Sponsored Blog Post by: Measure Square Experts

The takeoff estimating process can be very time-consuming and error-prone, so it can become a bottleneck in growing your business.

You often bid on commercial projects with multiple units if you are in stone,  countertop, tile, and flooring contracting trades. Preparing accurate quotes to beat timelines can be daunting as there are too many variables and steps to get it right.

Challenges of Stone Takeoff Estimating Process

Your PMs and estimators typically go through a 3-step takeoff estimating process: 1) takeoff product and area from plans, 2) count slab or product usages, and 3) create a quote based on the required breakdown by the clients.

The devil is in the details of each step; here are a few challenges that your PMs and estimators likely encounter in every bid:

• Product and area takeoff for larger projects takes time to track.
• Counting slab usages and layouts manually takes days and hours.
• Creating quotes based on different breakdown types is very time-consuming and error-prone.

General Takeoff Estimating Software is Not Sufficient for the Stone and Tile Trade

General takeoff estimating software for construction trades has existed for years; systems like AutoCAD, PlanSwift, and BlueBeam have been deployed for product and area takeoffs for stone, countertop, and tile projects by trade contractors, distributors, and fabricators to streamline the estimating process.

However, this available takeoff software does not track the inherent unique stone product structure (such as a countertop, splash, lam, and edge finishes), making it hard to group them for the subsequent step quote breakdowns. General takeoff software does not provide any tools for slab optimization, leaving a gap for PMs and estimators to count manually and leave money on the table.

Excel Spreadsheets Cannot Efficiently Handle Price Quote Breakdowns

Most PMs and estimators use Excel spreadsheets to track and calculate the project costs; it takes hours to create another each variation of a price breakdown that a customer may require.

Trade-Specific, One-Stop Takeoff Estimating Software is the Game Changer that is 10x More Productive

The inception of the MeasureSquare Stone and Tile solution has changed the takeoff estimating game for stone trades. Here is why:

• Product and area takeoff is based on actual product assembly structure, for example, a countertop with splashes, lams, and edge finishes details, so there is no guesswork along the project cycles.
• Counting slab usages and layout is integrated and auto-calculated based on the takeoff step to save material uses with optimization ahead of time.
• Creating quotes instantly based on different breakdown types, such as material types, specs, phases, floors, units, etc., so sales reps can quickly respond to client price requests to win bids.

MeasureSquare is the official software partner of NTCA and NSI. Leading stone contractors, distributions, and manufacturers, including DalTile, Kemna Tile, Spectrum Quartz, and Hirsch Glass, have adopted its stone takeoff solution.