Construction Takeoff Services
Our construction takeoff services convert a full drawing set — architectural, structural, MEP and civil — into a measured, division-by-division quantity package your team can bid straight from. One estimator carries the whole set, so the concrete package and the masonry package are reconciled against each other long before either reaches a sub.
| Div | Scope | Quantity | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Slab on grade and footings | 1,860 | CY |
| 04 | CMU partition walls | 12,400 | SF |
| 05 | Structural steel frame | 84 | TON |
| 07 | Single-ply roof membrane | 412 | SQ |
| 09 | Gypsum board assemblies | 46,300 | SF |
| 22 | Domestic water pipe, copper | 3,150 | LF |
| 26 | Branch conduit and wire | 9,780 | LF |
Scope gaps never announce themselves. They live in the seam between two trade packages — the slab edge form the concrete sub assumed masonry would carry, the roof blocking neither the framer nor the roofer priced — and they surface after award, as a change order you eat. Splitting a plan set across four subs and three in-house estimators multiplies those seams, and every handoff is a fresh chance for a quantity to be counted twice or not at all. JU Estimating LLC measures the whole set as one job, so every division is reconciled against the divisions it touches before your number ever leaves the office.
Four measurement packages, taken off the same plan set by the same team, then reconciled against one another.
We measure the envelope and the interior off the A-sheets and the schedules: partition types by length and height, gypsum assemblies by face, doors, frames and hardware sets by mark, storefront by the square foot, roofing by the square. Every finish keys back to the finish schedule, not to a floor plan.
Footings, grade beams, slabs, walls and columns in cubic yards, with formwork measured as contact area rather than inferred from volume. Reinforcing comes off the schedule and bend list in tons. Steel is counted by member mark against the S-sheets, so your fabricator quote and your bid agree on tonnage.
Pipe and duct by size and material in linear feet, fixtures and equipment by mark against the schedules, conduit and conductor by size, devices and gear by count. We follow the risers and the one-line diagrams, not only the plan views, so vertical distribution does not quietly vanish between floors.
Cut and fill volumes from the existing and proposed contours, with import and export split so haul cost stays visible. Stripping by area, paving and base by SF and TON, curb and walk by the linear foot, storm and sanitary by pipe size with structures counted.
We measure on screen, not on paper, so every quantity keeps a visible link back to the object that produced it. When your PM questions a number, we point at the shape on the sheet rather than measuring it twice.
Our default markup and measurement environment. Count, length, area and volume tools on a per-division layer, dynamic fill for slabs and roof planes, and the markup list exported alongside the workbook so your team can open the same file we measured in.
Used where assemblies carry the load - wall types, roof systems and repeating floor plates where one measurement should drive several quantities at once rather than being re-drawn for each.
If your bid room already runs OST or Quick Bid, tell us at intake. We structure the export to match your condition and item naming, so quantities import cleanly instead of being retyped.
Same principle for electrical and mechanical bid rooms. Send us the assembly structure you price in and we format the takeoff to land in it, not as a flat list you reorganize.
Illustrative of a standard delivery package.
Illustrative example. Every construction takeoff ships with this log.
Three files, every time, and none of them locked. You should be able to audit our measurements, overwrite our assumptions and drop your own rates in without asking anyone's permission.
The plan set you sent, returned with every measurement drawn on it. Each division carries its own color and layer, so you can switch the concrete markups on, check the slab we measured against the slab you see, then switch them off.
Color-coded by division so you can audit every measurement
One tab per division plus a summary tab. Formulas stay live, no protected cells, no hidden sheets. Your unit rates go in and the totals move. Delete a line you are not carrying and nothing downstream breaks.
Formulas left live so your rates drop straight in
A plain list of everything the drawings do not agree on: a detail that contradicts a schedule, a wall type on the plan and nowhere in the legend, a fixture with no mark. We flag it and state what we assumed, rather than quietly picking one.
What we flag instead of assuming
Want to see the three files before you commit anything? See a sample takeoff — real deliverables, illustrative numbers.
Organised to MasterFormat 2020, so the numbers drop straight into the bid sheet and the sub packages you already use.
A construction takeoff is the measured inventory of everything a drawing set says has to be built — counted, run out, squared off and volumed in the units the trades actually buy and install in — before a single dollar is attached. We organise ours to CSI MasterFormat because that is how your bid sheet, your sub packages and your buyout are already structured, and a takeoff that arrives in a different order costs you an afternoon of re-sorting. Below is every division we measure and the units it comes back in. Division 01 is the exception: general requirements are a pricing exercise, not a measurement one, and they belong with our construction cost estimating services.
These are the divisions where a small percentage becomes a large number fast. A three percent miss on 1,800 cubic yards of concrete compounds through formwork, reinforcing and finishing before anyone notices. We measure them off the structural and civil sets, then reconcile against the architectural.
Selective demolition by area and volume, structure removal by count, hazardous-material scope flagged wherever the survey calls it out, and haul-off by the cubic yard. On renovation work we measure what is coming out as carefully as what goes in, because demolition quantities drive dumpster counts and truck trips.
Footings, piers, grade beams, slab on grade, elevated deck, walls and site concrete in cubic yards, with formwork measured as contact area rather than back-calculated from volume. Reinforcing comes off the schedule and the bend list in tons, mesh by the square. Need this division on its own? See our concrete takeoff and estimating.
CMU and brick by wall area and by unit count, with openings deducted and jamb, lintel and bond beam conditions counted separately instead of averaged into the field. Grout and cell fill in cubic yards, joint reinforcing by the linear foot, ties and anchors by the each. Isolated scopes go to masonry estimating services.
Structural steel by member mark and total tonnage, joists and metal deck by area, stairs, rails, ladders and lintels by the each or the linear foot. Miscellaneous metals are the classic scope gap on a bid, so we list them item by item rather than rolling them into a lump sum. See metals and structural steel estimating.
Cut and fill by cubic yard against existing and proposed grades, with import and export separated so haul cost stays on the page. Stripping and topsoil by area, paving and base by SF and TON, curb, walk and striping by the linear foot, wet utilities by pipe size with structures counted individually. Deeper scope: sitework estimating services.
The architectural set is where the sheet count explodes and where the schedules matter more than the plans. We take these divisions off the schedules first — door, window, finish, partition type — then verify against the plans. A rushed takeoff runs that order backwards, which is exactly how a hardware group goes missing.
Framing by board foot and by piece count against the framing plan, sheathing and subfloor by area, blocking and backing by the linear foot wherever a detail calls for it, and architectural millwork by the linear foot of run with casework counted by unit. Framing-only packages go to lumber takeoff.
Roofing by the square with tapered insulation measured separately, membrane and dampproofing by area, flashing, edge metal and expansion joints by the linear foot, firestopping by penetration count. Below-grade waterproofing is measured against the wall section rather than the building footprint. Assembly-level detail sits on thermal and moisture protection estimating.
Every door, frame, window, louver and storefront counted by mark against the schedule, with hardware tallied group by group instead of averaged across the count. Glazing by the square foot with frame type carried through, and overhead, coiling and specialty doors listed individually. Door-and-hardware-only scopes go to openings estimating services.
Gypsum board by face area with partition type and height carried through the run, metal framing by the linear foot, acoustic and specialty ceilings by area, flooring by SF or SY depending on material, base by the foot, paint by surface and coat. Everything keys to the room finish schedule. See interior and exterior finishes estimating.
MEP is where the drawings and the building diverge most, because plan views hide risers and one-line diagrams hide routing. We measure from the riser diagrams, schedules and details as well as the plans, and we count what the specification requires rather than what is easiest to see on screen.
Sprinkler heads and mains by count and size, domestic and sanitary pipe by material and diameter, fixtures by mark against the plumbing schedule, ductwork by the linear foot and by weight of sheet metal where the specification demands it, equipment counted off the mechanical schedule. Full trade scope: MEP estimating services.
Conduit and conductor by size and type in linear feet, boxes, devices and plates by count, fixtures by type against the lighting schedule, and panels, gear and feeders by the each with the one-line reconciled back to the panel schedule. Low voltage, fire alarm and security counted device by device. See our electrical estimator page.
Toilet partitions and accessories, lockers, signage, fire extinguisher cabinets, appliances, food service and laboratory equipment, window treatments, and elevators or lifts. Small in dollars and large in change orders, because these are the divisions an in-house estimator skips at eleven at night. We count them anyway.
Bidding one division instead of the whole job? Browse all trades we take off and order that package on its own.
Three deliverables come out of the same measurement pass. Here is exactly where each one stops.
Order a construction takeoff when you are bidding a whole job and need every division measured, coordinated and reconciled in one package. Order one of its two children when you already know which half of the problem you have: the counts, or the buy list.
Net in place, nothing padded. It answers how much of a thing the building actually contains, in the unit each trade works in, plus labor hours and crew loading if you want the resource side. It stops before waste and before pricing — you carry your own rates. Full detail on quantity takeoff services.
The same measurements, converted into what a supplier can quote. Waste, laps and cut loss are applied and documented rather than guessed; square feet become sheets, linear feet become sticks and bundles. This is the document you buy from, not the one you bid from. Full detail on material takeoff services.
The pillar package. Every division from 02 to 33 measured by one team, cross-checked against the divisions it touches, and delivered with a scope gap log that names what the drawings never resolved. Choose it when the risk you are managing is not a wrong number but a missing one.
| What you get | Quantity Takeoff | Material Takeoff | Construction Takeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net measured quantities | Included | Included | Included |
| Marked-up plan set | Included | Included | Included |
| Unlocked Excel workbook | Included | Included | Included |
| Waste, laps and cut loss | Net in place | Applied and documented | By trade package |
| Commercial purchase units | Not included | Included | Not included |
| Labor hours and crew loading | Included | Not included | Included |
| Every CSI division in one package | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Cross-trade reconciliation | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Scope gap and discrepancy log | Included | Included | Included |
| Priced line items and O&P | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Typical turnaround | 24-72 hours | 24-72 hours | 24-72 hours |
| Starting price | From $149 | From $149 | From $199 |
No column carries dollars. When you need the quantities priced, that is construction cost estimating services — material, labor, equipment, general conditions and markup on top of these numbers. Turnaround and pricing per our published rates.
Net-in-place quantities measured to CSI division, with labor hours, crew loading and a scope gap log. Order this when you already know your unit rates and only need the counts to be right. From $149, back in 24-72 hours.
Explore quantity takeoffThe same measurements converted into purchase units, with waste factors applied and shown rather than buried. Order this when you are buying rather than bidding. From $149, back in 24-72 hours.
Explore material takeoffThree steps, one point of contact, and a delivery date fixed against your bid due date rather than ours.
Upload the full set: drawings, specifications, every addendum issued so far, and the invitation to bid if you have one. PDF, DWG, DXF and most CAD formats are fine, and hand-drawn sketches are accepted. Tell us the bid due date and which divisions you want carried; scope and price come back inside five to ten minutes.
One estimator owns the whole set, which is what stops scope falling between trades. A second estimator then cross-checks the divisions that touch each other — concrete against masonry, framing against roofing, ceilings against MEP. Anything the drawings contradict goes into the discrepancy log with our assumption stated, not resolved silently.
You receive the marked-up plan set, the unlocked workbook and the discrepancy log. That window is our standard 24 to 72 hours, and it includes a full reconciliation pass across every division. Revisions included. Rush turnaround is available for a fee.
A multi-trade construction takeoff starts at $199. What moves the number is sheet count, division count and how much of the set lives in schedules rather than plans, so we quote the specific job before anyone starts measuring. Single-division work is priced on its own tier — see takeoff pricing for the tiers and the monthly option high-volume bidders use.
We take off projects in all fifty states from offices in North Canton, Ohio and Manassas, Virginia, and we price labor and material against the zip code of the project rather than a national average. Support runs Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Saturday 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with email covered around the clock.
Because the constraint is rarely cost — it is capacity. A salaried estimator caps how many invitations you can chase, and the cap does not move on the week three sets land at once. Sending the measuring out keeps your pipeline elastic and your senior people on bid day.
Four buyers, four different reasons the same package is worth the outsourcing.
You chase more invitations without adding a salary line, and every sub gets a package already checked against the packages either side of it. When a sub's number looks wrong on bid day, you have an independent quantity to argue from instead of a hunch.
You get your own division measured to the same standard as the whole job, fast enough to still be first back to the GC. You also get the scope gap log, which is how you find work sitting on your side of a boundary before pricing it as free.
You take off a plan type once and reuse the quantities across the community, elevation by elevation, with option and upgrade scope kept on separate lines. Feasibility numbers stop being a spreadsheet someone built in 2021 and start being what the current drawings say.
You find out what the set you are about to issue actually contains, in quantities, before an owner finds out from a bid. Useful at design development, and much cheaper than a value engineering exercise conducted after three contractors have already priced it.
Not sure which service you need? Talk to an estimator. Need only the counts, see quantity takeoff services. Need the buy list, see material takeoff services. Need it priced, see construction cost estimating services.
Most bids need more than one of these. Bundle them into a single submission and we measure them off the same set.
Net-in-place quantities with labor hours and a scope gap log, measured to CSI division.
ExplorePurchase units with waste, laps and cut loss applied and documented for a supplier to quote.
ExploreMaterial, labor, equipment, general conditions and markup applied on top of measured quantities.
ExplorePlacement volumes, formwork contact area and reinforcing tonnage off the structural set.
ExplorePipe, duct, conduit and equipment measured from risers and schedules, not only plan views.
ExploreTen trade pages, concrete through sitework, each with its own units and deliverables.
ExploreStill unsure? Ask us directly, or read the full FAQ.
A construction takeoff is the measured inventory of everything a drawing set requires, counted in trade units before any pricing is applied. It covers counts, lengths, areas and volumes across every CSI division on the job rather than one trade, which is what lets the packages be reconciled against each other before they go out to subs.
Construction takeoffs start at $199. The final number depends on sheet count, how many divisions you want carried and whether the set is schedule-heavy or plan-heavy, so we quote the specific project rather than publishing a flat rate. You get that figure before any measuring starts, usually within five to ten minutes of us receiving the set.
24 to 72 hours from the point we hold a complete set. A multi-trade package runs to the longer end of that window because it is not finished until every division has been reconciled against the others; a single-trade scope comes back sooner.
Every division is measured once, then cross-checked by a second estimator against the divisions it touches, and every quantity traces back to a sheet and a detail so you can audit it yourself. Our published typical variance is plus or minus five to ten percent once quantities are priced.
PDF, DWG, DXF and most CAD formats, including sets running past 200 sheets. Hand-drawn sketches and photographed markups are accepted too. If the set is incomplete, we measure what exists and list the gaps rather than waiting for the whole package.
Both. The construction takeoff is the full package, divisions 02 through 33, measured and reconciled together. If you only need one, order that division on its own at the single-trade rate — tell us at intake and the quote reflects only those divisions.
Scope, mainly. A quantity takeoff measures a defined scope, usually one trade, in net-in-place units. A construction takeoff does that across every division and adds the part neither trade can do alone: reconciling the packages so nothing sits in the seam between two subs.
Not on this service. A construction takeoff returns quantities, units and a scope gap log, with no dollars anywhere in the file, because most contractors carry their own rates. When you need it priced, our cost estimating service applies material, labor, equipment and markup on top.
Send it across and we revise the affected divisions rather than re-measuring the set. Revisions are included, and the marked-up plan set shows which quantities moved. Addenda arriving inside the final 24 hours may need rush handling, so flag the deadline when you forward them.
Yes. Send the template with the plan set and we populate it directly, matching your division order, item naming and unit conventions. That is usually faster than importing our workbook, and the takeoff arrives in the format your bid room already reviews.
Yes. Sample deliverables sit on our samples page, and you can ask for one relevant to your trade before sending anything of your own. Consultations are free, and a quote on your actual set usually comes back within five to ten minutes, so you can see the format and the price before you commit either way.
Yes. Drawings, quantities and any pricing you share stay confidential, and we sign an NDA on request before you send a file. We do not disclose who we work with, which matters when more than one plan-holder uses an outside estimator.
Upload your plan set and we'll return a complete construction takeoff in 24-72 hours. Our construction takeoff services return every division measured, reconciled against the divisions it touches, and traceable back to a sheet — plus the log of everything the drawings never resolved. Ask about the current new-client offer when you send your drawings.
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