Construction Takeoff Guide: Accurate Materials

If you’ve ever shown up to a job site short on materials, or finished a project with a stack of leftover lumber you can’t return, the problem probably started with your takeoff.

Construction takeoffs are the foundation of every estimate. Get the quantities wrong, and everything downstream falls apart. Your material costs are off. Your labor hours don’t line up. Your bid is either too high to win or too low to profit. Either way, you lose.

The frustrating part is that most takeoff errors are preventable. They come from rushing, skipping steps, or using methods that haven’t kept up with the complexity of modern projects. Whether you’re still working off printed plans with a scale ruler or you’ve moved to digital tools, the fundamentals of a good takeoff stay the same.

This construction takeoff guide walks through what a takeoff actually involves, how to do one accurately, and how to avoid the mistakes that quietly eat into your margins on every bid.

What Is a Construction Takeoff and Why Accuracy Matters

A construction takeoff (also called a material takeoff or quantity takeoff) is the process of reviewing project plans and specifications to determine exactly what materials you need and how much of each. You’re literally “taking off” quantities from the blueprints.

That means counting doors and windows, measuring linear feet of framing lumber, calculating square footage of drywall, figuring out how many cubic yards of concrete you need for footings, and working through every other material that shows up on the plans.

The takeoff is the first real step in building an estimate. Before you can price anything, you need to know what you’re pricing. A takeoff gives you that list of materials and quantities so you can start attaching costs.

Here’s why accuracy matters more than most contractors realize: a takeoff error doesn’t just affect the material line on your estimate. It cascades.

If you undercount the drywall by 15%, you’re also underestimating the labor to hang and finish it. You’re underestimating the joint compound and tape. You’re underestimating the time your crew spends on that phase, which pushes out your schedule. And when you finally realize the mistake mid-project, you’re making an emergency material run and paying full price instead of the bulk rate you originally quoted.

On a $150,000 residential remodel, a 10% takeoff error means $15,000 in unexpected costs. That’s often the entire profit margin on the job. One bad takeoff, one job that breaks even instead of making money.

The contractors who consistently bid accurately and protect their margins aren’t guessing at quantities. They have a repeatable takeoff process, and they follow it on every single project. No shortcuts, no “close enough” estimates.

Manual vs Digital Takeoffs: Pros and Cons

There are two basic approaches to construction takeoffs, and most contractors fall somewhere on the spectrum between them.

Manual Takeoffs

Manual takeoffs involve printed plans, a scale ruler, a highlighter, and a calculator (or a spreadsheet). You physically measure dimensions on the drawings, calculate areas and volumes by hand, and record everything on paper or in a spreadsheet.

What works about manual takeoffs:

• Low barrier to entry. You don’t need software or training to get started.
• Full control over every measurement. You see exactly what you’re counting and why.
• No subscription costs. A scale ruler and a pad of paper don’t charge monthly fees.
• Familiar. If you’ve been doing takeoffs this way for years, the process is second nature.

Where manual takeoffs fall short:

• Slow. A manual takeoff on a mid-size commercial project can take days.
• Error-prone. It’s easy to miss a room, double-count a section, or misread a scale.
• Hard to update. When plans change (and they always change), you’re starting over on affected sections.
• No audit trail. If someone questions your numbers three weeks later, good luck reconstructing how you got them.
• Doesn’t scale. The process that works on a $50,000 bathroom remodel breaks down on a $2 million build.

Digital Takeoffs

Digital takeoffs use software to measure directly from electronic plan files (usually PDFs). You set the scale, use on-screen tools to measure lengths and areas, and the software calculates quantities automatically.

What works about digital takeoffs:

• Faster. Most contractors report cutting takeoff time by 50% or more after switching to digital.
• More accurate. The software handles the math, so calculation errors drop significantly.
• Easy to update. When plans change, you adjust the affected measurements and the totals recalculate automatically.
• Built-in documentation. Every measurement is saved, so you can go back and verify your numbers anytime.
• Easier collaboration. You can share digital takeoffs with estimators, project managers, and subs.

Where digital takeoffs fall short:

• Learning curve. It takes time to get comfortable with new software, and you’ll be slower at first.
• Cost. Takeoff software ranges from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per year.
• Requires electronic plans. If you’re still receiving paper-only drawings, you’ll need to scan them first.
• Garbage in, garbage out. Software doesn’t catch mistakes in the plans themselves. You still need to know what you’re looking at.

The honest answer is that digital takeoffs are worth it for most contractors doing regular bidding. The time savings alone usually pay for the software within the first few projects. But the tool only works if the person using it understands the fundamentals of a good takeoff, which is what we’ll cover next.

Step-by-Step: How to Do a Material Takeoff

Whether you’re working on paper or a screen, the process follows the same basic steps. Here’s how to do a construction takeoff that you can trust.

Step 1: Review the Full Plan Set

Before you measure a single thing, read through the entire set of drawings and specifications. All of them. Architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, site work, and any addenda or revisions.

This step is about understanding the project as a whole before you start picking it apart. You’re looking for:

• Scope of work and what’s included vs. excluded
• Material specifications called out in the drawings or spec book
• Unusual details or custom elements that will affect quantities
• Discrepancies between drawings (they happen more often than you’d think)

If you’re storing plans digitally, having solid document management makes it much easier to keep track of the latest revisions and make sure you’re always working from current drawings.

Step 2: Organize by Trade or CSI Division

Don’t try to take off everything at once. Break the project into sections by trade, building system, or CSI division. Common groupings include:

• Sitework and earthwork
• Concrete and masonry
• Structural steel and framing
• Exterior finishes (roofing, siding, windows)
• Interior finishes (drywall, flooring, paint, trim)
• Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (if you’re a GC taking off sub work)

Working through one trade at a time keeps you organized and makes it much harder to miss something. When you jump around between trades, that’s when items fall through the cracks.

Step 3: Measure and Count

This is the core of the takeoff. For each trade section, go through the plans and:

• Count individual items: Doors, windows, fixtures, outlets, light fixtures, appliances
• Measure linear quantities: Framing lumber, piping, conduit, baseboard trim, gutters
• Calculate area quantities: Drywall, flooring, roofing, painting, insulation
• Calculate volume quantities: Concrete, fill dirt, gravel, excavation

Thousands of contractors have made the switch. See what they have to say.

Use the correct unit of measure for each material. Lumber is typically counted in board feet or linear feet. Concrete is in cubic yards. Drywall is in sheets or square feet. Using the wrong unit is a common source of errors.

Step 4: Apply Waste Factors

Raw measurements from the plans never match what you actually need to order. Every material has waste, whether it’s from cuts, damage, installation methods, or job site conditions.

Standard waste factors vary by material:

• Lumber: 5-10%
• Drywall: 10-15%
• Flooring (tile): 10-15%
• Flooring (hardwood): 5-10%
• Roofing shingles: 10-15%
• Concrete: 5-10%
• Paint: 10-15%

These aren’t arbitrary numbers. They come from years of tracking what actually gets used versus what the plans say you need. If you’re doing job costing on your projects, you can dial in waste factors specific to your crews and your typical project types.

Step 5: Create the Material List

Compile everything into a single, organized material list. For each item, include:

• Material description and specification
• Quantity needed (with waste factor applied)
• Unit of measure
• Notes on sourcing, lead times, or special requirements

This list becomes the input for your estimate. It’s also what your purchasing team or supplier will use to generate material quotes.

Step 6: Cross-Check and Verify

Never trust a takeoff you haven’t reviewed. Go back through your numbers and check them against the plans. Look for:

• Rooms or areas you might have missed
• Quantities that seem unusually high or low compared to similar projects
• Math errors in area or volume calculations
• Materials called out in the specs that didn’t make it onto your list

If possible, have a second set of eyes review the takeoff before it goes into the estimate. A fresh perspective catches things you’ll overlook after staring at the same plans for hours.

Digital Takeoff vs Manual Takeoff: Speed, Accuracy, and Cost

The manual vs digital debate comes down to three things: how fast you can produce a takeoff, how accurate it is, and what it costs you in the long run. Here’s a side-by-side comparison based on what contractors actually experience.

Speed Comparison

A manual takeoff on a 3,000 square foot custom home typically takes an experienced estimator 6 to 10 hours. That same takeoff done digitally takes 3 to 5 hours once you’re comfortable with the software. On larger commercial projects, the gap widens even further. A 20,000 square foot office buildout might take 3 to 4 days manually. Digitally, most estimators finish in 1 to 2 days.

The speed advantage compounds when plans get revised. With a manual takeoff, a revision to the second floor layout means re-measuring everything on that floor and recalculating totals by hand. With digital tools, you update the affected measurements and the software recalculates instantly. During a busy bidding season, that difference is the gap between submitting five bids per week and submitting three.

Accuracy Comparison

Manual takeoffs rely on the estimator’s ability to read scales correctly, perform arithmetic without errors, and keep track of which areas have been measured and which haven’t. Even experienced estimators make mistakes. Studies in the construction estimating field consistently show that manual takeoffs carry an error rate of 5 to 15 percent, depending on project complexity.

Digital takeoffs reduce calculation errors to near zero because the software handles the math. The remaining errors come from user input: setting the wrong scale, tracing the wrong boundary, or missing a room. But even those errors are easier to catch because digital tools let you visually verify every measurement on screen. You can see exactly what was measured and what was missed.

The accuracy difference is not theoretical. On a $500,000 project, the difference between a 10% error rate and a 2% error rate is $40,000. That is real money that either stays in your pocket or leaks out through material overruns and emergency orders.

Cost Comparison

Manual takeoff costs are hidden but real. You’re paying for your estimator’s time, and manual methods eat more of it. If your estimator costs $45 per hour fully loaded, and manual takeoffs add 4 extra hours per project across 40 bids a year, that is $7,200 in labor you’re spending on unnecessary work.

Digital takeoff software typically runs between $1,000 and $5,000 per year depending on the platform and features. Most contractors break even within the first two to three months of use. After that, the time savings are pure profit recovery.

There is also an opportunity cost. Every hour your estimator spends on a manual takeoff is an hour they’re not spending on another bid. If faster takeoffs let you bid on even two or three more projects per year, and you win one of them, the software has paid for itself many times over.

The bottom line: manual takeoffs still work for very small operations doing a handful of simple residential projects per year. For everyone else, digital tools deliver a clear return on investment through faster turnaround, fewer errors, and more bids out the door.

Takeoff by Trade: What to Measure for Every Major Scope

Every trade has its own set of quantities, units of measure, and gotchas that trip up estimators who don’t specialize in that area. Here’s a breakdown of what to measure for the most common trades on a typical construction project.

Concrete Takeoffs

Concrete is measured in cubic yards, and getting the volume right requires careful attention to dimensions that aren’t always obvious on the plans.

Footings: Measure the length, width, and depth of every footing. Continuous footings under bearing walls are straightforward, but don’t forget isolated pad footings under point loads or columns. Check the structural drawings for reinforcement schedules since rebar quantities come from these, not the architectural plans.

Slabs: Calculate the area and thickness. A 4-inch slab is common for residential, but commercial projects often call for 5 or 6 inches, and loading dock areas might be 8 inches or more. Measure slab-on-grade areas separately from elevated slabs, which have different forming and reinforcement requirements.

Walls: Foundation walls and retaining walls add up fast. Measure the length, height, and thickness. Include pilasters, thickened edges, and step-downs where the footing elevation changes.

Additional concrete items to capture:

• Rebar by size, length, and quantity (count laps and hooks)
• Wire mesh by square footage
• Formwork by square feet of contact area
• Anchor bolts, embed plates, and other hardware
• Vapor barrier under slabs
• Expansion joints and control joints by linear feet
• Finishing requirements (broom finish, exposed aggregate, polished)

A common mistake on concrete takeoffs is forgetting to account for over-excavation and the extra concrete that fills irregular excavation edges. Adding 5 to 10 percent waste on concrete volumes is standard practice.

Framing Takeoffs

Wood framing takeoffs are some of the most detailed because there are so many individual components. The key is working methodically through each assembly rather than trying to count every stick at once.

Walls: Start with the wall layout. Measure the total linear feet of each wall type (exterior bearing, interior bearing, interior non-bearing, shear walls). From the linear footage, calculate studs based on spacing (16 inches on center vs 24 inches on center), adding extras for corners, intersections, headers, cripples, and king and jack studs at openings.

Plates: Every wall needs a bottom plate and double top plates. That is three times the wall length in plate material. Don’t forget treated lumber for bottom plates on concrete.

Headers: Count every opening and size the header based on the span and load. A 3-foot window and a 6-foot sliding door need very different headers.

Floor systems: Take off rim joists, floor joists (count them based on spacing and span), bridging or blocking, and subfloor sheathing. Engineered lumber (LVLs, TJIs) requires separate line items with specific sizes and lengths.

Roof framing: Rafters or trusses (get a truss quote from the manufacturer for truss jobs), ridge boards, hip and valley rafters, collar ties, roof sheathing, and fascia boards.

Sheathing: Wall sheathing, roof sheathing, and subfloor sheathing are all measured in square feet but ordered in 4x8 sheets. Convert your square footage to sheet counts and add 10 percent for waste from cuts.

Fasteners and hardware: Nails, screws, joist hangers, hurricane ties, hold-downs, and straps. These are easy to forget but add up to thousands of dollars on a large project. Check the structural notes for specific hardware schedules.

Using assemblies in your estimating software lets you group all the components of a wall or floor system together so you only need to input the linear footage or square footage once, and every associated item calculates automatically.

Electrical Takeoffs

Electrical takeoffs focus on counting devices and measuring cable and conduit runs. If you’re a general contractor, you may only need rough quantities for budgeting before getting sub bids. If you’re self-performing electrical work, you need exact counts.

Devices and fixtures: Count every receptacle, switch, light fixture, panel, disconnect, and specialty outlet (dedicated circuits for appliances, HVAC equipment, EV chargers). Use the electrical plans, but cross-reference the architectural reflected ceiling plans for fixture locations and the mechanical plans for equipment connections.

Wire and cable: Measure the run length from the panel to each device or fixture. Add 10 to 15 percent for routing through framing, drops, and slack at boxes. Don’t forget home runs back to the panel, feeders between panels, and low-voltage wiring (data, phone, cable, speaker wire, security).

Conduit: Where required by code or specification, measure conduit runs by linear feet and count fittings (elbows, couplings, connectors, boxes). Conduit work is labor-intensive, so accurate linear footage matters a lot for the labor estimate.

Additional items: Junction boxes, wire nuts, breakers, cover plates, grounding rods, and the panel itself. Permit costs and inspection fees are scope items that belong in the estimate even if they’re not on the takeoff.

Plumbing Takeoffs

Plumbing takeoffs count fixtures and measure pipe runs, with attention to the different pipe materials and sizes used across the system.

Fixtures: Count every sink, toilet, shower, bathtub, hose bib, floor drain, and cleanout. Each fixture has a rough-in cost (pipe, fittings, and labor to get to the wall) and a trim-out cost (the visible fixture, supply lines, and stops). List them separately because they happen at different phases of the project.

Supply piping: Measure the pipe runs from the main water entry to each fixture. Note the pipe material (copper, PEX, CPVC) and sizes. PEX is faster to install and cheaper, but some jurisdictions and specs still call for copper. Measure hot and cold separately since they’re independent runs.

Drain, waste, and vent (DWV) piping: Measure drain lines from each fixture to the main stack or building drain. Include vent lines that extend through the roof. DWV pipe is typically PVC or ABS in residential and cast iron in some commercial applications. Count every fitting (elbows, tees, wyes, cleanouts) because fittings are a significant cost on plumbing projects.

Additional items: Water heater, expansion tank, pressure-reducing valve, shut-off valves, insulation on hot water lines (where required by code), gas piping for gas-fired appliances, and any underground piping that requires trenching.

Bringing It All Together

The key to trade-specific takeoffs is knowing what to look for and where to find it in the plans. Architectural drawings show the layout, structural drawings show the bones, and the MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) drawings show the systems. The specification book tells you which products and materials to use. You need all of them to produce a complete takeoff for any trade.

If you’re a general contractor taking off multiple trades, consider building standardized assemblies for your most common construction types. A “standard interior wall” assembly that automatically includes studs, plates, sheathing, drywall, tape, mud, and paint saves you from re-taking-off the same components on every project.

Common Takeoff Mistakes That Blow Up Budgets

These are the errors that show up again and again on takeoffs, and they’re responsible for a huge chunk of the budget overruns contractors deal with.

Missing Scope Items

The most expensive takeoff mistake is leaving something off the list entirely. It’s not that you measured the drywall wrong. It’s that you forgot to include the drywall for the mechanical room because it was on a separate drawing sheet you didn’t review.

This goes back to Step 1: review the full plan set before you start measuring. The items you miss are usually the ones that live in unexpected places in the drawings.

Using Outdated Plans

Plans get revised constantly during the bidding phase. If you’re working from Revision A and the architect issued Revision C two days ago, your takeoff is useless. Always confirm you have the latest set before you start, and double-check again before you submit the bid.

Wrong Scale

On manual takeoffs, using the wrong scale on a drawing is catastrophic. If you measure at 1/4” = 1’-0” when the drawing is actually at 1/8” = 1’-0”, every single measurement is off by a factor of two. Digital takeoff tools help with this since you can calibrate the scale against a known dimension, but you still need to verify it.

Skipping the Spec Book

The drawings show you what to build. The specifications tell you what materials to use. If the spec book calls for a specific grade of lumber, a particular type of insulation, or a brand-name fixture, and you take off a generic equivalent, your pricing will be wrong.

No Waste Factor

Taking off exactly what the plans show and ordering exactly that amount guarantees you’ll run short. Every experienced contractor knows this, but it still happens. Usually it’s because someone was in a hurry and figured they’d “add a little extra” later but never did.

Not Tracking Actual vs. Estimated

If you never compare what you estimated to what you actually used, you’re making the same mistakes on every project. Tracking actuals through job costing lets you refine your takeoff process over time. Maybe your drywall waste factor should be 12% instead of 10%. Maybe you consistently undercount electrical outlets by 5-8%. You won’t know unless you track it.

Ignoring Site Conditions

Plans don’t always account for site-specific factors that affect material quantities. Sloped terrain means more concrete for foundations. Restricted access means smaller material deliveries and more handling waste. Rocky soil means different excavation assumptions. Walk the site before you finalize your takeoff whenever possible.

Takeoff Software: Is It Worth the Investment?

If you’re bidding on more than a handful of projects per year, the answer is almost always yes.

The math is straightforward. If a manual takeoff on a mid-size project takes you 8 hours and a digital takeoff takes 4 hours, you’re saving 4 hours per bid. If you bid on 50 projects a year, that’s 200 hours saved. At a billing rate of $75/hour for your estimator’s time, that’s $15,000 in recovered productivity. Most takeoff software costs a fraction of that.

But speed isn’t the only benefit. Digital takeoffs are more consistent, easier to verify, and simpler to update when plans change. They also create a record you can reference later, which is valuable when a client disputes quantities or when you’re trying to figure out why a project went over budget.

Here’s what to look for in takeoff software:

• PDF import and scaling: You should be able to import plan files and set the scale quickly.
• Measurement tools: Linear, area, and count tools at minimum. Volume calculations are a plus.
• Custom assemblies: The ability to group related items together (like a wall assembly that includes framing, drywall, insulation, and paint) saves significant time.
• Export options: Your takeoff quantities need to flow into your estimating workflow. Look for integrations with the estimating tools you already use.
• Ease of use: The best software is the software your team will actually use. A tool with 500 features that sits on the shelf doesn’t help anyone.

The key is connecting your takeoff data to the rest of your estimating and project management workflow. Standalone takeoff numbers are just the starting point.

From Takeoff to Estimate: Connecting Quantities to Pricing

A takeoff tells you what you need. An estimate tells you what it costs. The gap between those two steps is where a lot of time and accuracy gets lost, and it is also where the best contractors gain a competitive advantage.

Too many contractors treat the takeoff and the estimate as separate processes. They do the takeoff in one tool (or on paper), then manually re-enter quantities into a spreadsheet or estimating software to build the bid. Every time you manually transfer numbers from one place to another, you’re creating an opportunity for errors and burning time you could spend on higher-value work.

Why the Handoff Matters

Consider a straightforward example. You take off 2,400 square feet of drywall for a residential remodel. That quantity needs to become a cost line item in your estimate. If you’re doing this manually, you type “2,400 SF” into your spreadsheet, look up the current price per sheet, calculate how many sheets that is, add the cost of joint compound and tape, estimate labor hours based on your crew’s production rate, and total it up.

Now the architect revises the plans and that 2,400 becomes 2,650. You go back to the spreadsheet, update the square footage, recalculate sheets, adjust compound and tape, update labor hours, and re-total. If you forget to update even one related line item, your estimate is wrong.

Multiply that by every material and every revision across a full project, and you start to see why manual handoffs between takeoff and estimate are one of the biggest sources of bidding errors in the industry.

What a Connected Workflow Looks Like

The most efficient estimating workflows connect the takeoff directly to the pricing. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

1. Takeoff quantities feed directly into cost line items. No re-typing, no copy-paste, no manual transfer. When you measure 2,400 square feet of drywall, that number populates the estimate automatically.
2. Material costs stay current. Your pricing database reflects what suppliers are actually charging right now, not what they charged six months ago. Lumber prices can swing 20% in a month. If your pricing data is stale, your bid is wrong before you even submit it.
3. Labor rates are tied to quantities. If you know it takes your crew 0.5 hours to hang a sheet of drywall, the labor estimate updates automatically when the sheet count changes. This is where assemblies become powerful. You define a drywall assembly once (sheets, compound, tape, screws, labor) and every future takeoff uses those linked rates.
4. Change orders are faster. When scope changes mid-project, you can re-run the affected sections of the takeoff and generate an updated cost in minutes instead of hours. Clients appreciate fast, accurate change order pricing, and it protects your margin on added work.
5. Historical data improves future bids. When you track actual material usage against your takeoff quantities using job costing, you build a database of real-world waste factors and production rates specific to your company. After 10 or 20 projects, your estimates become remarkably accurate because they’re based on your data, not industry averages.

Building Your Pricing Database

The foundation of fast estimating is a well-maintained pricing database. This includes:

• Material unit costs: Updated regularly from supplier quotes. Build relationships with two or three suppliers and get updated price sheets quarterly at minimum, monthly during volatile markets.
• Labor production rates: How long it takes your crews to install each material, measured in units per hour or hours per unit. Track this on real projects, not textbook estimates.
• Equipment costs: Daily or hourly rates for owned and rented equipment. Include fuel, maintenance, and mobilization.
• Subcontractor rates: For trades you sub out, maintain a database of sub pricing from recent bids. This lets you sanity-check sub quotes and catch outliers.
• Overhead and markup: Your company’s overhead rate and target profit margin, applied consistently across all estimates.

When your pricing database is solid and your takeoff quantities flow into it automatically, building an estimate becomes an exercise in verification rather than creation. You review the numbers, adjust for project-specific conditions, and submit. The heavy lifting is already done.

The Competitive Advantage

The contractors who win more bids and protect their margins aren’t necessarily spending more time on each estimate. They’re spending less time, because their process is tight and their numbers flow from takeoff to estimate to bid without friction. That speed lets them bid on more projects, respond faster to clients, and spend more time on the work that actually makes money.

If you’re still running takeoffs on paper and typing quantities into a spreadsheet, you’re spending hours on work that should take minutes. That’s time you could be spending on the job site, meeting with clients, or bidding on the next project.

Take a look at Projul’s estimating tools to see how connected takeoffs and estimates can save you time on every bid. Or check out our pricing to find a plan that fits your operation.

Book a quick demo to see how Projul handles this for real contractors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a takeoff and an estimate?

A takeoff determines the quantities of materials needed for a project by measuring and counting items from the construction plans. An estimate takes those quantities and applies costs (materials, labor, equipment, overhead, and profit) to determine the total price of the project. The takeoff comes first and feeds into the estimate. You can’t build an accurate estimate without an accurate takeoff.

How long does a construction takeoff take?

It depends on the project size and complexity. A simple residential project might take 2-4 hours for a manual takeoff. A mid-size commercial project could take 1-3 days. Digital takeoff tools can cut those times roughly in half. The more organized your process and the more familiar you are with the project type, the faster it goes.

Can I do a takeoff from PDF plans?

Yes, and most contractors have moved in this direction. Digital takeoff software lets you import PDF plan files, set the scale, and measure directly on screen. This is faster and more accurate than printing plans and measuring by hand. Just make sure you have the latest revision of the plans before you start.

What waste factor should I use for my takeoffs?

Waste factors vary by material, but common ranges are 5-15% depending on the item. Lumber typically runs 5-10%, drywall 10-15%, tile flooring 10-15%, and concrete 5-10%. The best approach is to track your actual material usage on completed projects and develop waste factors specific to your crews and project types. Check out our guide on construction estimating mistakes for more on avoiding common errors with waste and other factors.

Should I do my own takeoffs or hire a takeoff service?

It depends on your volume and capacity. If you’re bidding on multiple projects simultaneously and your estimator is maxed out, a takeoff service can help you keep up. But there’s real value in doing your own takeoffs, especially when you’re the one building the estimate. You develop a feel for the project that’s hard to get from someone else’s numbers. Many contractors handle takeoffs in-house for their core trades and outsource specialty trades they’re less familiar with.