Questions and answers
Short answers. If yours is not here, use the contact page and a person will reply.
Takeoffs
- What is a takeoff in construction?
- A takeoff is the list of everything a contractor must supply for a job, with a quantity for each item. The estimator reads the plans and the specification, counts or measures each item, and writes it down. The takeoff comes before the price. An estimate is the takeoff with costs, labor and markup added.
- What is a quantity takeoff?
- A quantity takeoff is the counting and measuring part of an estimate. It answers how many and how much: how many fixtures, how many feet of pipe, how many square feet of tile. It is also called a material takeoff when it lists only materials.
- What is the difference between a takeoff and an estimate?
- A takeoff is quantities. An estimate is quantities with prices. You cannot make a good estimate from a bad takeoff, so most bid errors start in the takeoff: an item that was missed, counted twice, or bid to the wrong spec.
- Can AI do construction takeoffs?
- AI can do the reading and the counting. It can read a spec section, find the items on the plans and count them. It should not make the judgment calls alone. Takeoff Tool grades every line as certain, maybe or not sure, and a person decides every line that is not certain.
- How do you do a construction takeoff?
- Read your spec section first and list what it requires. Find the sheets that show your work and count or measure each item. Check the spec against the drawings, apply the addenda, and write down what you exclude.
- Why do takeoffs go wrong?
- Counting errors are rare. Most errors are scope errors: an item the spec required that no one saw, an item on the drawings that another trade should carry, or an addendum that changed the count after the takeoff was done.
- What is a material takeoff?
- A material takeoff lists the materials a job needs, with a quantity for each. People often use material takeoff and quantity takeoff for the same list.
- When the spec and the drawings disagree, which governs?
- The contract decides. Many contracts set an order of precedence in the general conditions. Do not assume. Ask the architect in writing before you bid.
- What is in a bid packet?
- The Project Manual with the specifications and the front-end documents, the plan sheets, and every addendum issued during bidding.
The product
- What does Takeoff Tool do?
- Takeoff Tool reads a bid packet for one trade. It reads your spec section, keeps only the items you sell, counts them on the plans and flags where the spec and the drawings disagree. You approve, correct or exclude each flag. Then you export the takeoff.
- How is it different from other takeoff software?
- Most takeoff software is a measuring tool: you trace the plans and it adds up the lengths. Takeoff Tool starts from the specification. It reads what the spec requires, checks it against the drawings and shows you the conflicts. Counting is the easy part. The conflicts are where bids lose money.
- Which trades does it work for?
- Gym and athletic equipment is live today. We are opening electrical, plumbing, painting, framing, excavation, roofing, and tile and flooring with founding contractors. Each trade is built with working estimators from that trade.
- Does it replace my estimator?
- No. It does the reading and the first count, and it puts the questions in front of your estimator. Your estimator still makes every call. The takeoff that goes out is one a person has signed.
- Does it price the job?
- No. It produces quantities and questions, not prices. You price the takeoff the way you do now.
- Does it replace On-Screen Takeoff or Bluebeam?
- No. If you measure in On-Screen Takeoff, add the .ost file to the packet. Takeoff Tool reads the quantities you drew and checks them against the spec.
- How accurate is it?
- We do not publish one accuracy number, because one number hides the lines that matter. Every line is graded certain, maybe or not sure. Every line links to the spec text or the sheet it came from, so you can check it in seconds.
- What is a spec-first takeoff?
- A spec-first takeoff starts from the specification, not the drawings. Takeoff Tool reads what your section requires, then finds and counts those items on the plans. Items the spec requires and no sheet shows are found, because the list started from the spec.
- What do Certain, Maybe and Not sure mean?
- Certain means the spec and the drawings agree and the count is clean. Maybe means Takeoff Tool has an answer and wants it confirmed. Not sure means it will not stand behind a number, and it says what is missing.
- Does it measure lengths and areas?
- It does not measure by tracing. It counts items on the plans. For quantities you measure, add your On-Screen Takeoff file and it reads what you drew.
- Does it read addenda?
- Yes. Put every addendum in the packet. The intake summary marks each one as an addendum, and the job's History tab lists the addenda received.
- Can it do a takeoff with no spec?
- Yes, from the drawings only. Every line is marked for you to verify, and the job is held until you approve the drawings-only scope.
- Does it read the bid date and bond requirements?
- Yes. It reads bid date, completion date, bonds, prevailing wage, tax exempt status and warranty from the packet. Each fact shows the quote it came from. If the packet is silent, the field stays empty.
- Is it for general contractors?
- It is built for specialty contractors, subcontractors and suppliers who bid one trade. It reads one trade's spec section at a time.
- Is it for suppliers and dealers?
- Yes. A dealer bids one narrow section on many projects. Takeoff Tool finds that section, keeps the lines the dealer sells, counts them and raises manufacturer questions.
- What does it not do?
- It does not price the job, measure by tracing, send questions to the architect, or sign the takeoff. A person makes every call that the documents do not settle.
Using it
- What files do I upload?
- Upload the bid packet as you received it: the spec book or Project Manual, the plan sheets and the addenda. PDFs and zip files both work, and you can drop a whole folder. You can also add an On-Screen Takeoff file.
- Do I need to find my spec section first?
- No. Takeoff Tool finds your section inside the full Project Manual.
- What happens when the spec and the drawings disagree?
- It stops and asks. The line becomes a flag that shows what the spec says and what the drawings show. You approve it, fix the number, or exclude it from the bid, and you can add a note.
- What do I get at the end?
- A takeoff report with the scope, the counts, the open questions and the source of each number. You can print it or save it as a PDF. You can also export every line as a CSV file.
- Does it learn from my corrections?
- Yes. When you correct a line, you choose what it learns. A lesson about how drawings are written can help every customer. A house rule is your company's own call and runs only on your jobs. A one-off teaches nothing.
- How do I start a takeoff?
- Select New takeoff, drop the bid packet, check the intake summary, and select Run takeoff. The page shows each step while it runs. The job opens when the run is done.
- How large can a file be?
- During the trial, each file can be up to 40 MB.
- Do I upload the Revit model?
- No. Takeoff Tool reads the Project Manual and the PDF plan sheets. Leave model files out of the packet.
- What is the review queue?
- The review queue is the list of lines that need a decision. It is the Review tab on a job. Certain lines stay out of it.
- What can I do with a flag?
- Approve it, select Fix the number and type the right count, or select Exclude from bid. You can add a note. Each decision is saved with your name and the time.
- Why is my job held?
- A held job has a problem that must be answered before export. Common reasons are a packet with no spec for your section, a measured run that is not clean enough to count, or a company rule that rejects the job.
- What happens when it cannot read a sheet?
- It says so. That is not a claim that an item is missing. Look at those sheets yourself, or add a better copy and run the takeoff again.
- What do I do when an addendum arrives after my takeoff?
- Add the addendum to the packet and run the takeoff again. Then walk the review queue and check the bid date.
- Can two estimators work on the same job?
- Yes. Every seat in your company sees the same jobs. Each decision is saved with the name of the person who made it.
- Can I open the export in a spreadsheet?
- Yes. The export is a CSV file. Each row is one line with its grade and your decision.
- What is a house rule?
- A house rule is your company's own call, saved from a correction. For example, a product you always swap or an item you never bid. It runs on every job your company bids, and only on your jobs.
Price and trial
- How much does Takeoff Tool cost?
- $2,500 per seat per month. It is a flat fee. There is no charge per takeoff and no charge per page.
- Is there a free trial?
- Yes. The trial is 15 days free. You add a card to start it, and nothing is billed until the trial ends.
- What is the founding contractor program?
- If your trade is not live yet, you can help us build it. Founding contractors use Takeoff Tool free for three months. In return, your estimator shows us how your trade bids, and you share past bid packets so we can check the tool against your own takeoffs.
- What does one seat include?
- One login for one person. The seat has no limit on takeoffs, pages or files.
- How do I add seats?
- Use the contact page and tell us who needs a login. Each seat is the same flat price.
- How do I cancel?
- Contact us and we cancel your subscription. If you cancel during the trial, you are not charged.
- Is there a charge per takeoff?
- No. The price is per seat per month. Run every bid that comes in.
Your files
- Who can see my bid documents?
- Only people signed in to your company's account, and our team when we support you. Files sit in private storage. Another company cannot open your jobs.
- Do you share my numbers with other contractors?
- No. Your quantities, your corrections and your house rules stay in your account. The only thing shared across customers is general knowledge about how drawings are written, and only when you mark a lesson as shared.
- Can I get my files deleted?
- Yes. Ask us and we delete your company's jobs and documents.
- Do you train AI models on my documents?
- No. AI models read your documents to produce the takeoff. We do not use your documents to train AI models.
- Who handles my card?
- Stripe. We never see or store card numbers.
- Where are my files stored?
- In private storage. Only people signed in to your company's account, and our team when we support you, can open them.
- Does a shared lesson include my quantities or prices?
- No. A shared lesson is a fact about how drawings are written, such as a tag or a sheet name. It never includes your quantities or your prices.