Core
Quantity Takeoff Estimating Services in New Zealand
Measured quantities from your drawings, itemised and traceable back to every marked-up sheet, ready for you to price.
A quantity takeoff is the measured list of everything that has to be supplied and built: every square metre of floor, every lineal metre of skirting, every cubic metre of concrete. It is the foundation of any price, and it is the part of estimating that eats the most time.
Our takeoff service hands that work to a dedicated team. You send the drawings; we return a structured quantity schedule with each line referenced to a drawing and a highlighted markup so you can see exactly what was counted. You then apply your own rates, which keeps your pricing strategy in your hands.
We measure digitally from PDF, DWG and RVT files, which means areas and lengths are taken from scaled geometry, not estimated by eye. Where a drawing is not to scale or a dimension conflicts, we query it rather than guess.
Scope
What we measure in a quantity takeoff takeoff
| Item | Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Areas | m² | Floors, walls, ceilings, roofs and paving, net of openings where relevant. |
| Lengths | lm | Footings, skirtings, gutters, flashings, trims, kerbs and pipe runs. |
| Volumes | m³ | Concrete, excavation, fill and aggregate layers. |
| Counts | no. | Doors, windows, fixtures, fittings, outlets and posts. |
| Weights | t / kg | Reinforcing steel and structural steel from schedules and details. |
| Openings schedule | no. / m² | Joinery sizes cross-checked between plans and elevations. |
| Revision tracking | — | Quantities flagged where drawing revisions changed them. |
Deliverables
What you receive
Takeoff-only jobs are delivered without rates by default, with blank rate and total columns already formatted so you can drop in your pricing and get a total immediately.
| Itemised quantity sheet | Excel + PDF |
| Marked-up plans | Colour-coded PDF |
| Material and labour schedule | Excel |
| Assumptions and exclusions list |
Who it is for
Built for the people who price the work
- Builders
- Get the measure for a tender done while you keep running your current sites.
- Subcontractors
- Quote more jobs per week without hiring a full-time estimator.
- Developers
- Have an independent measure to check builders' tender quantities against.
- Architects
- Provide area and element schedules to clients or cost consultants.
Process
How a quantity takeoff estimate runs
STEP 01
Upload plans
Upload the plans and tell us which trades or elements you need measured. One trade or all of them.
STEP 02
Scope confirmation
We confirm the scope, the unit breakdown you prefer and how you want items grouped (by level, by area, by element).
STEP 03
Takeoff and review
Measurement is done digitally, then a second estimator checks totals against simple ratios to catch errors.
STEP 04
Delivery
You receive the Excel quantity sheet, PDF copy and colour-coded marked-up drawings.
New Zealand context
Standards and practice
Units are metric throughout and follow New Zealand trade practice: plasterboard in square metres and sheets, timber in lineal metres by size and treatment grade, reinforcing in tonnes. Where you need a layout that matches NZS 4202 elemental headings, we can format it that way.
We read the drawing notes for treatment levels under NZS 3640 and wind zones under NZS 3604, because both change what gets ordered even when the measured quantity is the same.
We measure and price to the drawings. Design compliance and building consent remain with your designer and building consent authority.
Cost drivers
What drives the cost of quantity takeoff work
01
Drawing quality
Vector PDFs and DWGs measure quickly and accurately. Scanned or raster drawings need calibrating sheet by sheet, and unclear dimensions need checking. Clean files keep takeoff time down and accuracy up.
02
Number of trades
A takeoff for one trade is faster than a full measure, but measuring several trades together lets us share geometry, such as wall lengths and areas, so the quantities stay consistent across the job.
03
Breakdown required
Quantities by level, by unit or by stage take longer to prepare than a single total, but they are far more useful for staging deliveries and progress claims. Tell us the breakdown you need at the start.
04
Revisions
Drawings that change mid-takeoff cost time. Where a revision is due, we can wait for it or measure the current issue and track changes later. We will agree which approach suits your deadline.
Where quantity takeoff estimates go wrong
The classic takeoff error is a scale problem: a sheet printed or exported at the wrong scale, measured without checking a known dimension. Every sheet we measure is calibrated against a dimension on the drawing, and we note any sheet where the scale bar and dimensions disagree.
The second is inconsistency between drawings, where a window is shown on the plan but missing from the elevation, or a wall changes thickness between sheets. We record these as queries rather than quietly choosing one version, so you can decide.
FAQ
Quantity Takeoff Services questions
What file types can you take off from?
PDF, DWG and RVT are standard. We can also work from DXF, IFC and scanned drawings, as long as they include a scale or enough dimensions to calibrate.
Do I get the rates as well?
Not by default. A quantity takeoff gives you quantities only. If you want pricing, ask for a full estimate instead.
How do I know what you counted?
Every takeoff comes with marked-up drawings, colour-coded to match the quantity sheet, so you can check any line against the plan.
Do quantities include waste?
Net quantities are shown, with a separate waste allowance column so you can set your own factor per item.
Can you measure only part of a job?
Yes. Many clients send us one or two trades, such as linings and flooring, and measure the rest themselves.
What happens if the drawings change?
Send the revision and we re-measure only the affected areas, with changes highlighted against the previous issue.
Related services
- Material Takeoff Services
Order-ready material lists, converted from measured quantities into the lengths, sheets and packs your merchant actually sells.
- Construction Estimating
A complete, trade-by-trade cost estimate built from your drawings, so you can price, tender or test feasibility with confidence.
- Architectural Estimating
Design-stage cost estimates that help architects keep a client's brief and budget in step, before the drawings go to tender.
- Drywall Estimating
Plasterboard wall and ceiling areas by board type and system, converted into sheets, fixings and stopping for ordering and labour.
Get a quote
Send your plans for a quantity takeoff estimate
Upload your drawings and we will reply with a fixed fee and turnaround before any work starts. No obligation.
- — PDF, DWG and ZIP accepted
- — Fees in NZD, excluding GST
- — Prefer email? Use the link in the footer