The Congress of Residential Architecture

We have been asked to release our Auto-Cad files on one project to a builder for his use.
Has any one done this and do you have a liability release.?

I can see from first-hand experience how having CAD files to work with would help help the builder generate material take-off's quickly but I would be reluctant to release anything other than PDF's myself.

The big issue is having a set of CAD plans out there that could fairly easily be modified and reproduced by anyone (they will get emailed around to sub-contractors and trades).

The other issue is one of contracts and single-source information. Typically, a construction contract refers to a specific set of documents - the printed CD's and specifications. The CAD files could be accidentally (or intentionally) modified or additional information (dimensions, elevation datums...) could be extracted from the CAD files that may not have been intended to be part of the CD's causing conflicts, misinformation and problems.

If you do choose to release CAD files you should have a conversation with your professional liability insurance provider and lawyer for wording that should be part of the released drawings and also discuss if your border should be omitted.