In this guide — 6 sections
A complete set spans site and key plan, floor plans, four elevations, sections, structural drawings, MEP layouts and detail sheets. It exists in two forms: approval drawings for CMDA or GCC submission, and GFC drawings for construction. They are not the same set, and building from the approval drawings alone is where deviations begin.
An architect’s drawing set is not one document but a coordinated package, each sheet serving a distinct purpose at a different stage. Concept sketches become approval drawings; approval drawings become construction drawings. Knowing which you are holding matters more than knowing how many there are.
Approval Drawings against GFC drawings
An approval set submitted to CMDA or GCC is not the set your contractor needs. Begin construction on approval drawings alone and the contractor meets gaps in information — and fills them with on-site decisions taken without design oversight. Those decisions are where costly deviations come from.
The scale row tells you why in one line: 1:100 is a drawing an official reviews; 1:50 with 1:10 details is a drawing a mason builds from. The first proves your setbacks are legal. The second says how the building goes together. Ask your architect directly which set you have been given, before anyone starts work.
Beyond those two there are coordination drawings — combined overlays or BIM models used by the architect, structural engineer and MEP consultants to resolve clashes between structure and services before construction begins. You may never see these, but their existence is why a well-run project does not discover a beam running through a doorway on site.
Every Drawing Type, and what it is for
Site plan
1:200 or 1:500Key plan / location plan
1:2000 or smallerFloor plans
1:100 approval · 1:50 GFCElevations
All four facesSections
Longitudinal + crossStructural drawings
By a licensed engineerElectrical and plumbing layouts
1 per floor eachDetail and joinery drawings
1:10, 1:5, 1:2Scale is the ratio between drawing and building. At 1:100, every 1mm on paper is 100mm in reality. Floor plans are typically 1:100 for approval; site plans 1:200 or 1:500; detail and joinery drawings 1:10, 1:5 or 1:2 to show junctions clearly. Scale is stated in the title block and must be consistent with the drawing’s purpose — a detail drawn at 1:100 is not a detail.
The information panel in the bottom-right corner of every sheet: project name, drawing title and number, scale, revision history, architect’s name and COA registration number, date, and the sheet’s position in the set. A missing or incomplete title block is a sign of an unmanaged drawing set — which is why it is the first thing to check and the easiest to check.
How Many Sheets a Chennai house set contains
There is no fixed number — it depends on project size, floor count, consultant scope and design complexity. A simple G+1 handled by one architect and one structural engineer might run 25–50 sheets across the full GFC set; a G+2 or G+3 with detailed interiors and full MEP coordination can reach 80–150. What matters is not the count but that every category is present and complete:
Count the tinted rows. Five of the eleven categories are produced by someone other than your architect — the structural engineer and the MEP consultants. That is nearly half the set arriving from parties you may never meet, which is exactly why coordination is a deliverable in its own right and why the electrical layout should be drawn on the architectural background rather than on a blank sheet.
1:100 Is a Drawing for an Official. 1:50 Is a Drawing for a Mason.
The approval set proves your setbacks are legal. The GFC set says how the building actually goes together. Ask which one you have before work starts.
Seven Checks on any drawing package
- Check the title block on every sheetProject name, drawing title and number, scale, revision number, architect’s name, COA registration number, date. A missing or incomplete title block signals an unmanaged set.
- Confirm the stage — approval or GFCAsk directly: are these approved for construction, or the approval submission set? The difference decides what your contractor can legitimately build from.
- Verify all four elevations are presentPlanning submissions sometimes omit one. Check that every face of the building is drawn.
- Confirm structural drawings come separately from a licensed engineerSigned and sealed by a registered structural engineer — not the architect — with a structural stability certificate included.
- Check the consultant drawings are coordinatedElectrical and plumbing layouts should be drawn on the architectural floor plan background. That is the visible evidence they were coordinated rather than prepared independently.
- Confirm the scale on each sheetThe stated scale should match what you can verify by measuring the drawing. An incorrectly scaled drawing is unusable on site.
- Ask for the drawing registerA professionally managed set comes with a register — every drawing listed with revision status and issue date. Its absence suggests the set is not being formally managed.
You do not need to read a drawing to check a title block or to count four elevations. Both take a minute, both are visible to anyone, and both are reliable proxies for whether the set is being managed properly — because a practice that lets a title block go out incomplete is rarely rigorous about the things you cannot check.
The same logic applies to the drawing register. You will probably never use it. Asking for it tells you whether one exists.
What Should Be Complete at each stage
Approval set — complete before CMDA or GCC submission
Swipe or scroll to see the full table →
| Check | Approval stage |
|---|---|
| Site plan with plot boundaries, setbacks, road widths and north point | |
| Key plan locating the site in its neighbourhood context | |
| Floor plan for every level, including the roof plan | |
| All four elevations — north, south, east and west | |
| Longitudinal and cross sections | |
| Area statement sheet confirming FSI compliance | |
| Structural stability certificate from a licensed structural engineer | |
| Title block complete on every sheet with the architect’s COA number | |
| Rainwater harvesting details where the built-up area triggers the requirement | |
| Parking layout with dimensioned bays |
GFC set — complete before each construction stage
Swipe or scroll to see the full table →
| Check | GFC stage |
|---|---|
| Floor plans at 1:50 with full dimensions and structural grid lines | |
| Foundation plan from the structural engineer | |
| Column and beam layouts for every floor | |
| Slab reinforcement details per floor | |
| Electrical layout per floor, drawn on the architectural background | |
| Plumbing and drainage layout per floor, with stack positions and falls | |
| Door and window schedules with sizes, materials and hardware | |
| Joinery and detail sheets at 1:10, 1:5 or 1:2 | |
| Facade detail drawings for window frames, copings and railings | |
| Staircase details with tread, riser and headroom dimensions | |
| Material specifications and callouts on the relevant sheets | |
| Drawing register listing every sheet with revision status and issue date |
Five of Eleven Categories Come From the Engineer and the MEP Consultants
Which is why coordination is a deliverable in itself — and why services layouts belong on the architectural background rather than a blank sheet.
Starting construction using only approval drawings leaves significant information gaps — and those gaps get filled on site, without design oversight.
— The single most expensive misunderstanding in a drawing set
Frequently Asked Questions
What drawings should an architect give me?
A site plan and key plan, floor plans for every level, all four elevations, at least two sections, an area statement, and structural drawings signed by a licensed structural engineer. For the GFC set, add detail sheets, door and window schedules, staircase details, and coordinated electrical and plumbing layouts. The exact list depends on project scope and consultant involvement.
How many drawings are in a house drawing set?
There is no fixed number — a typical G+1 in Chennai runs 25–50 sheets across the full GFC set, a G+2 or G+3 with full MEP coordination and interior details 80–150. What matters is that every category is present and complete, not the total. Ask for the drawing register to verify what is included.
What is the difference between approval and GFC drawings?
Approval drawings are submitted to CMDA, GCC or the local body for Planning Permission — they confirm setbacks, FSI, height and parking at a scale suited to authority review, not construction. GFC drawings are the fully detailed set used on site, incorporating structural, MEP and detail drawings coordinated across consultants. Starting construction on approval drawings alone leaves significant information gaps.
Do architects provide structural drawings?
No — those come from a licensed structural engineer, who works from the architect’s floor plans to design the foundation, columns, beams and slabs. A compliant building plan submission requires a structural stability certificate signed by that engineer, and most banks also require structural drawings in the construction loan documentation.
What are working drawings used for?
They are the complete set — architectural GFC, structural and MEP — from which the building is actually constructed. Used by the contractor and site team, each subcontractor, material suppliers fabricating to specification, and the architect’s team during supervision visits. NBC 2016 Part 7 identifies the issue of working drawings as a standard phase of the project lifecycle.
What is a GFC drawing?
Good For Construction — a drawing formally released as approved for building work, rather than one still under review or issued for coordination. The status is normally shown in the title block, which is another reason the title block is worth reading rather than glancing at.
Do I need MEP drawings for a small house?
For a modest G+1 the architect may prepare basic electrical and plumbing layouts without a separate consultant. For anything with multiple floors, a rental unit, or significant fixture counts, dedicated MEP drawings are worth having — stack positions and drainage falls are far cheaper to coordinate on paper than to correct once cast.
Why do the four elevations matter so much?
They confirm building height compliance for the planning authority, guide the facade contractor on opening positions, and set the basis for exterior finish specification. Planning submissions sometimes go in with one missing, which is why counting them is on the seven-check list.
What is a drawing register and why ask for it?
A list of every drawing in the set with its revision status and issue date. You will most likely never need to use it. Asking for it tells you whether one exists — and a set without a register is a set where nobody can say with certainty which revision the site is building from.
How do I know the drawings were coordinated?
Look at whether the electrical and plumbing layouts are drawn on the architectural floor plan background. If they are on a blank sheet, they were prepared independently. Coordinated sets also resolve the obvious clashes — no beam through a door opening, no column in the middle of a kitchen worktop.
Approval Set for the Authority, GFC Set for the Site
Both delivered, both coordinated with the structural engineer and MEP consultants, and both accompanied by a drawing register so you always know which revision is on site.
Know the set before construction starts
An architectural drawing set is the instrument through which a design becomes a building, and the homeowner who understands its structure asks better questions at every stage. The approval set and the GFC set serve different masters and are not interchangeable. Confirm which one you hold before anyone lays a brick. Contact Buildiyo for architectural design and documentation.