The TrueTakeoff blog
Practical writing on material takeoffs, restoration scope, and getting an estimate right.
Follow one estimator through a 14-sheet drawing set, from the first read to the final number. These are the best practices that turn plans into a bid you can build from. Then tell us how you do it.
Read more →A measurement report isn't a materials list. Turning roof and siding numbers into a coded, waste-aware order takes the same assembly math as any takeoff — here's how the exterior trades explode.
Read more →A takeoff priced at a national average tells you nothing you can buy at. Priced at your own supplier's branch, the number gets real — and the variance against the Xactimate allowance becomes a decision.
Read more →A bid can look complete and still leave out the most expensive item on the job. Here's how to spot missing tasks, unpriced lines, and vague scope — and the questions to ask before you sign.
Read more →A construction takeoff is the list of materials and quantities a project needs, pulled from the plans or estimate. Here's what a takeoff is, how it differs from an estimate, and what a good one includes.
Read more →A room demo'd to the studs implies a full sequence back to livable — seal, MEP, insulation, drywall, prime, two coats, trim, fixtures, flooring. Skip a step and you under-scope.
Read more →Ground-up and repair are two different reading modes. Take off a restoration set like a new build and you'll price the whole house. Here's the rule that fixes it.
Read more →A takeoff isn't a relabeled scope. Every line item is an installed assembly that has to be exploded into the consumables a builder actually buys. Here's the difference.
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