You could try saving the typical floors as separate revit models and then linking them in. Copy the link instances to the correct heights.
The advantage of this is that you can edit one floor and all the link instances will update. Disadvantage is that if you want to schedule everything by floor, elements in each 'floor' will report the same Level that you have in the link.

I use this method a lot for typical, repeated rooms and it results in a smaller and more easily updated model than using groups or just copying everything.

now ive got another predicament, or just wondering how best to do something...

the job we have just done, there is going to be another building virtually the same I want to use the project ive just done all the same sheets and text but somehow link the MEP from the previous project, so if i need to change something i only have to on one project.

if i link the MEP the new building is there away of still keeping all the tags etc...

Hmm... Keeping sheets is easy, just save a copy of the project, but keeping tags with a link would be harder.
Maybe try something like this;

Save a copy of the project,
Put everything from the existing model in a workset so you can show/hide/delete it,
Link the original project, put the link in a workset too, one that it globally invisible.
Open a view with tags,
Copy all the tags,
Turn off the model workset and show the link workset,
Paste all the tags for this view onto the link,

Hopefully the tags will pick up the same objects in the link as they where tagging originally.
Repeat for every view...

I managed to get away without doing every floor for so long, but now they have come back asking for it

is there anyway of doing the typical floors as links, but like you mentioned i have to schedule everything per floor also.

I assume all the grills will keep the same Mark number as the typical floor. what is the best way to do the scheduling?

Cheers

I think you'll find "they" wanted it all along, "you" just got away with it before.

I will work out where you work Nick.

Kind of probably did, the architect initially only issued his GAs as typical upper and lower floors, but now he has done for every floor and now the client wants the M&E for every floor, which in turn means everything scheduling for each floor and my referencing goes "floor level - Mark"

you any tips on how to do this painlessly. I just tried to do model groups with the ventilation once i copied it up a floor disconnected and put some ducts on a different floor :/

Well, in your schedules you can set "Select Available Fields from:" to "RVT Links" and then select "RVT Link: Name." You can then name each instance of your repeated Link with a separate name: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. This way, if say your numbering system goes "FCU-3-1", and the "3" designates the third floor, you could use 3 schedule columns to piece together the equipment Mark: "FCU-" could be Type Mark, "3" could be Link Name, and "-1" could be the (instance) Mark parameter.

Yes, it would look a little goofy with the separate column lines, but you could group them all under a single "Designation" heading at the top of the schedule. Who cares if it "looks weird" when it's automated and therefore accurate?

On your plans, you could make a custom Equipment tag with a Label that listed the Type Mark, a dumb numeric value, and the Mark. That "dumb numeric value" would have to be manually set for each floor. What I would suggest is to stack the Labels in your Tag family, with a Label for each floor. Create Types and Yes/No visibility parameters for each floor, and set them so that each Type will show the correct Label (the one with the correct "dumb numeric value" corresponding to the correct floor.) You'll have to manually make sure these Tag Types are set correctly on each floor.

going to give this a go. but before i start I exported one of the typical floors to a separate file. and quite a bit of the ducting becomes unidentified system. any idea how to stop it from doing this?