01
Connection constraints
Fix inverts, connection points and the levels the whole system has to work back from. Everything else is downstream of this.
Plumbing and drainage BIM services
The only discipline on the project that cannot be rerouted around a problem, because gravity is not negotiable — which makes it the one that should be routed first and almost never is.
Plumbing BIM & engineering
The engineering position
Gravity sets the sequence, so gravity should set the routing order
A soil stack has one place it can be. A drainage run has a required fall, a maximum length before an access point, and a fixed invert at the connection. None of those are negotiable in the way a cable tray route is. On projects where drainage is routed after mechanical and electrical, the resolution is almost always a pumped solution nobody budgeted for, or a dropped ceiling nobody wanted. We route the gravity systems first.
Falls have to be modelled, not annotated
A drainage run drawn flat with a note saying "1:80 fall" cannot be coordinated. It does not clash where it will actually be, and it does not tell you that the invert at the far end is below the slab. Modelling the fall is more work at authoring and very much less work at coordination, which is the same trade the rest of this practice is built on.
Connectivity is what makes the model checkable
Plumbing is where broken connectivity hides most easily: a run that looks continuous in a 3D view but is three disconnected segments to the software. Authoring with connectivity intact is what lets a routine follow a run from fixture to connection and tell you it does not actually get there.
Deliverables
What is actually produced and issued
Any of these can be appointed on their own or combined. Nothing here depends on buying the intelligence layer, which is not for sale in any case.
DeliverableWater supply models
Domestic cold water, hot water and circulation, and water distribution piping modelled in Revit with system assignment, risers and schedules.
DeliverableDrainage models
Soil, waste and vent, sanitary drainage, sewage and wastewater piping modelled with true falls, access points and connectivity intact.
DeliverableStormwater and water reuse
Stormwater and rainwater drainage, rainwater harvesting, greywater and recycled-water distribution.
DeliverablePump rooms, tanks and basement drainage
Plumbing pump-room and equipment-room models, tanks, pumps and valves, and basement drainage with sump-pump piping.
DeliverableRisers, fixtures and schedules
Riser diagrams and schematics, fixture and equipment layouts, and equipment schedules with connection details.
DeliverableShop drawings and quantities
Plumbing shop drawings and installation layouts, with pipe quantities, material takeoffs and BOQ support.
DeliverablePipe sizing and hydraulic calculations
Water demand, drainage flow and pipe sizing calculations. Only where design responsibility is explicitly agreed and supported by qualified engineers.
Catalogue scope
Every scope item, with its typical output
The full list from the BIMRACE service catalogue. Each item can be included or excluded in a proposal; the code is the one used in our scope documents.
PL-01Domestic cold-water supply system modeling
Revit model, plans, risers, schedules.
PL-02Hot-water supply and circulation modeling
Revit model, piping layouts, risers.
PL-03Water distribution piping layouts
Floor plans, sections, piping model.
PL-04Soil, waste and vent (SWV) modeling
Piping layouts, riser diagrams.
PL-05Sanitary drainage modeling
Plans, sections, drainage model.
PL-06Stormwater and rainwater drainage modeling
Drainage plans, risers, model.
PL-07Rainwater harvesting system modeling
Layouts, schedules, model.
PL-08Basement drainage and sump-pump piping
Layouts, pump connections, model.
PL-09Sewage and wastewater piping within buildings
Layouts, risers, model.
PL-10Greywater and recycled-water distribution
Layouts, piping model, schedules.
PL-11Plumbing riser diagrams and schematics
Riser drawings and schematics.
PL-12Plumbing pump-room and equipment-room modeling
Detailed Revit room model, sections.
PL-13Water tanks, pumps, valves and accessories
Equipment model and schedules.
PL-14Plumbing fixture and equipment placement
Fixture layouts and schedules.
PL-15Plumbing shaft and service-zone coordination
Coordinated shaft layouts and sections.
PL-16Pipe sizing and hydraulic calculations
Calculation report and design schedules. Engineering design scope — only where design responsibility is explicitly agreed and supported by qualified engineers.
PL-17Water demand and drainage flow calculations
Calculation report. Engineering design scope — only where design responsibility is explicitly agreed and supported by qualified engineers.
PL-18Plumbing equipment schedules and connection details
Revit schedules and detail drawings.
PL-19Plumbing shop drawings and installation layouts
PDF/DWG drawing package.
PL-20Plumbing quantities, material takeoffs and BOQs
Excel takeoff, schedules, BOQ.
How it runs
The sequence, and why it is in this order
Sequence is not a formality on this kind of work. Most of the expensive rework we are asked to fix was produced by doing step four before step two.
02
Stack and riser positions
Agreed with the architect early, because they are the hardest thing on the project to move.
03
Gravity routing
Drainage modelled with true falls and access points at the required intervals.
04
Pressurised systems
Domestic water, boosting and hot water return, routed against the gravity systems already fixed.
05
Coordination
Federated testing against structure and the other services, with shaft and service-zone coordination.
06
Documentation
Plans, risers, schedules and shop drawings, issued with the QA rule set run.
What we need to start
The inputs that decide whether a start is a real start
Missing any of these is survivable. Not knowing which of them are missing is not, so we establish it at enquiry stage rather than at forty per cent.
- Design drawings or consultant layouts — PDF, DWG or RVT
- Architectural model with sanitary layouts and room data
- Structural model with slab levels, foundations and shafts
- Connection points, invert levels and the water supply arrangement
- The plumbing standard, LOD/LOI and BIM requirements the project runs to
AI & automation
Where AI and automation apply to this work
AI is used throughout our delivery workflow, and an engineer reviews every output. Every line carries its real status.
AIAI-assisted drawing reviewLive
Plumbing drawings and schedules read to list fixtures, risers, falls and missing invert or connection data before modelling starts.
AIAI-assisted QALive
Connectivity, slope and parameter findings grouped by cause and drafted for the modeller to fix, then re-checked.
AutomationConnectivity and continuity checkingLive
Every run traced from fixture to connection as a graph, so a visually continuous but disconnected system is caught at authoring rather than at coordination.
AutomationFall and gradient validationLive
Modelled gradient tested against the required fall for the pipe size, run by run, with failures listed by element.
AutomationAccess point spacing rulesLive
Rodding and access point intervals tested as a rule along each run.
AutomationQuantity extractionLive
Pipe, fitting and fixture quantities measured from the model for takeoffs and BOQ support.
Scope boundary
What this appointment does not include
Published because a scope boundary discovered at month three is a dispute, and the same boundary stated at enquiry stage is just information.
- Pipe sizing and hydraulic calculations are not included unless explicitly scoped and supported by project inputs and qualified engineers.
- We do not carry out drainage adoption applications or negotiate with the adopting authority.
- We do not certify compliance with a jurisdiction's plumbing code; we model to the design and standard you name and your engineer of record certifies.
Request a quote
Get a quote: Plumbing BIM
Tell us the building, the stage and what you need. An engineer replies within two working days with approach, deliverables and a fee basis.
Quote request received
Thank you — an engineer will reply within two working days.
Have drawings ready? Use the full enquiry form to attach them.
What a useful quote needs. Building type and approximate area, the disciplines, the project stage, and which drawings or models exist. If you have them ready, the full enquiry form takes file uploads.
NDAs. We sign before drawings or models are shared, as a matter of course.
FAQ
Questions we are asked at enquiry stage
Can you model plumbing from PDF or CAD drawings?
Yes. We develop native Revit plumbing models from PDF, DWG or consultant-issued drawings. Model accuracy depends on the completeness of the source information, which we review before modelling starts.
Do you model drainage with real falls?
Yes, as a matter of course. A flat run with a fall annotation cannot be coordinated and will produce a coordination report that is wrong in the one discipline where being wrong is most expensive to fix.
Do you carry out pipe sizing and hydraulic calculations?
Only where they are explicitly part of the agreed scope and supported by appropriate inputs and qualified engineers. By default we model the design information you provide.
What if the drainage connection level is not yet known?
We model to a stated assumed invert and flag it as an assumption on the issue. What we will not do is pick a level quietly, because every run in the building is dimensioned back from it.
Related
Where this connects
BIM coordinationGravity systems tested against structure and everything else.
Quantity takeoff & BOQPipe and fixture quantities measured from the model.
HealthcareWhere drainage, clearance and validation requirements are at their strictest.
Residential and mixed useRepeated riser typologies — the ideal condition for rule-based checking.