"We're a small electrical sub — 3 guys. Can't afford a dedicated estimator. TakeoffBuilder lets me bid 5 jobs in the time I used to spend on one. We went from passing on jobs to actually competing."
Subcontractors. Bid Faster. Win More Jobs.
General contractors need your number in 48 hours. TakeoffBuilder gets your material counts in ~15 minutes so you can price and submit while the competition is still counting by hand.
Subcontractor Takeoffs
Get your number to the GC faster
Electrical Takeoffs
AI extracts every circuit, outlet, and fixture from your PDF plans in minutes
HVAC Systems
Get complete ductwork measurements, equipment schedules, and diffuser counts ready for bidding
Plumbing Takeoffs
Fixture counts, pipe sizing, and valve schedules extracted from your plumbing drawings
Ready to Use
Export to Excel, CSV, or JSON - ready to import into your estimating software
Why Subs Bid and Win on Speed
GCs get 8-12 sub bids and pick the fastest responding that's also competitive. Manual takeoffs take 4-12 hours. TakeoffBuilder gets you counts in ~15 minutes — leaving the rest of your time for pricing and relationship building.
- Material counts in ~15 minutes, not 4-12 hours
- Submit your number while others are still counting
- Bid 3x more jobs without hiring another estimator
Every Trade Sub. One Platform.
Electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, low voltage, concrete, drywall — all 15 trade types covered from the same plan set upload.
MEP Subcontractors
Electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, low voltage, and mechanical (process/medical gas) — all supported. Upload your MEP plan set, select your trade, get counts in ~15 minutes.
- Electrical: devices, circuits, wire footage, panels
- HVAC: ductwork footage, equipment schedules, diffusers
- Plumbing, fire protection, low voltage
Structure & Shell Subs
Concrete (CY volumes, rebar by bar size), roofing (square footage, flashing counts), sitework/excavation (cubic yards, linear feet), and landscaping — from your structural and civil drawings.
- Concrete: slab CY, footing volumes, rebar schedules
- Roofing: area by type, flashing and penetration counts
- Sitework: cut/fill quantities, liner footage, inlet counts
Interiors & Finishes Subs
Drywall (wall areas by room), flooring (area by finish type), painting (area by surface), and architectural (door and window schedules) — from your architectural and interior drawings.
- Drywall: wall areas (SF) with opening deductions
- Flooring: area by finish — tile, carpet, VCT, hardwood
- Doors and windows from architectural schedule
GC Self-Perform
GCs self-performing concrete, framing, or finishes use TakeoffBuilder to get quantities faster on the scope they're pricing in-house — same tool, same workflow as any sub.
- Same tool whether you're sub or GC self-perform
- Verify sub bids against your own AI counts
- See a live example takeoff — free when you sign up
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All 15 Trade Types Supported
MEP, structure, interiors — one platform
Subcontractors Who Use It
Subs across 15 trade types who bid faster and win more jobs.
6 reviews
"HVAC sub. GCs need numbers fast or they move on. I can get them a number within 2 hours of receiving plans now. Closing rate went up. Speed matters."
"Drywall sub. Floor plans take time to count by hand — rooms, walls, deductions. AI does it in 15 minutes. I review, adjust for field conditions, submit. Done."
"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%."
Subcontractor Takeoffs — Questions
What subs ask about using AI for faster bid takeoffs.
What trades does it support for subcontractors?
All 15 trade types: Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, Mechanical (Process/Medical Gas), Fire Protection, Low Voltage/Technology, Concrete, Roofing, Sitework/Excavation, Landscaping, Drywall/Metal Framing, Flooring, Painting, Architectural (Doors/Windows), and General Construction.
- MEP: electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire, low voltage, mechanical
- Structure, interiors, finishes — all covered
What if my plans are old, scanned, or hand-drawn?
We've processed 47-page scanned permit sets, faded drawings from the 80s, and hand-drawn TI plans. Accuracy may be slightly lower on degraded scans — the AI flags anything it's uncertain about rather than guessing. You get honest results, not inflated claims.
- Works on scanned, hand-drawn, and CAD exports
- Lower confidence items flagged, not silently guessed
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 Sub Takeoff Free
Create a free account. See a real example plan and the AI-generated counts from it. Then submit faster than your competition.
- 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
Subcontractor Takeoffs
All 15 trade types — ~15 minutes