect the completed work as it was actually built, with field changes, revisions, and the real locations of concealed work carried through onto the drawings. They are compiled from the as-built markups the trades keep during construction and delivered to the owner at closeout. Where as-builts are the running field redlines, record drawings are the clean, coordinated final set that becomes the building's reference for its whole life.
Run it with the Photo Gate
Final inspection checklist for construction
15 items · 25 photos required
Why it matters
The people who maintain and later renovate the building work from the record set, not the original design intent. If the record drawings do not capture a buried utility that got rerouted, a wall that moved, or a valve that ended up somewhere other than the drawing showed, the next crew is digging or opening walls blind. Accurate records are one of the most-used and most-neglected pieces of a turnover.
The quality of the record set is set during construction, not at the end. Field changes and concealed conditions have to be captured on the as-built markups as they happen, because no one can reconstruct them once the work is covered.
How it shows up on site
Trades keeping a redlined as-built set current through the job, concealed-work locations and field changes marked before cover-up, and those markups compiled into a coordinated record set delivered in the closeout package.
Checklists that put record drawings to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- As-built drawingsThe construction drawings marked up to show how the work was actually installed, including every field change from the original design.
- Closeout packageThe compiled record proving the work was completed, inspected, and accepted, assembled to close out the contract.
- Turnover packageThe set of documents and records handed to the owner or operator so they can run and maintain the completed building.
- Operation and maintenance (O&M) manualThe compiled package that tells the owner how to run and maintain the installed systems: equipment data, warranties, parts and service intervals.
- Dimensional inspectionMeasuring built work against the drawings (locations, sizes, elevations and clearances) to confirm it lands within tolerance.
- Mill certificateThe manufacturer's certified record of a metal product's chemistry and mechanical properties, tying a delivered lot to a tested heat.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.
30-day trial · No card required