How It Works
How Our San Francisco As-Built
Drawing Process Works
From your first message to permit-ready drawings in your inbox — here's exactly what to expect when you work with Red Bridge Design.
San Francisco's permitting process moves at its own pace — but your project can't wait. Whether you're racing to submit to SF DBI before a planning deadline, need as-builts in hand before a contractor pricing walkthrough, or are simply trying to understand what you own before beginning a major renovation, speed and accuracy are both non-negotiable. Our four-step process is designed to deliver both: we move efficiently from site survey to finished drawings without sacrificing the field accuracy that San Francisco projects demand.
Request a Quote
The process starts with a simple request. Tell us your property address, the approximate square footage, how many floors, and what you need the drawings for — renovation, permit submission to SF DBI, condo conversion, property sale, or facilities management. The more context you can give us, the more accurate our quote will be.
San Francisco properties come in every size and configuration. A typical Victorian flat might run 800–1,200 square feet on one floor; a classic SF six-unit building might have 4,000–6,000 square feet spread across three stories. Multi-unit apartment buildings in the Tenderloin or Civic Center area might require documentation of 20 or more individual units. Whatever the scale, we'll assess your project and respond with a fixed-fee proposal — no hourly rates, no open-ended billing — within 4 business hours of your inquiry.
Rush service is available for time-sensitive projects. If you have a planning hearing in two days, an SF DBI intake appointment scheduled, or a buyer conducting due diligence under a hard deadline, tell us and we will prioritize your project accordingly.
We Measure Your Building
Once you've approved the proposal, we schedule a site visit at a time that works for you. Our team arrives with professional-grade laser measuring equipment — Leica laser distance meters and Bosch measuring tools — and methodically records every wall, opening, ceiling height, column, and structural element in the building. We don't leave until we have captured everything we need.
San Francisco's buildings present unique access considerations. Many Victorian and Edwardian flat buildings have stacked units where access to multiple floors must be coordinated with multiple tenants. Hillside homes in Twin Peaks, Bernal Heights, and Corona Heights often have split-level entries, sub-grade garage levels, and terraced rear yards that require careful three-dimensional measurement. Soft-story apartment buildings may have basement parking and laundry areas that form part of the existing conditions. We've navigated all of these scenarios and plan our site visits accordingly.
For clients who cannot provide in-person access, or for remote projects outside the immediate Bay Area, we can work from detailed photographs, owner-provided measurements, or third-party laser scan data. We will advise you on the best approach for your specific situation.
Draft, Review & Refine
Back at our drafting studio, we convert your field measurements into clean, scaled, fully dimensioned drawings in AutoCAD or Revit. Every line is tied to a field measurement — we don't estimate, interpolate, or guess. The drafting phase typically runs 2–4 business days depending on the scope, and we share a draft with you via our secure client portal before finalizing.
The review process is simple and fully online: you open the draft drawings in your browser, mark up any changes or corrections you'd like (using simple annotation tools or just email notes), and we incorporate every revision. This typically takes one round, though we include unlimited revisions in every project at no extra charge. If your San Francisco architect reviews the draft and needs additional information captured, we can return to the site or coordinate supplemental data collection remotely.
Most SF residential projects are ready for final delivery within 5–7 business days of the site visit. Commercial projects and large multi-family buildings may take 7–10 business days depending on the number of floors and units.
Receive Your As-Builts
Final drawings are delivered as PDFs and native CAD or BIM files via secure download — permit-ready and built to your exact specifications. For San Francisco projects heading to SF DBI, we format the PDF drawings to the sheet sizes and title block conventions that the department expects. For architects working in AutoCAD or Revit, we deliver the native DWG or RVT files with proper layer organization and annotation styles.
Your drawings are produced at the scale appropriate to the project: typically 1/4"=1'-0" for floor plans, 1/8"=1'-0" for site plans, and 3/4"=1'-0" or larger for details and sections. All drawings include a north arrow, scale bar, property address, and revision tracking — standard information that SF DBI reviewers expect to see.
We retain your files in our archive for three years, making it easy and inexpensive to request updates when your project moves to the next phase — from existing conditions to proposed design, from permit set to construction documents. Many San Francisco architects and contractors send us every project as a matter of course, knowing their as-builts are on file and ready when needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about as-built drawings in San Francisco and the SF Bay Area.
How quickly can you complete as-built drawings for a San Francisco property?
Our standard turnaround is 5–7 business days from the site visit. For time-sensitive San Francisco permit applications or real estate transactions, we offer rush 48-hour service. Most SF residential projects — single-family homes, individual flats, and small apartment buildings — are completed within our standard window. Larger commercial buildings and multi-family complexes may take 7–10 business days.
Do you work with San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection (SF DBI)?
Yes. We have submitted hundreds of permit drawing sets to SF DBI over our 15 years in business and understand the formatting, content, and annotation requirements that facilitate a smooth plan check. Our as-built drawings are produced in a format that is ready for SF DBI submission, and our permit drawing sets are designed to minimize correction letters from the plan check reviewer.
What types of San Francisco buildings do you survey?
We survey every type of building in San Francisco's diverse building inventory: Victorian flats, Edwardian row houses, Painted Ladies, single-family hillside homes, mixed-use commercial buildings, SRO hotels, soft-story apartment buildings, retail storefronts, office buildings, and more. We have experience with SF's most complex property types, including buildings with non-standard geometry, multiple sub-levels, shared-wall construction, and century-old structural systems that deviate significantly from modern building conventions.
Can you help with San Francisco ADU (accessory dwelling unit) drawings?
Absolutely. ADU permits are one of our most common San Francisco project types. We produce the existing conditions drawings typically required for ADU permit applications to SF DBI — usually a garage floor plan, the adjacent unit plan, and a site plan — and can also produce the proposed drawings showing the converted ADU space. If you're converting a garage, basement, or attic to an ADU in any SF neighborhood, we've handled that project type before.
Do you serve the East Bay and Peninsula?
Yes. In addition to San Francisco, we regularly work in Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Alameda, and other East Bay cities. On the Peninsula we serve Burlingame, San Mateo, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Redwood City. We also cover Marin County (Sausalito, Mill Valley, San Rafael, Tiburon) and the South Bay including San Jose and surrounding cities. Wherever your Bay Area project is located, we can help.
What is the cost of as-built drawings in San Francisco?
Pricing depends on the size and complexity of the property. San Francisco residential projects typically start at a few hundred dollars for a small studio or one-bedroom unit and scale up based on total square footage and number of floors. Commercial and multi-family projects are priced based on scope. We provide fixed-fee proposals — no hourly billing, no surprise invoices. Contact us with your property address and details and we'll respond within 4 business hours with a clear, itemized quote.
Ready to Get Started?
Tell us about your San Francisco property and we'll respond within 4 business hours with a fixed-fee proposal. No obligation, no guesswork.
Request a Free Quote