"First takeoff I ran, I checked every count manually. It caught outlets I missed on a 47-page commercial set. Checked out. Now I trust the counts and just verify flagged items — takes 10 minutes instead of 3 days."
Construction Estimating Software That Counts Plans in 15 Minutes
Upload your PDF plans. Select your trade. Download contractor-ready material counts. No desktop software, no monthly subscription, no training required.
TakeoffBuilder vs PlanSwift: Feature Comparison
Manual counting takes 2-3 days on a typical commercial set. Here is what that costs you.
Feature
TakeoffBuilder
Manual Counting
Time per takeoff
~15 minutes for a 30-page set
8-40 hours of estimator time
Bids per week
10x more proposals with same team
Limited by manual counting bottleneck
Error risk
Pay per use — credits never expire, no monthly fees
Human fatigue causes counting errors on long sets
Weekend work
Upload Friday, counts ready Monday AM
Estimator working weekends to meet deadlines
Cost per takeoff
Credits — no subscription, pay per project
Estimator salary or expensive sub-out
Plan Compatibility
Works on scanned, hand-drawn, and CAD exports
Same effort regardless of plan quality
Manual takeoffs are the most expensive hour you do not bill.
A commercial plan set takes 8 to 40 hours to count by hand. At estimator rates of $75 to $150 per hour, that is $600 to $6,000 in labor on every bid. Most contractors do not skip bids because the work is not there. They skip bids because the counting takes too long to make the turnaround worth it. TakeoffBuilder does not replace your judgment. It eliminates the hours you spend before your judgment ever gets to work.
- 8 to 40 hours per plan set at $75 to $150 per hour equals $600 to $6,000 in labor
- One TakeoffBuilder credit: $199. Any size plan. 15 to 30 minutes.
- The math works on the first job. Every job after that is margin.
Every hour you count is an hour you are not bidding.
The bottleneck is not the pricing. It is the counting.
Manual takeoffs are the most expensive hour you do not bill.
A commercial plan set takes 8 to 40 hours to count by hand. At estimator rates of $75 to $150 per hour, that is $600 to $6,000 in labor on every bid. Most contractors do not skip bids because the work is not there. They skip bids because the counting takes too long to make the turnaround worth it. TakeoffBuilder does not replace your judgment. It eliminates the hours you spend before your judgment ever gets to work.
- 8 to 40 hours per plan set at $75 to $150 per hour equals $600 to $6,000 in labor
- One TakeoffBuilder credit: $199. Any size plan. 15 to 30 minutes.
- The math works on the first job. Every job after that is margin.
Every Trade. One Platform.
Upload your plans and get accurate material counts in about 15 minutes — across all major trades.
Electrical Takeoffs
Complete circuit-by-circuit counts from your electrical plans — panels, devices, wire footage, conduit runs, and junction boxes.
- Device counts: outlets, switches, dimmers, receptacles
- Panel schedules organized by circuit
- Wire footage estimates by gauge and type
HVAC Takeoffs
Ductwork footage by size, equipment schedules with tonnage and CFM, diffuser counts by zone — all extracted from your mechanical plans. Export to Accubid, ConEst, or FastDuct.
- Duct runs with dimensions and footage
- Diffuser and grille counts by type
- Equipment schedules: AHUs, VAVs, RTUs
Plumbing Takeoffs
Fixture counts by type, pipe footage by material and size, valve schedules with locations — organized for your estimating software or supplier order.
- Fixture counts: toilets, sinks, showers
- Pipe runs by material, size, and footage
- Valve and fitting schedules
Fire Protection Takeoffs
Sprinkler head counts, pipe sizing, alarm device locations, and suppression system quantities from your fire protection plans.
- Sprinkler head counts by type and coverage
- Pipe footage by size and material
- Alarm devices: pulls, horns, strobes
Contractors on Every Trade Using It Daily
Electricians, mechanical contractors, plumbers, and GCs who needed more bids, not more software.
6 reviews
"The AI handles ductwork counts while I focus on pricing strategy and equipment specs. Exports directly to my estimating software. Cut my takeoff time from 2 days to about 2 hours on a typical commercial job."
"Pays for itself on the first job. I was spending weekends counting fixtures. Now I upload the plans Friday, have counts Monday morning, and actually have a weekend. Sign up free to see a live example takeoff — just try it."
"Use it to verify sub bids. Caught a 20% undercount on a recent electrical sub package. Paid for a month of credits on that one catch. Now I run every sub bid through it before signing."
"Sprinkler layouts are complex — density zones, obstruction calcs, riser diagrams. The AI catches head counts and pipe footage I'd need hours to verify manually. Especially useful on large commercial projects."
"No subscription is the key for me. I pay credits when I bid, not monthly whether I use it or not. Slow months cost me nothing. Busy months I load up credits at the 10-pack rate and save 25%."
Construction Estimating Software — Common Questions
Straight answers to what contractors ask before switching from manual or subscription-based tools.
Will it catch everything, or will I miss items?
Upload your PDF construction plans. Select your trade (electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, general construction). Get material counts back in about 15 minutes. Review flagged items. Export to Excel or CSV.
- ~15 minutes for a 30-page commercial plan set
- Flagged items show exact page and location for manual review
What if my plans are old, scanned, or hand-drawn?
95%+ on standard commercial drawings. Low-confidence items are flagged — you see exactly what to verify and where on the plan. Most contractors report the manual review takes 10-20 minutes on a full commercial set.
- 95%+ on standard commercial drawings
- Lower confidence items flagged, not silently guessed
How long does it actually take?
Best on commercial plans with standard architectural and trade symbols. Residential plans supported. Scanned drawings work — lower confidence items get flagged. Hand-drawn plans work but flag more items.
- 30 pages: ~15 minutes
- Email notification when complete — no waiting at the screen
What exactly do I get back?
Pay-per-use with credits. Sign up free to see a live example takeoff. No monthly subscription. Credits don't expire. Volume packs available for high-volume shops.
- No monthly subscription — pay per project
- Organized by category, ready to import or price
How do I get started?
Create a free account with one Google click and we’ll show you a real commercial plan set alongside the AI-generated takeoff from it. See the output format, accuracy, and how flagged items work — before uploading any of your own plans. No credit card required.
- One Google click — no credit card required
- See a real example plan and takeoff output immediately
I already use PlanSwift / Bluebeam. Will this replace it?
No — and we're not trying to. TakeoffBuilder handles the counting. Your existing software handles pricing, markup, and workflow. We export to the formats your software imports. Think of it as a counting layer on top of what you already use.
- Exports to PlanSwift, Accubid, and Excel
- Complements your existing tools — doesn't replace them
Visit our complete FAQ page or contact support for specific questions about your projects
Build Your TakeoffTry Construction Estimating Software That Actually Saves Time
Sign up free. See a real example plan and AI-generated takeoff. No credit card required required.
- Sign up free — see a real example plan and AI takeoff output
- Results in about 15 minutes, not 3 days
- Works on your existing plans — PDF, scanned, or CAD export
Construction Estimating
~15 minutes. 95%+ accuracy.