Exterior Soffits are subject to extremes of temperatures, blowing moisture, and other rough treatment that gives you pause to just use painted drywall. Exterior Insulated Finishing Systems [EIFS] offer several benefits through its ability to withstand most of those issues with only a modest increase in cost. Certainly less cost than the traditional material - cement plaster.

The canopy fascia might be formed of EIFS also. The use of EIFS is very straightforward if you have limited penetrations. The drip edge detail is recommended to avoid discoloration from water running back onto the soffit instead of dripping off the edge. Insulation value is not an issue since the thermal (and security) barrier should be at the wall line of the building.

Many building types could benefit from a dedicated receiving area with a dock. Shipping often entails multiple docks, but almost all buildings receive packages and material deliveries. A dock that can accommodate an over the road truck is the subject here. These drawings show how you might document the truck dock in plan, elevation and section. 

These drawings would need to be supplemented by specifications describing the actual equipment that is intended to be used. 

It is easy to design a truck dock that looks good but doesn't work very well. The manufacturer's representative of a dock equipment fabricator can be invaluable in making decisions that avoid an ineffective design.

A commentary on Truck Dock Design can be found here.

Details of Typical Exterior Masonry Conditions are a good practice. In some simple projects they may not be required. However, by detailing the conditions, you create a basis for requiring the level of detail that the project should receive. 

These details are suggested to specify any special configuration, construction and materials required for the conditions required at openings and joints in masonry construction.

The lintel schedule makes sure that someone is responsible for lintels at openings. The joint details address the fundamental condition that concrete block shrinks over time and brick expands over time. This minor movement can create major problems if not addressed during construction.

Exterior Glass Block Walls can be a dramatic addition to a building, but may not work everywhere. Sun and views need to be handled with care. This example is an industrial building where bringing light in through a stairway seemed desirable. Views were ’industrial’ and not a concern.
This glass block wall emphasized the entrance by its size and curvilinear plan. There is a limit to the size of glass block panels. This made it necessary to have intermediate curvilinear beams to carry the block as well as column-backed mullions.
Another feature of glass block that needs care is how it is terminated, which you see below in the details. These requirements are spelled out in the manufacturer’s installation guidelines (see Comments).
Glass block is about the same cost as low rise curtain wall. The ability to curve the wall without segmentation is unique in light transmitting wall materials.
 

Exterior Masonry Door Details in Cavity Walls require attention to closing off the cavity and controlling any water that may have entered the wall above the door. 
The key features of the detail are the:

• a cavity vent that prevents mortar droppings from clogging the bottom of the cavity
• masonry flashing to direct any moisture to the exterior
• weep vent to let moisture out of the cavity and to equalize air pressure in the cavity with the outdoors (a similar vent is often placed at the top of the cavity)
• identifying the method for closing off the cavity above the door.
• reference to the structural lintel needed.

Window Replacement can almost never be justified on the basis of energy savings, so aesthetics, comfort and deterioration lead up the reasons for replacement. It is important to know the conditions that the new window must fit into. 
The key features of the detail are:

• clarifying the sequence of events
• showing new lintel (if any) which was scheduled elsewhere on this sheet
• sub-frames for the window, which are often needed to get a good installation
• identifying surrounding conditions and what stays, what goes

Veneer Replacement does not happen often; but, as modern buildings that used veneers age, the frequency may increase. This detail shows the replacement of a 45 year old 24"x24"x2" stone veneer. The anchors corroded, which led to deterioration of the stone veneer as the corrosion expanded and cracked the faces of the veneer panels. In some places the anchors were no longer in tact to hold the stone in place.
The Veneer Replacement System that was selected was ARRIS•clip Renaissance® Units by Arriscraft. In this case the tricky part was that there was a story of brick veneer above that had been partially bearing on the stone veneer. The detail shows how we designed a custom stainless steel 'TEE' to transfer the support of the brick to the concrete foundation wall.  
The key issues that the detail resolves are:

• temporary support of the brick by removing the stone in sections
• a custom fabricated, non-corrosive, support that was configured to match the existing conditions (shimming was required in places)
• new slabs can be replaced without removing all slabs
• replaced the look of the original stone at lower cost

Exterior Masonry Cavity Walls consist of a weather-resistant exterior wythe of brick or stone or similar material and an inner wythe of concrete block. The cavity aids in preventing water penetration by draining any water out the base of the wall. 
Masonry backup of concrete block offers the advantage of being a load bearing structure, although it can be non-load bearing. The cavity can accommodate significant insulation with masonry mass on the interior. 
The key features of the detail are the:

• continuous cavity vent that prevents mortar droppings from clogging the bottom of the cavity
• masonry flashing to direct any moisture to the exterior
• weep vent to let moisture out of the cavity and to equalize air pressure in the cavity with the outdoors (a similar vent is often placed at the top of the cavity)
• identifying other components of the wall

Exterior Masonry Walls normally consist of a cavity wall with a weather-resistant exterior wythe of brick or stone or similar material and an inner wythe of concrete block or structural metal studs. The cavity aids in preventing water penetration by draining any water out the base of the wall. 
Masonry backup of concrete block offers advantages of load bearing structure, as shown here, and a durable interior finish. The cavity can accommodate significant insulation with masonry mass on the interior. 
The key features of the section are the:

• coordination of structure and exterior closure
• establishing vertical heights
• identifying the materials of the exterior closure
• identifying auxiliary construction required, such as, drainage, backfill, waterproofing

Lintel Replacement in Brick Veneer is often necessary after 40 or 50 years if the original installation was flawed. In this case plain steel lintels without flashing or weep holes had swollen to more than twice their original thickness, which heaved the veneer and caused large, long cracks to appear. 
The solution is simply a new lintel installed in proper fashion. Most masons can manage the support of the veneer above when the span is 3' to 6' as was the case here. The detail provide instruction for the sequence in which the repair should be made.
The key features of the detail are the:

• the lintel, scheduled elsewhere, is hot-dipped galvanized steel
• flashing was impractical because of the veneer anchors
• the elevations showed the amount of tuck pointing required to repair the cracks after the veneer settled into its original position.
• windows are often replaced because of the difficulty of working around them

Exterior Brick Beam is an unusual detail because the weight of the material often causes another choice to be made.  The key issue is to limit the deflection of the beam to prevent cracking in the stiff masonry. Another consideration is to prevent water from attacking the interior structural elements for durability and safety.
This detail is used in a non-load-bearing situation, but it could just as easily be load-bearing. A similarly detailed beam could also be used in the interior of a building.
The key features of the detail are the:

• structural supporting member
  
• attachment of the brick veneer to the backup
  
• flashing and weep holes
  
• a dependable coping system  
  

Low-Rise Curtain Walls consist of a metal framing system with glass (or similar) glazed into it. The curtain wall system prevents water penetration by sealing out water and draining any water that penetrates out thru channels in the framing members. 

Curtain Walls offer the advantage of being both window and wall systems. The mullion spacing should be arranged to accommodate floor, ceiling and wall intersections. See Thoughts on Curtain Walls.

The key features of the details are the:

• structural bracing for wind loads
• sill flashing to direct any moisture to the exterior
• sound separation at the floor slab
• identifying other components of the wall
• (see the key notes for materials used in this case)

Details of Overhead Door Jamb and Head Conditions in masonry construction are a good practice. In some simple projects they may not be required. However, by detailing the conditions, you create a basis for requiring the level of detail that the project should receive. These details show steel for the surfaces that the overhead door seals against and is attached to. 

These details are suggested to specify any special configuration, construction and materials required for the conditions required at the jambs and heads of door overhead doors in masonry construction.

As you collect details of various conditions, it becomes a simple matter to include this information in the drawing set.