What is structural drafting?

Structural drafting is the CAD production of structural drawings, foundation plans, framing plans, connection details, and schedules, based on a licensed structural engineer's calculations, markups, or design direction.

Do you provide structural engineering, or just drafting?

Drafting only. We are not a licensed structural engineering firm and do not produce calculations, stamped designs, or engineering judgment. We draft the structural drawing set from your engineer's calculations, redlines, or sketches, and the engineer of record reviews and stamps the final set.

Can you draft from my engineer's calculations or redlines?

Yes. That's the typical starting point: structural calculations, hand markups, a prior structural set that needs revision, or a combination of all three. We draft the CAD sheets to match what the engineer has specified.

What structural drawings do you produce?

Foundation plans, floor and roof framing plans, connection and structural details, lateral system drawings (shear walls, bracing), and the structural notes and schedules that go with them.

Do you draft for wood frame, steel, and concrete structures?

Yes, across residential wood frame construction and light commercial steel and concrete structures. The drafting approach is directed by your engineer's design regardless of the structural system.

How does structural drafting differ from structural coordination?

Structural drafting produces the structural drawing set itself. Structural coordination reviews an already-produced structural set against the architectural drawings to resolve conflicts before permit submission. Most projects use both: drafting to produce the set, coordination to make sure it agrees with the architectural drawings.

What software and file formats do you use?

We draft in AutoCAD and Revit and deliver print-ready PDF along with native DWG or RVT files, matching the format your engineer or the building department requires.

Structural Drafting

Structural drafting that turns your engineer's calculations into permit-ready drawings.

We draft foundation plans, framing plans, connection details, and structural schedules from your engineer's calculations, redlines, or sketches. We are a drafting company, not a licensed structural engineering firm: your engineer of record designs and stamps the work, we produce the CAD drawings.

What Structural Drafting Covers

The drawings your engineer's design becomes.

A structural calculation package tells you what the design requires. Structural drafting turns that design into the coordinated drawing set a plan checker and a contractor can actually build from.

Foundation Plans

Footing and foundation layout, dimensions, reinforcement callouts, and anchor bolt locations drafted from the engineer's foundation design.

Framing Plans

Floor and roof framing plans showing member sizes, spacing, spans, and bearing points as specified in the structural calculations.

Connection and Structural Details

Hold-downs, shear connections, beam-to-column details, and any other assembly details called out in the engineer's design.

Lateral System Drawings

Shear wall schedules, moment frame locations, and bracing layouts drafted and cross-referenced to the framing plans.

Structural Notes and Schedules

General structural notes, material specifications, and schedules for footings, columns, beams, and headers referenced throughout the set.

Architectural Coordination Sheets

Structural sheets checked against the architectural set for grid alignment, dimension consistency, and bearing wall locations.

How It Works

From calculations to a stamped structural set.

Your engineer of record directs the design and stamps the final set. We handle everything in between.

Calculation and Markup Intake
We start from your structural engineer's calculations, redlines, hand sketches, or an existing structural set that needs to be redrawn or revised.
Foundation and Framing Plan Production
Foundation and framing plans are drafted in CAD to the member sizes, spacing, and dimensions specified in the engineer's design, coordinated against the architectural floor plans.
Connection and Detail Drafting
Every connection, hold-down, and structural detail called out in the calculations is drawn and cross-referenced to the plans and sections it appears on.
Coordination with the Architectural Set
Grid lines, dimensions, and bearing locations are checked against the architectural drawings so the two sets agree before the package reaches the engineer for review.
Engineer Review and Delivery
The completed structural sheets are returned to your engineer of record for review and stamp, then delivered in your required format ready for permit submission.

Residential and Commercial

Two building types, two different drawing sets.

The drafting approach follows your engineer's design either way, but the scope of the drawing set differs by building type.

Residential

Single-family additions, second stories, and ADUs typically need foundation plans, floor and roof framing plans, and connection details drafted from the engineer's calculations for the specific load path.

Home Addition Packages

Commercial

Commercial and multi-story structures carry more extensive lateral system documentation, larger foundation schedules, and tighter coordination with MEP and architectural sheets throughout the set.

MEP Coordination

Structural Drafting Services We Provide

Drafting, coordination, and everything in between.

From drafting a full structural set to converting a redlined revision or coordinating it against the architectural drawings, these are the services CADTRI delivers most often around structural documentation.

Common Pitfalls

Where structural drawings go wrong.

Most structural correction comments trace back to one of these gaps between the drafting and the calculations behind it.

Grid Line Mismatches

Structural and architectural sheets referencing different grid systems, forcing the plan checker to reconcile two sets that should already agree.

Missing Connection Callouts

Hold-downs, straps, and connection hardware specified in the calculations but not shown or referenced on the framing plan.

Outdated Calculation Revisions

Drawings drafted against an earlier version of the engineer's calculations after a design change was made downstream.

Incomplete Structural Notes

General notes missing material specifications, design loads, or code references the plan checker expects to see on the structural sheets.

Unclear Load Path

Framing members shown without a clear bearing point or continuous path down to the foundation, a common trigger for structural correction comments.

Dimension Conflicts with Architectural

Wall thicknesses, column locations, or floor-to-floor heights that differ between the structural and architectural sets.

Missing Schedules

Footing, column, or header schedules referenced by callout on the plans but not included anywhere in the set.

Unreferenced Details

Detail callouts on the framing plan that don't point to an actual detail drawn elsewhere in the structural set.

Frequently Asked

Structural drafting, explained.

What is structural drafting?: Structural drafting is the CAD production of structural drawings, foundation plans, framing plans, connection details, and schedules, based on a licensed structural engineer's calculations, markups, or design direction.
Do you provide structural engineering, or just drafting?: Drafting only. We are not a licensed structural engineering firm and do not produce calculations, stamped designs, or engineering judgment. We draft the structural drawing set from your engineer's calculations, redlines, or sketches, and the engineer of record reviews and stamps the final set.
Can you draft from my engineer's calculations or redlines?: Yes. That's the typical starting point: structural calculations, hand markups, a prior structural set that needs revision, or a combination of all three. We draft the CAD sheets to match what the engineer has specified.
What structural drawings do you produce?: Foundation plans, floor and roof framing plans, connection and structural details, lateral system drawings (shear walls, bracing), and the structural notes and schedules that go with them.
Do you draft for wood frame, steel, and concrete structures?: Yes, across residential wood frame construction and light commercial steel and concrete structures. The drafting approach is directed by your engineer's design regardless of the structural system.
How does structural drafting differ from structural coordination?: Structural drafting produces the structural drawing set itself. Structural coordination reviews an already-produced structural set against the architectural drawings to resolve conflicts before permit submission. Most projects use both: drafting to produce the set, coordination to make sure it agrees with the architectural drawings.
What software and file formats do you use?: We draft in AutoCAD and Revit and deliver print-ready PDF along with native DWG or RVT files, matching the format your engineer or the building department requires.