Tutorials

Tutorial: Flooring Takeoff and Job Costing From PDF Plans

November 7, 2023

In the flooring industry, precise takeoff and accurate job costing are crucial for small to medium-sized businesses aiming for successful project bids and management. This tutorial introduces you to using PDF plans for these tasks, a method that enhances accuracy and efficiency.

Kickstart your learning with a step-by-step guide with clear screenshots breaks down the flooring takeoff and job costing process further.

PDF plans are a valuable resource for SMB flooring companies, offering a detailed digital blueprint for your projects. Utilizing these plans can improve the accuracy of your takeoffs and job costing, aiding in competitive bidding and smooth project execution.

The step-by-step guide delves into each stage of the process. Screenshots accompanying each step make it easy to follow along and apply the principles to your own operations.

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have the knowledge to execute flooring takeoffs and job costing from PDF plans efficiently, positioning your business competitively in the flooring market.

Step by step flooring takeoff tutorial

1- Register or Log in to Buildee

If you haven’t yet registered to Buildee, click here to register. During the signup process, you’ll need to follow a few steps such as confirming your email address by clicking the link in the email we sent to your inbox. 

If you already have an account, simply log in by clicking here.

Sign up to Buildee Takeoff and Cost Estimating software

2- Create a new project

Click on the blue button labeled “New Project”, then enter a project name, a due date, if you work in imperial or metric measurement, and click on the Create button.

Create a new takeoff project

3- Upload your PDF plan

Upload PDF blueprint

4- Set the scale of your PDF plan

Locate the scale of your plan. In most cases, the scale is written on the plan. Then click the Scale tool in the toolbox on the right, click the Auto tab, and select the appropriate scale. 

If you can’t find it, don’t worry. Click the scale tool in the toolbox on the right, click the Standard tab, and enter a measurement from the plan.

Set the scale of your blueprint

5- Take measurements using the Area tool

In the right toolbar, select the Area tool then start taking measurements by clicking on your plan. When you’re done, press Enter to close the area.

Repeat for as many measurements you need.

Take measurements in takeoff

6- List your measurements

When you're done, you can list all the measurements you took in the right Content panel. You can name each measurement if material or rooms are different by double clicking on the default name.

7- Add cost and wastage to each measurement

Move from takeoff to job cost estimating by clicking on the Estimating tab. For each measurement, you can add the item cost in addition or material wastage or error margin.

Estimate job cost from takeoff

8- Export or print takeoff and job costing.

When you’re done, you can export your takeoff to Excel by clicking the Export button, or print it by clicking the Print button.

Wrapping up our guide on flooring takeoff and job costing from PDF plans, we’ve equipped you with a powerful suite of knowledge and tools tailored for the unique needs of SMBs in the flooring sector. The tutorial lays out a clear path for harnessing PDF plans to bring precision to your bids and efficiency to your project management.

You've seen how easy it is to register with Buildee, initiate a new project, and navigate through the platform to set up and measure your floor plans. The simplicity of listing measurements, adding costs, and accounting for wastage ensures that your job costing is as accurate as your takeoffs. The final steps—exporting to Excel or printing your data—signify not just the completion of a task, but the beginning of a project poised for success.

By integrating these steps into your workflow, your business stands to gain an edge in the competitive marketplace, delivering quotes with confidence and managing projects with a new level of expertise. We trust this tutorial serves not just as a one-time reference but as an ongoing resource for your company’s growth and prosperity in the world of flooring.