Rough-In Drawings vs. Connection Point Drawings: When and How to Use Each

If rough-in drawings are created by the foodservice equipment dealers as part of the submittal process then that must mean that connection point drawings are created by foodservice consultants. And while that is correct, it's not mutually exclusive, some foodservice consultants also create rough-in drawings...but why?

Why Some Consultants Create Rough-In Drawings

Rough-in drawings pass liability from the consultant to the dealer, so why would consultants want to keep liability and complete the rough-in drawings themselves? The answer is that foodservice consultants feel like the placement of the rough-ins is integral to their design and it's not hard to see why they say that.

Rough-in drawings pass liability from the consultant to the dealer, so why would consultants want to keep liability and complete the rough-in drawings themselves?

Locating electrical outlets may seem droll but a small thing like this can make or break a foodservice operation. These consultants do not want to risk the design being compromised due to somebody else misplacing a rough-in so they take it upon themselves to provide the rough-in drawings. They are the design expert on the project and rough-ins are no walk in the park, one incorrect rough-in can cost thousands of dollars in change orders, so it only seems fitting that the design specialist take on the more challenging parts of the design process.

But what happens when the design is changed during submittals, how can a foodservice consultant provide rough-in drawings for a design that could change? Most consultants require a foodservice equipment dealer to create their own set of rough-in drawings but some allow the dealers to only create a new set of rough-in drawings if the equipment is changed. Or, and this is important, the dealer can continue to use the consultant's rough-in drawings but the dealer must handle any changes in the field and take liability for the consultant's rough-in drawings as if they were their own.

Having two sets of rough-in drawings is no different than having one wrong set of rough-in drawings if you ask me, a better way would be if the consultant and dealer could share the same Revit model and keep the design up to date but our industry isn't there yet.

So basically an equipment dealer can save themselves the work of creating new rough-in drawings for what might only be a few changes by reviewing the consultants rough-in drawings, owning the project, communicating any changes to the other contractors, and making sure everything is installed correctly. It's a relationship built on trust in an industry that likes to point fingers instead of owning up to their own faults. Having two sets of rough-in drawings is no different than having one wrong set of rough-in drawings if you ask me, a better way would be if the consultant and dealer could share the same Revit model and keep the design up to date but our industry isn't there yet. No industry is there yet but as Revit models get more accurate to the end result of the job, doesn't it make sense that we all work on the same model?

Connection Point Drawings

Connection points are the locations where the electric wires and water pipes connect to each piece of equipment. Connection point drawings or connection plans show these locations using symbols and tags. Unlike rough-ins where the junction boxes and water valves are placed in the walls, connection plans only contain symbols that are placed on the equipment. These symbols are accompanied by a schedule or table of each piece of equipment's specific utility requirements. Connection plans are used to convey each piece of equipment's MEP requirements without attempting to show how each piece of equipment should be connected.

They leave the issue of how each piece of equipment is connected to the eventual equipment dealer who will create the rough-in drawings. They are effectively saying, here is what needs to be connected and where to connect it, the foodservice equipment dealer will provide the rough-in locations at a later time, but put in the following utilities in these general areas. The foodservice equipment dealers on these projects do not have a choice, they must create rough-in drawings for the electricians and plumbers otherwise the project could be halted.

They are effectively saying, here is what needs to be connected and where to connect it, the foodservice equipment dealer will provide the rough-in locations at a later time, but put in the following utilities in these general areas.

These rough-in drawings must also be sent to the foodservice consultant so they can be reviewed and accepted, effectively returning the project to the same path as it would be if the consultant completed the rough-in drawings. This approach let's the consultant provide only the equipment requirements and leaves the rough-in locations and field connections for the dealer. It is a great way of conveying the MEP requirements to the engineers when the architectural walls may still be in flux. It is also efficient, there is no double-work, and the liability is clearly placed on the dealers that create the rough-in drawings.

It is also the logical choice when the foodservice consultant is designing a neutral equipment list which is common when working for the government. On these projects the government wants to keep competition fair so the consultant must provide three manufacturers for each piece of equipment. This effectively forces the consultant to hold off on the rough-in drawings, not knowing the exact equipment makes completing the rough-in drawings a crapshoot.

The Best of Both Worlds

Two trains of thoughts and two types of foodservice design drawings with the same common goal, to result in a well engineered and well constructed kitchen. It's clear that both the rough-in locations and the connection point locations are important and meaningful to the project so why not show both. This could mean rough-in designers add connection points and connect them together to show the contractors where to place the rough-in and also where to connect to each piece of equipment, also known as the field wiring and field piping.

In Revit, Rough-Ins are just different types of families. Electrical Fixtures for the electric outlets, Plumbing Fixtures for the water valves and drain pipes. Mechanical Equipment is used for chilled water, steam, and other mechanical systems.

Connection Points are another type of family called Generic Annotations. These are 2D families that are view specific, whereas Rough-In families are real 3D objects that are visible in 3D views.

For connection point designers this could mean they only add a select set of rough-ins that if not placed by the foodservice designer could end up being missed altogether. Some rough-ins that come to mind here are floor sinks, beverage conduits or convenience outlets.

Or maybe this just means that because a high level of detail may not be necessary when the MEP engineers are ready to get started, designers can start with connection points and then add the rough-ins and field wiring later. Many designers are already doing these exact things and are easily spendings days to weeks on each project. Well we are here to tell you that you don't have to spend 30%-50% of your design time doing the MEP portions of your project, with our solutions the MEP portions of your design process can be done in 25% of the time it normally takes.

With the newest release of KitchDesigner foodservice designers now have the ability to create their own placement rules to automate the placement of rough-ins, connections points, and the field wiring or field piping between them. Our new customizable interface lets foodservice designers create their own set of rules to place rough-ins, connection points, or a combination of both.

Or if you are just getting started, use the Restore Default Rules button and we will load a full set of 3D Rough-Ins or 2D Connection Point symbols into your project. All of that is now included.

Designers can use rough-in heights to place floor, wall, or ceiling rough-ins and they can specify the placement of each symbol relative to the equipment. The MEP design process that typically took days to weeks has been reduced to just minutes.

With the newest release of KitchDesigner foodservice designers now have the ability to create their own placement rules to automate the placement of rough-ins, connections points, and the field wiring between them.

We realized the mistakes of our ways and have now given the designers the choice to create their own path or use our default setup that now includes a full set of 3D rough-ins and MEP connection points. Every setting related to the placement of each individual symbol has now been exposed to the designer.

You can even set a field wiring linetype to connect your rough-ins and connections points together. Foodservice designers can use KitchDesigner to create connections plans during design development and when the project gets to construction documents they can seamlessly add rough-ins and field connections. All with just the click of a couple buttons.

Want to test out rough-ins and connection points for yourself? Get started with a FREE trial of KitchDesigner.