The traditional takeoff process
If you have done manual quantity takeoff from 2D drawings, you know the process intimately. You print the drawing (or work on-screen with a digital takeoff tool like Bluebeam or CostX), identify the elements to measure, scale your dimensions, calculate quantities, and record them on a take-off sheet or in your software.
For a typical 3-storey commercial office building, manual takeoff involves:
- Measuring floor areas for every room on every level — for finishes, ceiling, and decoration
- Measuring wall lengths and heights for blockwork, plasterboard, plaster, and decoration
- Counting doors, windows, and other openings — with sizes and specifications
- Calculating perimeter lengths for skirtings, covings, and dado rails
- Working through section drawings for foundation depths, slab thicknesses, and structural frame quantities
- Cross-referencing dimensions between plans, sections, and elevations
- Recording everything in a systematic way that can be checked, adjusted, and billed
A competent QS team might spend 3-5 weeks on this for a mid-size project. It is meticulous, repetitive work where concentration lapses lead to errors — missed rooms, miscounted doors, arithmetic mistakes in area calculations.
AI does not change what needs to be measured. It changes how the measurement happens. The output is the same — quantities in defined units ready for pricing. The input is the same — construction drawings. The difference is speed and consistency.
