What is a takeoff, what is takeoff software, and why are takeoffs important? The term takeoff (also written take-off or take off) is commonly associated with the construction industry and is usually a part of the pre-construction phase of a development. It refers both to the process of estimating the building materials required to complete…
Kits and Presets are two powerful tools to help aid you in your takeoffs. Once properly set up, they’ll save you a ton of time by preselecting material assignments and ensuring that related materials are included. Combining these tools takes your skill set to the next level. If you’re not familiar with these features, or…
A picture is worth a thousand words…so use them! If you work on material takeoffs and estimating or do any other work with the construction industry, you’ve likely been more than one situation where there was confusion or uncertainty about the plans, materials, or terminology for a project. Maybe it’s an atypical condition in the…
PET and Pre-cuts—same thing, right? Well, yes and no. PET refers to “precision end trimmed” lumber which just means that the boards are cut to a stricter tolerance than normal lumber. On the other hand, pre-cuts most commonly refers to lumber that is simply pre-cut to specific sizes. Not only does PET adhere to a…
No matter how you cut it, optimizing your lumber lists is key to success in the construction industry. Too little lumber causes unnecessary delays, and too much lumber creates extra expenses that could cost you the bid or cut into your profits. Or maybe you’ve got the just the right amount of lumber but it’s…
A pitch adjusted measurement refers to a measurement from a 2-dimensional plan that factor in a slope. When reading a set of plans, these materials need to factor in the extra lengths and square footages required to span or cover a sloped area. A 10-foot by 10-foot shed with a single slope roof will have…
Before software had become commonplace at all levels of structural design and production, plans were designed and represented on paper. Common scales types were established to represent different sizes of structures and sites across different sizes of paper. The scales represent a particular relationship between the actual size to the scaled size on the paper….
You’ve probably come across phrases like “cloud-based” or “web-based” while looking at software or services to help your business. The cloud simply refers to a network of computers and servers connected to the internet. Cloud-based and web-based can be a bit confusing, but usually they just mean that the software or service you’re looking at…
Simple is seldom a word you’ll hear used in modern construction—least of all when talking about roofs. It’s not often that today’s estimators and framers will ever come across a simple gabled roof with a consistent pitch, no dormers, hips, or valleys. These features drastically change the design and complexity of the construction and you…
Construction and trade professionals walk a fine line between economy and quality. Yet when it comes to estimating a job, many are still stuck using paper plans and manual takeoffs. Or, they’re switching between multiple windows and programs to work with a PDF viewer and spreadsheet program to create their takeoff. What if there was…