That one dimension everyone ignores on their floor plans

I've been seeing so many new drafters posting designs where they nail the lengths and widths but totally forget about ceiling height and overhead clearances. Last month I had to fix a commercial kitchen layout where someone put a vent hood right where a support beam was hanging at 6 feet 8 inches. The contractor caught it during a walkthrough in Seattle and we had to redo three days of work. I know because I was the one who got chewed out by the project manager for not checking the structural drawings first. It matters because one simple oversight can cost thousands in change orders and make you look careless. Has anyone else had a similar close call with hidden overhead constraints?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancycooper1mo ago

That one dimension everyone ignores" really nailed it. Have you started adding overhead clearance notes to your own plan templates now, or do you still rely on the structural drawings to catch it?

julia5491mo ago

Wait wait wait, six foot eight? You're telling me someone put a vent hood under a beam hanging at six foot eight? That's barely taller than a door frame. I'm honestly shocked somebody actually drew that up and nobody on the team blinked until the walkthrough. That's the kind of mistake you'd expect from a student project, not something getting built in Seattle. I would have lost my mind if I found out I had to redo three days of work over something that obvious. Seriously how does a beam at that height not show up in the ceiling plan or at least the reflected ceiling plan? That's just asking for a lawsuit or a really bad head injury.