takeoffquote

Quick start — measure and preview your first quote

To do a takeoff in TakeoffQuote: open the app, drag a plan PDF onto the page, accept the sheet's scale (or calibrate it from a printed dimension), pick a condition, and measure — one-click a room, box it with Rectangle, or trace it point by point. Then export the report or build a priced quote. Processing runs in your browser, with local saving by default. Optional shared-folder sync uses storage you choose; see storage and backups.

1. Open a plan

Drag a PDF anywhere onto the page — a single sheet, a multi-page set, or the whole .zip off a bid platform. The file is rendered locally in your browser. If you enable optional shared-folder sync, project files are sent to your chosen cloud storage. A measured 56 MB, 44-sheet state-project set opens in about 0.4 seconds. More formats and multi-sheet navigation: Opening plans.

2. Set the scale

Click Set scale… in the toolbar. If TakeoffQuote offers a scale read from the title block, verify it against a known dimension before you click Plan says … — use it. No usable note? Calibrate two points…: click both ends of a printed dimension and type its real length. A calibrated sanity bar flashes on the sheet so a wrong scale is obvious before you trace. Details and the ten-second verification habit: Scales.

3. Measure

Arm a condition (the thing you’re measuring — a slab, a footing run, a wall), then:

  • One-Click Area (O) — click inside a room and the boundary traces itself; press ⏎ to commit.
  • Rectangle (R) — two clicks, corner to corner.
  • Linear (L) — click along a run, double-click to finish.
  • Count (C) — one click per item.

Every tool refuses politely until the sheet has a scale, so a takeoff can’t silently happen in pixels. All seven tools: Measuring.

4. Export

Open Report for free quantity reports: CSV, Excel, JSON, or a Marked set PDF with your work burned onto the sheets. Report Excel contains quantity and audit tabs; it is not the priced quote workbook.

To preview a priced quote, click Quote in the Report toolbar. In the Quote builder, binding trade assemblies, setting your unit prices and checking the live quote preview are free. Exporting your own priced XLSX with Quote + Basis sheets requires Pro: $15/month or $144/year. You can inspect the fixed synthetic sample workbook free before deciding. See Exports and Quote builder.

For one complete calculation, follow the 27 LF footing walkthrough: choose an assembly, enter dimensions and a unit price, then check the $440 synthetic preview against the sample workbook.

That’s the whole loop: open → scale → measure → export. Your work autosaves to this browser as you go — close the tab, come back tomorrow, and it’s still there (how storage works).