How is Work Measured in a Takeoff?

Work is measured in five different kinds of units:

By counting the number of pieces; for example, the number of doors By measuring the length of an item such as a pipe By measuring an area of a material; for instance the area of floor sheathing By measuring the volume of a material such as concrete By measuring the weight of materials such as structural steel beams

Calculating Number of Items

Enumerated items are often counted from the drawings, but sometimes you need to calculate the number. Examples: How many bolts spaced at 24" are required on a 13'-0" wall (the end bolts are 2" from the end of the wall)? Answer: 13'-0" - 4" = 12'-8" (12.67') 12.67' / 2.0'= 6.3 (round up to 7) + 1 for the end bolt = 8 How many studs spaced 16" are required for a 21'-0" wall? Answer: 21.0'/ 2.0' = 10.5 (round up to 11) + 1 for the end stud = 12

Length Calculations
Usually the length of an item is obtained directly from the dimensions on the drawings. Scaling lengths is not recommended but may be necessary when dimensions are lacking. Many buildings have perimeter walls. The volume of concrete in a perimeter wall is obtained by multiplying the centerline length of the wall, the width of the wall, and the height of the wall. The centerline length may also be used to calculate a number of other items: forms for walls, trenching, concrete, and forms for wall footings.

Perimeter Calculations
The perimeter length of the basement wall shown of Figure 2.3 is calculated in this way: 2 x 42'-0" = 84'-0" 2 x 26'-0" = 52'-0" = 136'-0" Less 4 x 8" = <2'-8"> 133'-4"

Calculating Areas
Most areas in estimating will be rectangles, but triangles, circles, and other shapes sometimes have to be calculated. The area of the building (to outside of walls) shown on Figure 2.12 is calculated in this way: 42.0' x 38.5' = 1617 + x 21.0'2 / 2 = 692 2309 sf

Calculating Volumes

To calculate the volume of concrete in a continuous footing to the perimeter of a building use this formula: Volume = centerline length x width x depth Example: If there is a footing size 2'-0" x 1'-6" under the wall shown on Figure 2.4, what is the amount of concrete in this footing?
2 x 25.0 = 2 x 16.0 = 4 x 0.5 50.0 32.0 = <2.0> = 80.0 = 240 cu. ft. = 9 CY

less

volume: 80.0 x 2.0 x 1.5

The Quantity Takeoff

A quantity takeoff is the process of measuring the work of the project. The document that is produced in this process is also called a takeoff. A takeoff is a series of quantified items that correspond to the tasks required to construct the project. A takeoff item comprises a description and a set of dimensions that define the quantity of the item. Items are measured according to standard rules of measurement so that all estimators measure the same kind of items in the same way. For example, the standard units for measuring concrete footings are cubic yards.

What is Measured in a Takeoff?

A takeoff for an estimate is more than a materials takeoff because additional information is required for pricing.
For example: 160 square feet of G1S ply is fine for a material takeoff, but is to be applied to walls or floors? This information is needed for pricing. Also, some items do not involve materials such as: hand troweling.

Rules of Measurement

Dimensions are entered onto the takeoff in this order: length, width, and depth (or height). Dimensions are written in feet to two decimal places, thus, 5'-10" would be written into a dimension column as 5.83. Deductions listed with the dimensions are written in red or enclosed in brackets and noted as deductions. Extensions (the result of multiplying dimensions together) are calculated to the nearest whole number whether it is linear feet, square feet, or cubic feet. Totals in the extensions column are rounded off to the nearest whole number. See text for a full list of measurement rules.

Takeoff Order and Strategy

The order of the takeoff generally follows the sequence of the work on the project. Strategy for larger projects:
Divide the project into manageable parts Takeoff one part at a time Within each of these parts, measuring the work as a sequence of assemblies Where an assembly is a collection of related items

Wall Assembly Example

Items included in a wall assembly:
The concrete in the wall The forms to the sides of the wall The forms to openings and blockouts in the wall The rubbed finish on the exposed concrete of the wall The reinforcing steel in the wall

Computer Estimating
Use of computers can increase the efficiency of the process. The computer can perform all the arithmetic to determine total net quantities from the dimensions input. Items are automatically sorted and recapped into the required order. Items can be automatically priced from the database. Keeping backup notes on paper is recommended. It provides a record of how the estimate was prepared. It enables the takeoff to be checked to ensure that all the work has been measured as required.