How to choose AI quantity take-off
A guide for merchants and building suppliers, manufacturers, contractors and subcontractors.
By Anthony Wei, Founder & CEO
AI quantity take-off reads a project’s drawings, or photos of the site, and counts what the job needs using your own product rules (what that means). Here is what to check before you choose one. We design, build and operate AI take-off for building-product businesses, so these are the checks we hold ourselves to.
Nine checks before you choose
- Does it measure, or does your estimator? Give it a full set of plans. A real AI take-off hands back a complete list. If your estimator still traces every wall and clicks every window, it’s measuring software, not AI take-off.
- It shows its working. Every line should link back to the sheet and tag it came from, with the assumptions behind it.
- It flags, it doesn’t guess. Missing or conflicting dimensions, and items the drawings imply but don’t show, should be flagged for your estimator.
- Your rules, your products. It should measure the way your business measures, cuts and sells: your product sizes, your allowances, your waste factors.
- Every matching part. Flashings, trims, fixings and accessories: the items that are easy to miss and come straight out of the margin.
- Exact, or a fast range. Exact take-off from drawings for the final quote; a fast quantity range from photos for early tenders and quick quotes, when there are no drawings yet.
- Prices only if you want them. A costed version for your team and a customer version, or quantities only, leaving pricing to your stockists and installers.
- Your formats. Bills of materials, quote drafts and order lines in the format your team and systems already use.
- Who runs it. Choose a team that builds it, operates it after launch and keeps your products and rules current.
How to test one
Give it a set of plans you’ve already quoted and compare its list with your own team’s take-off, line by line. Check what it found that your team missed, what it flagged, and how long your estimator needed to review it. Then give it photos of a site with no drawings and see how close the range comes.
Comparing costs
Compare the build with what it costs to run: hosting, support, rule and product updates and improvements. Then compare it with what take-off costs you today: estimator hours per tender, the tenders you can’t get to, and the margin lost to missed items.
When you don’t need one
If you rarely quote from drawings, or every job uses the same few standard quantities, a simple calculator may be enough.
Frequently asked questions
How do we know the quantities are right?
Every line shows where it came from and the assumptions behind it, and your estimators check and sign off every output before it is used.
Do we need drawings?
No. From photos of the site it builds a 3D model and gives a quantity range for early tenders and quick quotes. When drawings are available, it does an exact take-off.
Will it replace our estimators?
It takes the measuring off them. Your estimators review, settle the flagged questions and sign off, and can quote more jobs with the same team.