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What's included in a material takeoff?
A material takeoff is a list of every material needed to build from a set of plans, with quantities. A good one also tells you where each number came from. Here's what a full takeoff covers here, category by category, and how to tell if a takeoff is one you can trust.
Line categories in a full material takeoff
Every building material, foundation to shingles. Materials only, no labor and no equipment.
- Sitework materials: excavation and fill materials such as gravel and base
- Foundation: concrete by element (footings, walls, slabs), rebar, anchor bolts, vapor barrier, forming accessories called out on the plans
- Framing: plates, studs, blocking, floor and roof framing, headers and beams, posts, engineered lumber
- Sheathing: wall, roof and floor sheathing, by wall, sheeted vs unsheeted
- Structural hardware and fasteners
- Trusses: girder and special trusses called out on the plans, listed for reference
- Windows and exterior doors: from the schedules
- Roofing: shingles or other roofing, underlayment, ice and water, drip edge, flashing, vents, ridge cap
- Siding and trim: housewrap, siding, corners, trim, soffit and fascia
- Insulation: walls, ceilings and floors at the specified R-values
- Drywall: by thickness and location
- Gutters, decks and porches
Not included: plumbing, electrical and HVAC, labor, equipment, and interior finishes that aren't on your spec sheet. A Framing-Only takeoff is the framing, sheathing, headers and beams, and hardware part of this list.
Plan citations: the line you can check
Every line in the workbook shows the plan sheet, detail or schedule it came from and the dimension or count used. For example: S-101 Foundation Wall Schedule, tag FW2, 41.5 LF. If a number looks wrong, you can find it on the plans in seconds instead of redoing the count. It also makes it obvious when a quantity came from an assumption rather than the drawings.
Confidence flags: High, Med, Low
- High: read straight off the plans or a schedule. Example:
A-101 Window Schedule W3, count 4. - Med: measured or scaled, or one step of math from plan data, such as roof area from plan area and a slope factor. The assumption is written next to it.
- Low: not on the plans or spec sheet, so an assumption or default was used. The assumption is written out, and the line goes on the questions list.
Low lines aren't failures. They're the things to settle with the designer or owner before you order. Nothing is quietly guessed.
What comes with the workbook
- The Excel workbook, grouped by category, with sources and flags on every line
- A numbered wall list and a wall-number PDF, so each wall in the workbook can be found on the plan
- A questions list for anything the plans didn't answer
See a made-up example on the sample page.
Why a sourced takeoff saves time
A bare quantity list asks you to trust it or redo it. A sourced list lets you check the ten lines that carry the most money in a few minutes: open the sheet named on the line, look at the dimension, and move on. It also helps with suppliers. When a yard's quote differs from your takeoff, you can point to the exact sheet and dimension and ask which one is right. And when plans change, the sources show which lines are affected by the revised sheets.
The same takeoff can be handed to several suppliers so their quotes are priced on one list. That's the easiest way to make quotes comparable. See how to check a lumber quote.
Checklist: is your takeoff complete?
- Is the plan revision and date on it?
- Does it cover every category you need, or say clearly what's excluded?
- Can you see where each quantity came from?
- Are assumptions flagged rather than hidden?
- Are wall heights, sheeting and roof system stated?
- Is waste shown separately or explained?
Full Material takeoffs here are $500 / $650 / $800 up to 5,000 sq ft (launch price $400 for the first 3 jobs up to 3,000 sq ft), quoted above that, in 2-3 business days. Services and pricing · Start an order.
Questions
What's included in a material takeoff?
A full material takeoff lists every building material and quantity from foundation to roof: concrete and rebar, framing, sheathing, hardware, windows and doors, roofing, siding and trim, insulation, drywall, gutters and decks. Materials only, no labor or equipment.
What is a confidence flag on a takeoff?
Each line is marked High, Med or Low. High means read straight off the plans or a schedule, Med means measured, scaled or one step of math from plan data, and Low means the plans don't say, so an assumption was used and written out.
Why should a takeoff cite plan sheets?
So you can check any number fast. Each line names the sheet, detail or schedule and the dimension or count used, instead of a bare quantity.
Does a material takeoff include labor?
Not here. It's materials only. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, labor and equipment aren't included.
Second Look Bids does residential and light commercial takeoffs and bid reviews, materials only, anywhere in the US. Advisory only; not engineering or plan review.