A guy in Boise told me he drafts whole houses without a single 3D model, and I think he might be right

Alice Cooper · 2026-09-24T13:55:03.897218+00:00

I always assumed you needed a 3D model or at least SketchUp to catch clashes before they hit the field, that was just how I was taught. This drafter in Boise told me he's done 300 plus residential sets over 12 years using only 2D plans and a red pen, and he said his change orders are lower than the guys on his team who model everything. I pushed back hard at first, but then I looked at my own last three jobs and every clash I caught came from just staring at the wall sections longer, not from spinning the model around. I'm not saying toss your software, but maybe we lean on it as a crutch more than we admit. Anyone here actually track their change orders both ways and see a real difference?

Guest Forum

Loading…

A guy in Boise told me he drafts whole houses without a single 3D model, and I think he might be right | Drafters - Guest Forum