Architectural Drawings - Carpenter's and Builder's Math, Plans, and Specifications - page 278

Ta ble 9-1 (continued)

Construction Feature Abbreviation

Sink S or SK

Soil pipe SP

SQ FT or FT 2

Square feet

Stairs ST

Standard STD

Switch SW or S

Storage STG

Telephone TEL

Thermostat T or THERMO

Tongue-and-groove T&G

Unexcavated UNEXC

Vent V

Vinyl tile V Tile

Washroom WR

Water W

Water closet WC

Water heater WH

Weatherstripping WS

Summary
Drawings are a means of communication between the designers and
the builders. They are used on the construction site for reference
by the trade workers and as a record of how the building was ac-
tually built. The building is represented with various views (such
as plans and elevations). Complex views of the building are shown
with sections. Sections are like a slice of the building that opens up
the interior to a view. A floor plan is a horizontal slice.
Drawings are made to scale. There is a consistent relationship be-
tween the length of lines on the drawing and the size of the building
and its parts.
Drawings are developed in phases that allow the designer to set
the owner's requirements down on paper and show how the design
can be changed to meet various functional and legal requirements.
A drawing is made up of symbols that represent the various parts
of the building and where those parts will be installed during con-
struction. The symbols are usually standardized so everyone knows
what they mean. Simple symbols like lines are used to define the basic