A Comprehensive Guide to Takeoff Software

Imagine you have a sudden urge to recreate your favorite dish. Later that evening, you went to the supermarket for the ingredients.

In haste, you forgot to bring pepper because you somehow missed it on your list. And now, the dish is incomplete. What a bummer!

This can also happen to a construction project, but the impact will be much more significant. A missing material for construction can adversely impact your reputation, cause budget issues, and stalled projects.

Here's where construction takeoff software comes into the picture. Such software can do takeoffs of earthwork, doors/windows, lighting fixtures, etc, in less time. This means that such software does not allow you to miss construction materials.

Additionally, construction takeoff software can solve many other pressing takeoff challenges like loss of bidding opportunities, decrease in sales funnel, reduced productivity, etc.

To know more, we have composed this consumable comprehensive guide to takeoff software packed with valuable insights to propel your pre-construction activities.

Table of contents

1. What is Takeoff in Construction?
2. Why is a Takeoff Important?
3. The Takeoff Story So Far…
4. How to Find the Takeoff Software that’s Right for You
5. Manual Takeoff Software Vs. Fully Automated Takeoff Software
6. Why is AI-Based Takeoff Software the Way Forward?
7. FAQs

What is Takeoff in Construction?

It is a process in which an estimator figures out two of the most important aspects of a construction project. They are:

1. Material type: The estimators will get to know the list of relevant material types for a project, like concrete, wood, rebar, bricks, etc.
2. Quantity of materials: It gives a clear idea about the required material amount for a project. Different trades have different material requirements. And it is essential to do quantity takeoff for them.

For example - 

• Concrete: To measure rebar, concrete, framework, join & curb/gutter,etc.
• Masonry: To measure CMU/Brick wall, stone, etc.
• Electrical: To measure wiring, conduit, fittings, etc.
• HVAC: To measure ducts, fittings, etc.
• Plumbing: To measure pipes, drains, etc.
• Flooring: To measure flooring & related tasks.

The list includes other trades like concrete, masonry, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, flooring, painting, drywall, landscape, paving, lumber, earthwork, roofing, and suppliers.

Why is a Takeoff Important?

Takeoff is a very important activity as it can make or break your revenue. Why?

If you don't have a clear picture of the type and quantity of materials required for a project, you'll end up underbidding or overbidding on the project.

How will overbidding and underbidding impact a business's bottom line?

Overbidding - Let's say your proposal is around $ 20,000 for a project. However, other contractors are submitting a proposal for $ 15,000. Your chance of winning the project becomes small as others are providing their services at a lower rate unless you can justify the bid amount.

Underbidding - Assume you came up with material and quantity takeoff on your own by doing mental math and a calculator. This estimation can be incorrect due to manual errors, and you can end up suggesting fewer materials than expected to prospects, thereby impacting profit margin.

Important Note: 

Takeoff is vital to determine the exact amount of materials to order for a project. Knowing this will save you from project delays, missing revenue targets, legal issues, and reputation loss.

Also, estimating material costs (which are measured based on takeoff results) helps with labor and equipment costs.

You might ask about the Intensity of the impact of accurate takeoff for a project. Here it is.

Nearly 40-50% of a project’s cost goes towards labor. You can imagine a single mistake in takeoff can have a domino effect (in an adverse way) on a project. Crazy!

The Takeoff Story So Far…

Most construction companies have estimators to do takeoffs.

They are highly skilled individuals who specialize in understanding a blueprint and know how to trace accurately and calculate site measurements from it.

How are Takeoffs Conducted till Now

1. Manual Takeoffs - Pen & Paper: Initially, estimators were heavily dependent on manual takeoffs, where they would take the printout of an electronic print. Then, trace on top and draw boundaries and polygons. Estimators had to depend heavily on calculators and mental math to detect the type of construction materials like bricks, plastics, concrete, etc, and their coverage quantity. Eventually, the manual takeoff procedure became archaic and error-prone.
2. Manual Takeoff Software: With technology, manual takeoff software came into the picture. To use this, one needs to do a lot of clicking and dragging on the electronic plan. Once this activity is over, the estimators will get an electronic report on the number of materials and their quantity.
3. Semi-Automated Takeoff Software: Then came the semi-automated takeoff software, which tried to remove some pressure from the estimators by automating nearly 30% of takeoff activities. For the rest, estimators had to sit and trace on a plan.
4. AI-Based Fully Automated Takeoff Software: You only need to upload a plan with AI-based, fully automated takeoff software. Then, AI will fully automate the takeoff process. Such software provides faster and more accurate figures without any user intervention.

How to Find the Takeoff Software that’s Right for You

The million-dollar question: How efficient is my takeoff software?

We understand your concern, as a study shows that inefficient software can cause overspending of nearly $40 billion per year.

Here are a few points on which you can decide on the takeoff software’s efficiency:

1. Saves Time on Takeoff: With effective takeoff software, you will be able to complete material and quantity takeoff in a couple of minutes. This will help estimators focus on things that matter the most, like gaining more leads, enhancing value engineering strategies, etc.
2. Easy to Use: An easy-to-use software makes life simpler for everyone. A user-friendly software operates with limited commands and produces digestible output. For example, a color-coded site map makes takeoff reports easy to comprehend.
3. Generate High Accuracy Results: Accurate takeoffs are a cornerstone for a successful construction project. Hence, takeoff software should have the ability to trace blueprints accurately and generate a detailed report on material types, their place of application, and quantity.
4. Quick Access with a Cloud-Based Software Solution: A cloud-based takeoff software will allow you and your team members to access software from anywhere globally from any device. This will help relevant members to be on the same page. Overall, this enhances team efficiency and productivity.
5. Easily Handles Changes in Project Scope and revisions: There can be situations where the scope of a project can change while doing takeoff. In that case, the software should be customizable to handle changes in the project scope.
6. Process Multiple Takeoffs in Parallel: A takeoff software should allow you to run multiple measurement tasks simultaneously. Meaning you can do more work in less time with such software.
7. Be a Master of all Trades, and NOT a “Jack of none”: Construction has several trades like concrete, masonry, plumbing, electrical, etc. Each trade depends on different materials. For example, for a concrete contractor, it is relevant to calculate rebar, concrete, and joint materials.

Therefore, takeoff software should be able to perform material takeoff based on trades. This will make it more customized and relevant for a user.

Manual Takeoff Software Vs. Fully Automated Takeoff Software

In most scenarios, manual takeoff software fails to deliver compared to fully automated takeoff software.

For example, when handling a big and complex construction project, clicking and dragging in manual takeoff software can be more time-consuming than manual takeoffs.

On the other hand, fully automated takeoff software is faster and can do takeoffs without the user's intervention.

Let's look into the manual takeoff software vs. the fully automated takeoff software table.

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Why is AI-based takeoff software the way forward?

It’s great to see that the construction industry is constantly adapting new technology for faster and higher-quality output.

With AI, The takeoff process has reached a new level as it is fast and reliable. And most importantly, your team gets ample time to do value engineering.

If you want to know more about AI-powered takeoff software, try Beam AI and see the impact on your business, like - saving 90% of takeoff time and strengthening your business bottom line by bidding more and winning more.

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FAQs

What does a Construction Takeoff Software do?

A takeoff software steps up the measurement game for the construction industry. You can do even more with such software and be quicker at your task with high accuracy. 

All you need to do is upload a blueprint, and the software will do all the calculations for you. You can double-check those takeoff numbers to validate for accuracy.

Is it easy to use AI-powered automated takeoff software?

Yes, because it can work with only three clicks.

1. Uploading construction blueprint PDF file.
2. Defining the scope of a project.
3. Get a readily sharable takeoff report.

What is Blueprint Takeoff Software?

Such powerful software can trace blueprints, save a lot of time, and address skill shortage issues to a certain degree. This software can calculate accurate material requirements and quantities required for a project.

Which is the Best Takeoff software?

It depends on your requirements. If you want to do something proactive like chasing leads and nurturing customer relationships, then go for AI-powered automated takeoff software.

And the best takeoff software will provide the following benefits:

1. Simple to use.
2. Produce measurements in minutes.
3. Accurate takeoff reports.
4. Offers convenient ways to share the takeoff reports.
5. Improves profit margins.