What is drafting?

Drafting, otherwise known as technical drawing, is the creation of accurate representations of objects, buildings, or houses for technical, architectural, or engineering purposes. Someone who is skilled in drafting is called a draftsman or draftsperson.

In drafting, objects are drawn to scale, and usually comprise a top view, a main view and a side view of the object or building. They are usually very detailed and are often used as blueprints for the construction or assembly of the object. While they are sometimes used for engineering plans, they are more common in architecture.

Someone who works as a drafter is known as a draftsperson, draftsman, building designer, building drafter, or drafting officer.

If you’re looking to renovate, remodel, build a custom home or expand on your home, a draftsperson can create the technical house plans you’ll need to have ready for your building contractor. Even if you have an engineer and existing design, a draftsman is needed to create a blueprint for the construction team to follow.

What is architectural drafting?

Architects will engage draftsmen to draft house designs, showing the dimensions of the house, the configuration of the rooms, and specifications for windows, doors, lights, appliances, and other features, as well as external details such as driveways, garden beds, fencing and roof type. These are house plans or building plans for a building project.

Traditionally, house plans and technical drawings are done on paper with pencils, rulers, and protractors, but more recently, computer aided design, or CAD, has become the preferred way of design drafting.

Producing a three-dimensional technical image of the object or building, computer aided design is quicker and more accurate than manual drawing. It can also be stored electronically and provides more detail and options. Drafting services use CAD and ArchiCAD as their major method of creating plans and designs.

Other tasks an architectural drafter may provide are:

• Outlining the quantity and quality of materials required, including cost, labour rates and time frame
• Creating sketch plans and assisting with the preparation of building specifications to suit the client’s brief and reach approval
• Confer with local government and ensure the codes and by-laws are considered correctly when working on project documents
• Some site inspection

When working for an architect, an architectural drafter is also referred to as a building associate, architectural technician, or architectural draftsperson.

What’s the difference between a draftsman and an architect?

While both a draftsman and an architect can do similar tasks when it comes to preparing technical drawings with CAD and working on building projects, there are some main points of difference to note.

Firstly, to become qualified an architect must complete an undergraduate degree followed by a Master of Architecture, before completing two years of practical experience. Once this education is complete, they can register for their licence to practice as an architect in their state.

To become a drafter, a TAFE course or other program that teaches CAD is enough to be qualified. It will usually only take about two years to become qualified in comparison to an architect’s education taking seven years.

When it comes to the job, architects usually have more responsibilities and will see a project from start to completion. They have the necessary skills to develop more complex plans and can help with anything from design and documentation to project management and contract administration.

A draftspersons main responsibility is the production of technical designs, and they are not required to obtain a license to perform these tasks.

When would I need to hire a draftsman?

If you’re looking to build or renovate your home or put on an addition and your plans aren’t too intricate, it’s common to hire a draftsperson rather than an architect. It’s also a more affordable option.

Getting a draftsman quote

Do you need drafting services? Yellow Pages has hundreds of listings for draftsmen right across Australia. Get free quotes and compare the results to find the right person for your job. You can also read reviews and ratings for draftsmen in your area.

Be sure to ask them if they offer any work guarantees, whether they adjust plans if any problems arise during construction, if their plans are guaranteed to meet the local building codes and regulations, and whether they will work directly with your builder. You can also ask them about their education and certifications and request references.