"Commercial office — 48 cameras, 32 access control doors, full intrusion. Had counts in 22 minutes. Checked the camera schedule manually — matched. Saved me 6 hours."
Security & Access Control Takeoffs. Cameras, Readers, Cable Runs. ~15 Minutes.
Upload your security system plans. Get IP camera counts by type, access control device schedules, cable run footage, conduit quantities, and power supply requirements — organized for ordering or your estimating software.
Security & Access Control Takeoff
Cameras, card readers, cable runs — all counted
Every Major Trade. One Platform.
15 trade types supported. One credit covers one complete plan, any size — electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and 11 more. The AI reads what your estimators read: legends, schedules, symbols, notes.
Electrical Takeoffs
Device counts, panel schedules, wire footage by gauge, conduit runs with sizing — circuit by circuit from your plan set. The AI asks your code year, occupancy, and hazard class before it reads a page.
- Device counts: outlets, switches, dimmers, receptacles
- Panel schedules organized by circuit
- Wire footage estimates by gauge and type
HVAC Takeoffs
Duct linear footage by size, diffuser counts by type, equipment schedules with tonnage and CFM, hydronic pipe runs. Configured for new construction, renovation, TI, or retrofit before the AI touches the plan.
- Duct runs with dimensions and footage
- Diffuser and grille counts by type
- Equipment schedules: AHUs, VAVs, RTUs
Plumbing Takeoffs
Fixture counts, pipe routing by material and size, valve and fitting schedules, drain and vent quantities. Commercial and residential. Riser diagrams parsed.
- Fixture counts: toilets, sinks, showers
- Pipe runs by material, size, and footage
- Valve and fitting schedules
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 Major Trade. One Platform.
15 trade types supported. One credit covers one complete plan, any size — electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and 11 more. The AI reads what your estimators read: legends, schedules, symbols, notes.
Electrical Takeoffs
Device counts, panel schedules, wire footage by gauge, conduit runs with sizing — circuit by circuit from your plan set. The AI asks your code year, occupancy, and hazard class before it reads a page.
- Device counts: outlets, switches, dimmers, receptacles
- Panel schedules organized by circuit
- Wire footage estimates by gauge and type
HVAC Takeoffs
Duct linear footage by size, diffuser counts by type, equipment schedules with tonnage and CFM, hydronic pipe runs. Configured for new construction, renovation, TI, or retrofit before the AI touches the plan.
- Duct runs with dimensions and footage
- Diffuser and grille counts by type
- Equipment schedules: AHUs, VAVs, RTUs
Plumbing Takeoffs
Fixture counts, pipe routing by material and size, valve and fitting schedules, drain and vent quantities. Commercial and residential. Riser diagrams parsed.
- Fixture counts: toilets, sinks, showers
- Pipe runs by material, size, and footage
- Valve and fitting schedules
Fire Protection Takeoffs
Sprinkler head counts by type and coverage, pipe footage by size, alarm devices, riser and backflow assembly counts. NFPA 13 / 13R aware.
- Sprinkler head counts by type and coverage
- Pipe footage by size and material
- Alarm devices: pulls, horns, strobes
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.
Any PDF format works — CAD exports, scanned drawings, permit sets up to 150MB. Drag and drop or browse. We've processed 47-page commercial permit sets, multi-building residential packages, and hand-drawn TI plans.
Construction-trained AI reads your legends, schedules, notes, and drawings — understanding trade-specific symbols the way an experienced estimator would. Not generic object detection. Trade-specific symbol recognition trained on thousands of real plan sets.
Anything the AI isn't confident about gets flagged — with the exact page and location shown. You verify flagged items manually. Everything else ships in your Excel. Most contractors check flagged items in 5-10 minutes.
Download as Excel, CSV, or JSON. Import directly into PlanSwift, Accubid, or your estimating software. Or price it right there — the counts are organized exactly the way suppliers need them.
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.
Every hour you count is an hour you are not bidding.
The bottleneck is not the pricing. It is the counting.
Security Contractors Who Use It
Security integrators and low voltage contractors who needed faster counts on commercial projects.
6 reviews
"The door hardware cross-reference is the killer feature. It matched card readers to doors from the schedule automatically. That used to take me 2 hours on a 40-door job."
"Cable footage was within 5% of my manual estimate on a 3-floor office install. The conduit routing was traced correctly — not straight-line guesses. That's what matters for ordering."
"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%."
Security System Takeoff — Contractor Questions
Honest answers to what security integrators ask before their first AI security system takeoff.
What security system components does it count?
IP cameras by type and mounting, access control devices (readers, strikes, locks, REX, controllers), intrusion detection (motion sensors, contacts, glass break), intercom stations, paging speakers, cable by type and footage, conduit by size, power supplies and UPS.
- Cameras, access control, intrusion, intercom — all counted
- Cable footage and conduit by size with junction boxes
Does it read door hardware schedules?
Yes. Door hardware schedules are read and cross-referenced to the floor plan by door number. Electric strikes, mag locks, REX devices, and card readers matched to each opening. Conflicts between schedule and plan get flagged.
- Door schedule cross-referenced to floor plan by door number
- Conflicts between schedule and plan flagged automatically
How long does it actually take?
About 15 minutes for a typical 30-page commercial set. Larger plan sets — 80-100 pages — run 25-40 minutes. You'll get an email when results are ready. Upload before lunch, have counts before you leave the office.
- 30 pages: ~15 minutes
- Email notification when complete — no waiting at the screen
What exactly do I get back?
An Excel spreadsheet (or CSV) organized by trade category — circuits, devices, wire footage by gauge, conduit runs with sizing. The same format you'd hand to a supplier or import into your estimating software. Plus a flagged items list with page references.
- Excel, CSV, or JSON — your choice
- 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
More Questions?See a Real Security System Takeoff Free
Upload any security system plan with a free account. Get camera counts, access control schedules, and cable footage in about 15 minutes. No credit card 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
Security & Access Control Takeoffs
Cameras, readers, cable — ~15 minutes