Estimating and Takeoff
Construction estimating and takeoff services,
traced to the sheet
Construction estimates and quantity takeoffs from plans and specifications, for a full building or a single trade package. Every quantity links back to its drawing, and every scope gap is flagged before you bid.
Send your plans
See what you receive →
Estimating & takeoff
Plans · Quantities · Scope
Scope control
A low line-item rate means little
if part of the work is missing
AM's work is built around finding that missing work.
A total you have to trust
What a bare number leaves open
01
Which sheet did this quantity come from?
02
Is waste already inside the measured quantity?
03
Who carries the supports, connections and final hookups?
04
Was that drawing conflict resolved, or assumed?
05
Is this figure measured, or an early allowance?
Estimate types
Construction cost estimating and quantity takeoff, by need
Pick the estimate that matches the decision you have to make: plan, price, bid, staff up, or review.
Core estimating
Take Off
By market
Bidding
Staffing support
Review and advisory
Full cost estimates for a defined scope, a whole building, or an early budget.
Construction Cost Estimating
Full cost estimates organized around the agreed scope
Scope covered
Material quantities and unit pricing, labor hours, equipment and subcontract allowances, overhead, profit, exclusions
Building Cost Estimating
Whole-building cost plans for owners and design teams
Scope covered
Foundations, structural framing, roofing, exterior enclosure, MEP systems, interior finishes, associated sitework
Blueprint Estimating
Estimates built from cross-referenced plans, schedules, and details
Scope covered
Floor plans, elevations, sections, schedules, specifications, drawing conflicts, missing scope notes
Preliminary Estimating
Early budgets from incomplete design information
Scope covered
Building areas, outline layouts, initial structural and system choices, provisional finishes, allowances for open design items
Budget Estimating
Working budgets while plans and selections develop
Scope covered
Costs by major package, material and finish allowances, labor and subcontract costs, contingencies
Trade estimating
34 trades,
each kept in its own package
Quantities and installation scope stay separate from other packages. Filter by construction division.
Lumber Takeoff
Studs, plates, joists, beams, rafters, headers, sheathing, decking, connectors and framing hardware
Carpentry
Rough carpentry and blocking, interior trim, exterior woodwork and decking, fasteners and labor
Millwork and Casework
Cabinetry, counters, paneling, reception features, finishes, hardware, fabrication and installation
Framing
Wood and metal framing kept separate, connections, blocking, bracing, installation labor
Construction Cost Estimator
How it works
From plans to a checked estimate
in five steps
Every project follows the same five steps, whether it is one trade takeoff or a full building estimate.
01
Send your files
Plans, specifications, project ZIP code, and deadline. Add supplier quotes or cost codes if you want them used.
02
We confirm scope
Drawing issue and date, divisions, pricing basis, and delivery format.
03
We measure
Plans are cross-referenced with sections, schedules, and specifications. Supplier quotes are checked for exclusions before they enter the estimate.
04
We check coverage
Quantities, rate extensions, and trade boundaries are reviewed. Open questions are recorded beside the affected items.
05
You receive the package
Itemized estimate, quantity schedules, inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, and a clarification log.
Revisions and addenda
Updates start from the revised sheets with a record of what changed. Choose a full revised estimate or a cost comparison for the affected work only.
Accepted inputs
Full drawing sets, partial packages, concept plans, and scanned plans with legible dimensions and scale.
What you receive
What every estimate
includes
Clients can supply their own supplier prices or ask for a priced breakdown.
Your cost codes
Share your internal cost codes so the breakdown matches how your team reviews costs.
Your quotes and markups
Supplier quotes, subcontract prices, and markups stay identifiable inside the estimate.
Delivery format
Add file formats here (for example Excel workbook, PDF summary, marked-up plans).
The estimate package
Sample Spreadsheet
See a sample Takeoff PDF
Show buyers the output before they send plans.
Download
Who it's for
Estimating services shaped
to how you price
Seven client types across residential, commercial, industrial, and public work. Each gets a deliverable shaped to how they price or decide.
General contractors
Full bid coverage across subcontract packages and self-performed work
Trade takeoffs, package estimates, subcontract quote comparisons, scope gap checks, alternates and allowances
Subcontractors
A trade bid that matches your responsibility boundary
Quantities by type and location, installation labor, inclusions and exclusions, addenda updates
Material suppliers
Quote-ready quantities by product
Quantities by type, size, grade, and finish, delivery-zone breakdowns, measured quantity separate from ordering allowance
Manufacturers
Product counts tied to specifications and schedules
Product types and dimensions, counts by area, accessories, alternatives and revision changes
Owners and developers
A budget you understand and a check on contractor pricing
Building cost estimates, budget estimates, independent estimate review, competing quote analysis
Architects and design teams
Early cost guidance
Preliminary estimates and design option comparisons
Homebuilders
House and multifamily pricing with clear selections
Residential and single-family estimates, finish allowances, owner upgrade pricing
Why AM Engineering
Built to find the work
that is missing
Six habits that run through every estimate and takeoff.
↗
Scope between trades
Supports, connections, final hookups, trench backfill, and paving restoration that fall between quotes get named and assigned
↗
Traceable quantities
Every quantity links to a drawing, schedule, or detail, so a reviewer can check any line at its source
↗
Measured vs. ordered
Waste, rounding, and packaging stay separate from measured quantities, so no one applies them twice
↗
Conflicts on record
Missing sheets and conflicting notes are logged as questions or stated assumptions, never hidden in a total
↗
Known vs. provisional
Measured costs and allowances are labeled differently, so early budgets are not mistaken for bid prices
↗
Installation visible
Labor, access, and handling assumptions stay separate from material counts for review by the people doing the work
FAQ
Estimating and takeoff
questions
Scope, revisions, drawings, and quotes.
Do you need to estimate every trade?
Can you update an estimate after an addendum?
Can you estimate before design is complete?
Can a preliminary estimate be used as a final bid?
What if the drawings conflict?
Are scanned plans usable?
Can you work with our supplier quotes?
Can you compare two design options?
Services
Estimating
Construction Cost Estimating
Quantity Takeoff
Commercial Estimating
Residential Estimating
Public Bid Estimating
Trades
Concrete
Rebar
Structural Steel
MEP
All trades
Construction estimating, takeoff and engineering services for contractors, owners, manufacturers and suppliers across the USA.
AM Engineering Group
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