What does takeoff mean in construction terms?

Takeoff in construction refers to measuring of material, labor and all the materials required to complete the project e.g, construction of house, building or any civil project. The takeoff agency gives a detailed report to the constructor of what kind of materials they’ll need, price, and market availability. It gives an outlook to the constructor of the cost, material and overall summary of the project. That was the short answer of what does takeoff mean in construction terms.

How Does Takeoff Work?

Construction takeoff is an important part of construction projects. It helps to determine the time and cost required to complete the project. The total cost of a project depends on several factors, such as the number of workers, materials used, types of equipment used and others.

In order to estimate the cost, you need to know about the following things:

Materials
Rate per hour
Time period
Cost per m2

Why Do Contractors Perform Takeoff?

The idea behind construction takeoff is that each item of equipment or material has a relatively fixed price due to competition from other suppliers; therefore, all that remains is to add up the fixed costs and divide them by the number of items purchased to determine how much each individual item should cost.

How Agencies Create A Takeoff List

To create a takeoff list, a person or group of people will walk through the property with notepads and measuring tape, measuring every detail of the property. This includes the layout of the different rooms, how much space a certain room will take up, what materials need to be used for each room, and various other details.

The takeoff person creates a report in such a way that even those who are unfamiliar with construction or building of any sort can understand everything that is needed from this list.

Once this is done, the takeoff person notes down everything according to category. For example, roofing repairs might shingles clue for the roof, nails for shingles, and asphalt for repairs.

What Do You Need To Know Before Estimating A Construction Project?

The takeoff of a construction project is a complex task to perform in a proper manner. It is important that you hire an expert who has experience in this field. They will know the best method to estimate a construction project at the beginning of the process so that it will help you to make sure that your project is going to be successful.

There are many factors that you need to consider when performing the estimation of a construction project. These factors include:

The scope of the job
The type of materials used in constructing the building
The number of workers needed for constructing the building
The type of equipment used in constructing the building

How Does the Agency Takeoff the Construction Project?

Taking on a construction project is a complex process. That’s why we’ve broken down this process for you in easy language:

First Stage

The first stage is to draw up an estimate of cost. This involves calculating the total estimated cost of a project and dividing it by the number of work packages involved. The result is known as a project budget.

Second Stage

The second stage involves identifying individual work packages or tasks that need to be completed for each phase of the project. For example, if we are building a house and want to put in an extra bathroom, we need to include this in our estimate.

Third Stage

The third stage involves identifying what materials that the constructor requires for each task or job. This includes such things as timber, bricks and mortar, electrical wiring, plumbing fixtures etc.

Fourth Stage

The fourth stage involves calculating how long each task will take to complete and how much it will cost in terms of money spent on materials or labor hours spent working on it (this calculation depends on many factors such as type of material used etc).

Final Stage

Finally, the constructor transfers the information into one comprehensive takeoff document known as the BIM model which is then handed over to contractors who carry out all construction work.

Essential Components of Construction Estimate

The key components of a construction estimate are:

Project description

A clear description of the scope of work to be done and who will do it is a key component of any estimate. The description should include a list of all the tasks that need to be performed, including any preliminary work or specifications that must be followed.

Budget

The budget should include all labor costs, materials and supplies, overhead and profit margins. If you have not already estimated your costs, contact your suppliers to get estimates before starting the project.

Time schedule

The takeoff engineer divides the time schedule into phases or milestones, based on how long it will take to complete each task or phase in the project (e.g., design, bid preparation, bidding). Or by how much time each task takes (e.g.,floor, base and finishing). A good time schedule will clearly indicate what tasks are expected at each milestone and how long each phase will take to complete.

Levels of Construction Takeoff

There are 4 levels used to take off the construction. Each level has its own set of rules to follow when building a project. The levels are:

Level 1

This level is for very simple houses with few rooms or additions. A level one house is a small cottage or cottage style home with no more than four bedrooms. Most projects under this level will only need one architect and one engineer.

Level 2

The second level is for homes that have two bathrooms or two bedrooms plus an office or den. The second level house should have an open floor plan with a kitchen bar area in the centre of the first floor and at least one full bath on each floor above it. This type of project requires two architects and engineers.

Level 3

This level is for larger homes with three or more bedrooms and two baths per bedroom, as well as a family room, formal dining room, living room or den on each floor above it. This type of project requires three architects plus an engineer who specialises in residential construction.

Is it essential to do a construction takeoff?

Yes, you do need to do a construction takeoff. This is because a good takeoff will help you plan your project and then save money on the project. It also helps you manage the project in a better way.

A good estimate will tell you how much materials are needed for the project, what kind of materials you need, how much time it will take to complete the project and how much money it will cost. This can help you make decisions regarding your construction process in advance and save time as well as money.

The accuracy of an estimate depends on the quality of input data, which can vary from one engineer to another. Moreover, you should hire professional engineers from reliable agencies with good knowledge about the construction industry e.g, civil engineers.

FAQ’s

What Is a Construction Takeoff?

Takeoff in construction refers to measuring of material, labor and all the materials required to complete the project e.g, construction of house, building or any civil project.

What Is a Quantity Takeoff in Construction?

The quantity takeoff refers to the amount of quantity required in the construction project. It can be the quantity of any building material e.g, wood, lumber and concrete.