The Takeoff Application is where you quantify everything needed to complete a job — products, materials, labor, and associated costs. This guide walks you through the end-to-end process of building your first estimate, from opening Takeoff to reviewing the completed budget.
Before You Begin
Before opening Takeoff, make sure the following are in place:
An Opportunity has been created for the job.
Your Product Library is configured with the products you plan to estimate.
Architectural sheets (PDFs or images) are ready to upload, if you are doing a plan-based takeoff.
Step 1: Upload Your Architectural Sheets
If you are working from architectural plans, upload them in the Plan Viewer:
In the Plan Viewer, upload your architectural sheet files.
Once uploaded, set the scale on each sheet so that measurements are accurate.
Use calibration if the sheet does not have a scale bar printed on it.
Step 2: Open Takeoff
Open the Opportunity from the Kanban board.
Click Open Takeoff on the Current Bid. If you see Ready Takeoff, click that first to initialize the environment, then click Open Takeoff.
Step 3: Setup Your Bid
Select the Setup Tab.
Here you will decide your taxes, change Global Groups, Add Project Specific Materials, Add Overheads.
Step 4: Place Products
Use the Palette to select products from your Product Library and place them on the plan sheets:
Open the Palette on the left side of the Plan Viewer.
Select the product you want to place.
Click on the plan sheet to place the product at the correct location.
Repeat for each product across all sheets and locations.
Tip: Use Locations to organize products by room or area (e.g., Kitchen, Master Bath, Office). This makes the budget summary easier to read and allows for location-based filtering.
Step 4: Review and Adjust Costs
Once products are placed, review your costs in the Setup and Budget views:
Setup View — Adjust material costs, labor rates, and overheads specific to this job. Changes here apply across the entire bid.
Budget View — Review the full cost summary across Products, Materials, Labor, Overheads, and Distributed Costs tabs.
Step 5: Review the Summary
The Summary tab in the Budget View shows your total estimated cost, selling price, and margin. Review this before generating a Bid Proposal. If the numbers are not where you need them, return to the Setup view to adjust rates or use Distributed Costs to add items like freight, installation, or contingency.
Step 6: Generate the Bid Proposal
When your estimate is finalized, return to the Bids tab on the Opportunity and generate a Bid Proposal to share with the customer.
Related Articles
What is the Takeoff Application?
How do I use the Setup Widget in Takeoff?
What is the Budget Screen in Takeoff?
How do I add Products in Takeoff (using the palette)?
How do I use Locations in Takeoff?
What are Distributed Costs in Bidding?
How do I generate a Bid Proposal?