This video from the Westford Symposium on Building Science, aka, Summer Camp features architect Stephen Baczek speaking on the language of drawings, or specifically, how to communicate ideas into action with lines on a page. A typical drawing set can contain between 40,000 and 70,000 lines, and each one means something.
TRANSCRIPT:
So, first and foremost, thank you, Joe and Betsy. It's an absolute privilege to stand up here in front of you. Thank you to all of you, as well. I mean, I know probably half of you in this crowd; half of you have been behind me, pushing me along. You might not have known it, but you have been.
For those of you that don’t know, I have known Joe for a long time. I was the first employee at Building Science Corporation back in 1996, and part of what I’m going to show you and talk about today, I will give credit to Joe in a huge way. He might not even know it, but when I graduated college, I went to work as a traditional architect. You know, you sit there, and some guy hands you a detail and says, “Draw this.” You don’t get any instruction; you don’t get any talk about it. It’s a series of lines that you just have to replicate in the CAD program.
So, when you take a job for Joe—and remember, Building Science Corporation was in its infancy then—Joe’s getting all these jobs, getting all these reports to write. So he does a little doodle on a napkin and says, “Well, we need to do flashing here, and I need a drawing here and here.” Well, here, you just go figure it out. In hindsight, I had to figure it out, but it was really giving me a new way to think as an architect.
It was a new way in the sense that architecture schools don’t really teach those conversations that Joe and I had, and those are probably the most important conversations an architect could have.
The second privilege I have is that both my daughter and my son have gone to architecture school, graduated, and now work with me. There’s no higher privilege than for your kids to sit there and say, “I want to be like you, Dad.” So, thank you to them too.
Joe said, “Hey, do you want to speak at Summer Camp?” I was excited and thought, “Hey, I get to speak at Summer Camp!” But then, 10 minutes later, it sank in: I’ve got to speak at Summer Camp in front of all of you. So, what are you going to talk about? I thought I should talk about the thing I know best: drawing.
The Language of Drawings
It’s not so much that I’m going to show you details and we’re going to pick apart the details. We’re going to talk about the concept of transferring information—the language of drawings. For those of you that don’t know, it is actually considered a language. I had a friend who went for a Master’s degree, and they were able to use architecture in their college application as a second language because it’s a graphic language.
I’ve been doing this a long time, 44 years. The drawing to the left, I actually dug it out—it’s the first wall section I ever drew in college, 1991. I’ve come a long way because the rendering of the house on the right is the kind of stuff I get to play with on days like this.
Our firm works all over the country. We have projects in many states, from Colorado to South Dakota to Louisiana. I’ve been doing it a long time, and I’m somewhat of a loyalist in the sense that the gentleman in the bottom right photo was my drafting teacher. We usually get together a couple of times a year, have dinner, and just catch up and talk about where life has taken both of us.
The Importance of Drawing Details
Developing this, I actually learned a lot about what I do when I set up a set of drawings. A lot of things we just take for granted in our work until you're asked to explain exactly what you do. So, one of the things I was doing—I’m sitting there going, “Hmm, I wonder how many lines are in a typical drawing set?” So, I opened up three random sets and listed it. What you're seeing there, between 40,000 and 70,000, is how many lines are in a typical drawing set.
When you're flipping through those sheets, that’s what we're talking about—somewhere around 50,000 to 60,000 lines. The reality is that every one of those lines means something, or should mean something, right? So, we have a really important job in what we do. Although, I have seen some sets where some lines probably didn’t mean as much as they should have. But, anyway, that’s what we should strive for.
Another thing that I always have to remind myself of is that we might design a project for over a year, get into construction documents, and then pass off the drawings to the general contractor, subs, and code officials—and that’s the first time they ever see those drawings. So, it's really important. For me, it’s easy to sit there and say, “Well, I know this is that, and that’s on sheet A21,” and so on. But for someone to see those drawings for the first time, there’s a huge communication gap until they get familiar with them. Some of them only need to get familiar enough to throw a bid at it or come up with a number, etc. But it’s really important that our set of drawings is compiled in such a way that if you're giving them to somebody unfamiliar with the project, they can comprehend it and get behind it.
Knowledge vs. Wisdom in Drawing
Just some thoughts—this is a detail (not my detail). I should have made it larger, but I didn’t want to make a big thing out of it. I just grabbed it off the internet. It’s one of those things about knowledge and wisdom: knowing what to draw versus why to draw it. There are a lot of architecture sets that I see get put together, and it’s kind of like, “Let me see how many sheets I can fill up; let me see how much random information I can pack in there for the builder to have to sift through to actually get the two or three tidbits of information they need to actually use.”
As well as drawing the right thing—so, when you look at that detail, notice there’s a sealant bead under the head casing. Behind that sealant bead is a whole series of flashing. From a building science perspective, we put in all this flashing to maneuver water, only to dam it up with that sealant bead. So, it’s really not a detail that’s functional or would work. Knowledge is saying, “Hey, we should put something in here to keep the water out,” while I say wisdom is asking the question (and this does come from Joe): “What am I sealing in?” Buildings don’t fail because you kept the water out—that’s a successful building. Buildings fail because you kept the water in most of the time. So, we have to ask the right questions when we're putting this stuff together.
Recognizable and Functional Details
These—I’m just throwing in some random alternatives—while we do construction drawings, a lot of times we do drawings for different media: prints, etc., and some technical stuff. Peter Yost and I have done a bunch of technical books for different companies, and sometimes it’s a 3D drawing, sometimes it’s highly focused information we're trying to convey, and sometimes we're just making it look pretty by putting it in color.
As I develop details, one of the pieces of feedback that I get from the builders I work with is that they like the idea that the details I draw are recognizable. What does that mean, "recognizable"? It means that I’m not asking them to go and buy some out-of-this-world material and tape it with a specialized tape that is extremely expensive. It’s about doing the right thing with the things we already do.
Most of the projects and details that we develop are using the same tools and techniques. We’re just asking for a more conscious effort in certain ways that we do things. So, when I look at a detail and I’m developing it on a computer, three things are important to me: recognizable (which we touched on), functional (it has to work), and executable.
Ensuring Execution and Clarity
We don’t want to put a bead of sealant downstream of a whole bunch of flashing, and it has to be executable. We all hear the stories of builders saying, “Oh yeah, those drawings just went in the circular file,” because there are sets of drawings that really didn’t convey the message that "you can build this."
One of the things that I pride myself on is that, when a set of drawings leaves the office, there’s at least one way that house can get built. Now, the framer might come back and say, “Hey, I like that detail, I appreciate it, but if we did this and this up on the roof, I think it would work a little better and I’m more familiar with that.” That’s fine. But the drawings don’t go out unless there’s at least one road to success. They never go out with the attitude of “we can just figure that out in the field.” No, that doesn’t work, and it certainly doesn’t work well.
So, recognizable. At first glance, it’s a relatively complex detail, but it really isn’t. It’s a double-wall assembly outside a timber frame for a passive house structure, and it’s got a SIPs roof. Most builders have touched or used everything there in a typical house; we’re just putting it together in a different way, maybe a little more complex-looking, but it’s recognizable. There’s nothing about that detail that says, “Hey, you have to go get this special tool,” or, “You’re going to need three guys to do that.” It’s stuff they recognize that we can do, and that’s part of execution. If I give them something they understand, then it aids in that execution.
Functional Design and Insulation
Functional—it has to work. This is a house we did where we insulated on top of a slab-on-grade, so it’s got 4 inches of insulation and two layers of Advantech in opposing directions, making a 3,500 square foot raft in this house. Another quote I learned from Joe: “Better to be lucky than good.”
In doing this detail, when it came to actually drawing the slider detail, I thought, “Hey, we can just hold that top layer of Advantech back seven inches, and I have a seal pan under every door.” So, it’s looking at that system to understand: How does that system I’m imposing on the builder work for the project, and put the project in a position to succeed?
Innovative Slab Construction
I do a lot of work with Jake Bruton down in Missouri. This is a detail that we developed—we wanted to do a slab that is a finished slab, but we wanted to be able to insulate it. It always becomes somewhat of a hassle trying to get the insulation in there and get the wall at the right place. So, we came up with this three-step method. We dug the trench, which is highly cost-effective; they use a 16-inch bucket and trace around the foundation line. They’re allowed to ground-form their concrete, so we did that. Then, we added a little curb with some rebar and poured the curb.
The curb is set in 2 inches. Why is it set in 2 inches? So that the concrete guy has a place to put the formwork—he sets it down on that lower piece of concrete and then pours the curb up against it. Then we do the slab, and it’s business as usual. But this makes that detail far more executable, simply by moving that curb in 2 inches and making people’s lives easier.
Importance of Structural Details
Let’s talk about details in general and how I develop them. First and foremost, we have to think about the things that hold it up, right? Obviously, we don’t want our buildings falling down, so that’s pretty straightforward. Develop the detail, put in the structure, determine how things will meet, and then figure out the attachments.
I chose this detail, and I'm actually in the process of developing it—so this is almost like live-streaming. In this detail, we have 4 inches of rigid insulation on the outside of the wall and 6 inches on the roof. How do we attach that? Better yet, attaching it is pretty easy, but how do we attach all the trim around the windows and all the associated pieces that come together with that? Do I have a place to nail that jamb trim or head casing? All of these things make it executable, right? We have to think through these things.
Addressing Complex Construction Challenges
Before I even get into adding tape, flashing, and all of that, I want to make sure that all of my attachment requirements have been addressed. Then, I’ll add the performance elements—basically putting in that insulation, adding the hatch, and so forth. After that, we'll simply add the text.
Another thing I find common in construction drawings is that you often see the simple wall section or the simple building section. Nobody draws the hard one, but the hard one is the one we need. The easy one isn’t the one we need—the builder probably knows how to do that in his sleep. But when this roof is coming in, it has to miss this window, and then the insulation and air barrier are in conflict. Someone has to sort that out and figure it out, and that’s what we have to do. We need to pick those hard details, not necessarily the easy ones.
Bilingual Details in Construction
When I was developing this, I realized that details are, in a way, bilingual. We always think, “Hey, there’s a 2x6, that’s an LVL,” and so on. But the people in this room tend to think of it a little differently. Where does the water go? How does this detail handle air management? How does this detail dry out? How is this detail insulated? What’s the thermal management happening here?
Details aren’t only about how we put things together. It’s also about what that system is doing with the other assemblies to make it a successful house.
Utilizing Twins for Clarity
A lot of times, I do what we call “twins.” On a computer, it’s really easy. I can create a detail, add all kinds of information, put it on separate layers, and freeze layers when we go to plot it. So, you can see layers 1 through 7 and 12 and 13, and then on a different detail, we can show layers 7, 8, and 9. This allows me to sift and sort out information for clarity.
Working all over the country, I obviously don’t get to work with the same builders all the time. In some places, there are communication challenges with subcontractors, where maybe I’m only talking to one person on the crew who then disperses all the information. So, I try to find a way for the drawings to serve everyone and to provide the specific information that each person needs at a particular time in the project.
Tailoring Details for Different Trades
Here, we have all the notes in one detail and all the dimensions on the other side. If the builder wonders, “What is this supposed to be here?” he’s not guessing or having to call me—he has a full drawing with every applicable dimension, so he can check himself to ensure alignment. Sometimes, I create these “twins” for different purposes, since different people are doing different things.
Back in the late 80s, I worked as a carpenter. The guy I worked for did everything—he did the foundation, framing, windows, siding, roofing, insulation, and drywall, then trimmed it out, hung the doors, put in cabinets, and installed the hardwood floors. Everything I just listed is done by three or four different contractors today. Just dealing with windows, we probably have three or four contractors involved. There’s the person who installs it, another who seals and tapes it, and then the trim carpenter who adds the finishing touches—each role might even involve different unions.
Managing Multiple Contractors
So, how do we satisfy all these needs? How do we make their job as easy as possible without doubling the time and cost of creating these drawings? My goal is to reduce communication conflicts as much as possible.
For example, we have the twins here. The detail on the left is for the framer. It includes all the framing components, beads of sealant, and everything the framer needs to know. The detail on the right, while it still shows the sealant beads, only includes notes for the trim carpenter, explaining how to install the seat and fascia. We can separate the information, so each subcontractor gets their own version of the detail rather than having to sift through unnecessary information.
Navigating Complex Projects
Like being here and talking to you today, fear is a really good motivator. I got this project on the coast, north of Boston. I drove away thinking, “Yeah, brand new, beautiful, big house right on a rocky cliff, overlooking the ocean.” Ten minutes later, it hit me—big house, very wealthy client, house on the ocean, on a rocky cliff. Maybe it’s one of those situations where you should be careful what you wish for, right? Those clichés really do mean something.
Anyway, we’re doing this house on a rocky cliff, so there was a lot of blasting and grinding. You can see the foundation plan on the left.
Complex Foundation Layout
We’re looking at a complex foundation layout here: bottom of footing, top of footing, top of wall, with the wall stepping down two feet, running four feet, and stepping down again two feet. It had to be tied precisely to the surveyed plan because the town’s regulations were extremely tight. We were building literally on a cliff, looking over the ocean, exactly where the old house had been. There was no wiggle room—everything had to be exact. That’s where the real anxiety kicked in. On the right, you can see a blow-up of the colored section in the lower left of the plan, showing where I marked the wall and footing steps. I even included the finished grade at every building corner in parentheses. I thought I had it dialed in, but when I looked at it again, I still couldn’t fully visualize it. If I, who designed it, couldn’t see the complete picture, how could I expect the builder to understand it at first glance?
The photos here show the site—top left and bottom right are the footings going in.
Streamlining Drawing Sets
As a side note, I often separate different sets of drawings. I’ll pull out the foundation wall and put it on its own sheet, so it’s just on the foundation print, instead of embedding it in the wall sections. Builders have shared with me that they don’t want to send multiple drawings to their concrete crew; they just want one or two. So, by putting all foundation details on one sheet, the concrete guy has everything he needs on one page, without having to sift through wall sections or siding details that don’t pertain to him. After all, he’s long gone by the time the lumber arrives.
Utilizing 3D Models for Clarity
To clarify this intricate foundation plan, I decided to build a 3D model of the entire foundation. Yes, it added a few hours—maybe six or seven—but this isn’t an inexpensive house, and fixing an error would be costly. Spending those extra hours to ensure accuracy was well worth it. In the model, you might notice faint green shading that indicates the line between above-grade and below-grade. This allowed me to understand the design completely.
To translate that clarity to the builder, I took the 3D model, added detailed dimensions, and tied those numbers directly to the site plan. This meant that the builder could precisely position the insulation. Brian, the project manager, used my dimensions to go around the foundation, snapping chalk lines and spraying the green line in the photo. Then he told the team applying the “tough and dry” coating to take it up to the green line.
Risk Reduction Through Coordination
This coordinated drawing lowered our risk almost to zero. The general contractor, the tough-and-dry team, the excavator—everyone was on the same page. And all this coordination and risk reduction took only six hours of additional work.
Collaboration with Structural Engineers
One of the practices we have, especially with local projects, is working closely with a structural engineer. For local jobs, I handle all the structural drawings—details, sections, framing plans—send them to him, he reviews and marks them up, I incorporate his comments, send them back, he signs off, I stamp them, and then we’re ready to build. Now, you might wonder if this approach adds a lot of work. It does, but it’s worthwhile. He charges a relatively low fee, like $2,500 for reviewing a $4 million house, because I'm doing the actual drawings.
Integrating Structural and Water Management
This arrangement also brings a major benefit: by handling the structural drawings myself, I can ensure the details consider more than just structural integrity. Most structural engineers focus on making sure things hold up, but they don’t necessarily think about aspects like water drainage. Again, not a criticism—it’s just not their training. By coordinating directly, I make sure each detail not only supports the structure but also considers where the water goes.
For example, we have a detail with U joist hangers welded to a 3x5 beam on a deck. I specified that the back of the joist hanger be notched for water drainage, so the floor joist doesn’t end up sitting in a puddle. We also used a quarter-inch neoprene spacer to elevate the joist slightly, preventing water retention and allowing it to dry. As a result, we have a detail that’s structurally sound and highly durable.
Addressing Design Challenges with Innovation
In another project you might’ve seen on my social media, I worked with Jake, the builder, to design an extended cantilevered deck. I suggested doing a 10-foot cantilever deck, or around 9 feet. The structural engineer confirmed it was possible, and I was thrilled. But his design included two 7-inch angles welded together with a small notch at the top. I immediately thought, “Where does the water go?” With that setup, water would sit on top of the angles and eventually cause rust, leading to deck failure.
So, I went back and asked if we could split the angles. We added a 3/8-inch steel plate every 3 feet between the angles, allowing water to freely drain between them. Problem solved: we now had an effective drainage system, ensuring durability.
Integrating Building Science into Design
The accompanying images show additional steel detailing. For the steel posts, I specified a slight slope—5% on an 8x8 post top—so water would naturally drain. We’re always integrating building science into our designs and asking these fundamental questions about durability and water management.
Simplifying Complex Designs
I often notice, especially in seminars and discussions with other architects, a tendency to over-complicate things. Architects sometimes layer on insulation without fully addressing water management, thinking they can simply drill a hole to let water out. For a $4 million house, we need solutions more refined than just drilling through insulation to manage water around a window frame.
Doesn't sound like a detail that would go appropriately with that house, but man, we love to complicate things. Building science is pretty simple. I use Joe's remark, and I know I reference him a lot, but pretty much Joe is a lot of the reason I'm standing here in front of you, right? It's not rocket science; it's building science. I tell people that all the time. You ask ten simple questions, and you lower your risk by half if you can answer them successfully.
Intent in Drawing Plans
When doing a set of drawings, it is that simple. It doesn't have to be complicated. A roof framing plan, for example. A lot of times, we don't draw things because we are actually designing them. I'm drawing them to show somebody the intent.
Right? We do a roof framing plan. The roof framing plan goes to the general contractor, who sends it to his truss manufacturer. If I don't do the truss elevations, guess what? I'm almost guaranteed to get back a truss package that is nothing like what I intended. The heel height is wrong, the slope of the roof might be wrong, and if it's a hybrid truss that has a small portion of scissor truss embedded into a gable truss, the dimensions are going to be wrong.
Effective Communication in Design
So, I learned early on that if I simply draw a couple of truss profiles and then outline where they're located on the roof plan, now it's a drafting exercise for the truss manufacturer. They don't have to think; all the dimensions are answered there. They can plug it in, send the drawings back, and we save a lot of time.
All right, it costs me a little bit of time to do it, but we save that time in not having to go back and forth three or four times and then have the truss still come out wrong. Now, some of you might laugh, but it happens, right? Three or four iterations, they build them, and they come out, and we're cutting them up and modifying them on the site.
Focused Information in Drawings
Some focused information goes on drawings. We do a lot of work on the water near the coast. In this particular project here, I think we used the ZIP R-6, or maybe it was R-9. In this particular case, this was ZIP R-9. The structural engineer had a long list of, “Hey, we need to figure out a way where we can show them where the shear walls are, where connectors are, and then here's all the hardware that goes in the wall section.”
So, we developed drawings that showed those answers. There are no other dimensions on those floor plans—nothing. It's just where the shear walls are. You have a shear wall schedule there; we know how they're built, what nail goes in, and what the spacing is on that nail. In the wall section on the left, we have the details. We have all of the Simpson hangers called out, where their location is, and what their spacing is on that wall. Again, this makes everybody's job that much easier to be successful with.
Challenges with Window Installation
Windows—this is a big talk because windows are a tough one. We do a lot of Euro flangeless windows; occasionally, we do some flange windows, and we're working up some standard details for that. I use the flist for this example. In my time, I've probably done about nine generations of window details because I like to go out. I always install the first or second window with the builder, and I tell them I don't do it because I'm coming out here and this is some kind of lecture like, “Hey, Jimmy and Johnny, pay attention because I'm going to show you how to do a window.”
I mean, we in this room laugh and joke because it is kind of funny, but the reality is, you know, Peter Yos and I jump fences and go look at these houses when we're traveling. It's horrendous. And we're not talking about some little 1,200-square-foot cottage; we're talking about a $6 million building somewhere in Texas. So, it's serious.
I have a little short story here. I had a couple of guys, consultants—you'll appreciate this—who were the best Monday morning quarterbacks I've ever met. One day, I said, "You know what? We're going to install windows at the Johnsons. Why don't you come on out, and we can talk?"
Practical Installation Challenges
So we got out there, and the framer was getting things ready. I said, "No, let's let these two guys install the window." They looked at me and said, "You want us to install the windows?" I said, "Yeah, all the tools are right there; the drawing details are right there. You're always telling me how I should do this and draw this. What a great opportunity for me to learn from such experts!"
We stood there for about an hour and a half before we said, "Guys, forget it, just go," and we installed the window ourselves. But it's a lot easier to talk about this stuff and create an academic exercise than it is to do it. Unfortunately for me, I'm in the position where I have to do it. I have to provide details that someone's going to use next week, and we’re going to be installing windows.
It's not, "Hey, let's put that up, and we'll talk about it," no; we have to do it. We have to do it right, and we have to make sure everybody is on board with it.
So, we’re through seven, but it doesn't stop there. I get a lot of questions about where the brackets go for holding the windows. So, I did a drawing outlining the brackets, showing where they go, how close they can be to the corner but not in the corner—16 inches on center.
Flashing Details
Then the last detail is a simple one to say, "Hey, here's how you flash a window." Now, again, we can sit here and chuckle, but when we're in Colorado and the owner of the framing crew tells guy number one that we're going to install windows today, and guy number one tells guy number two, "Hey, get guys three and four to get the windows out of the garage and get those installed," by the time it gets to them, we're making pumpkin pie or something in the back of the house, right? We're not installing windows anymore.
So, we have to make sure that we just hand them this stuff and say, "This is how you flash a window. This is how you properly lap that flashing. This is the dimension I expect that sill flashing to go up the wall."
Innovative Solutions for HVAC
Part of what we do at AR Texas is come up with ideas. Is Katrina in here? I don’t see her, but anyway, she'll be happy to know this is a passive house that we just recently did—a slab on grade. Of course, the HVAC guy is crying and moaning, "I need space! Where am I going to put all this?"
So, I tell you what, I got an idea: we'll create a manufactured attic, and we'll throw it up. We'll have the truss guy do it, and we'll put it up there. I developed the idea and drew up the section. But it’s not good enough to just stop there because, yeah, okay, I illustrate the idea; everybody in this room can look at that and say, "Great!" But how do we do it? We're in the business of doing it, not just talking about it.
Translating Ideas into Action
So, I translated that idea to the roof plan. Hey, here is that area of the roof offset; it touches every room on the second floor. Now the HVAC guy is totally satisfied; he can get ductwork and our Zender ports to every room on the second floor.
We don't stop there. We show the truss manufacturer these are the two different trusses that we're going to use on that project, and this is what I intend to do to create that manufactured attic. These are the dimensions that we want the trusses delivered at. Then we do the final detail where we put in the performance specs, the text, and everything of how exactly that roof detail comes together and how we build that manufactured attic.
Commitment to Follow Through
Having an idea, we have to make sure as architects that we follow through with that idea. We don’t just whip up that one quick drawing and say, "Yeah, we'll figure that out." No, it needs to get figured out. When clients say, "Well, why should I hire you?" I remind them that they have many choices. The beauty of America is that you have choices. You can have someone with 30 years of experience figure it out, or we can send it out into the field, and guys four and five can figure out how to do it. What do you want to do? It’s a pretty short conversation.
Joe, you'll be happy to know the next generation of the perfect wall is in the works. I'm not leaving it up there that long because we haven't built it yet, but we will.
Yes, the final comment on details: they should look good. You're putting your name out there. When they get out there and somebody opens it, they should say, "Damn, that is a set of drawings!" That’s what you want to hear.
Balancing Detail and Clarity
I was told when I got lost in the weeds with details, and having worked as a draftsman and a designer, this level of detail scared folks because they figured it created a situation where they were more liable by providing more information. They would say, “You’re getting too lost in the weeds; they'll figure it out in the field. We're not here to tell them means and methods.”
So, this detail doesn't show means and methods, right? It’s showing performance and components. I've had that conversation with many builders. They say, “Man, you got a lot of stuff here for us to sort out. We just usually install the windows.” Well, no, not today. Today we do it my way.
What was the question? He was just saying that a lot of times people will say, “When you get to this level of detail, you're getting too deep in the weeds, and you're actually providing more information for confusion, and you're kind of working against yourself.” Well, to that I say: the best instruction manual is probably the best road to success. They can say what they want; if they don't want to take the time to figure it out, they’re not the right builder for the job.