Construction drawings almost never match a project exactly as designed — pipes get rerouted, electrical panels shift, drainage gets adjusted on-site to fit real conditions. As-built documents capture what was actually built, not just what was originally planned, which is exactly the version a board needs when a common-area system needs repair years later.
Without accurate as-builts, a board (or its contractor) may end up cutting into a wall or excavating a yard blind, guessing where infrastructure actually runs instead of knowing.
A complete as-built package usually covers:
These are part of the broader HOA turnover documents package a builder hands over, but they're specific enough — and technical enough — that boards often need to ask for them explicitly rather than assume they're bundled in.
A board without reliable as-builts pays for that gap later, usually at the worst possible time — during an emergency repair, when there's no time to investigate exactly where a pipe or line runs before digging. It also complicates the broader HOA records transfer, since incomplete technical records are harder to audit than financial ones, and gaps aren't always obvious until something breaks.
Boards should confirm as-built documents were actually included at turnover — not just assumed to exist — and request them directly from the builder or civil engineer if they're missing.
