A construction material takeoff is an essential component of any new construction project. It is the laborious process of estimating the quantity, type, and size of materials needed to complete a construction project. This comprehensive list is used by contractors and construction companies to determine the total cost of a project, create budgets, and make accurate bids. In this blog post, we will dive into the specifics of what a construction material takeoff is, why it’s important, and different methods of creating one.
A construction material takeoff (aka MTO) is a detailed list of all the materials needed for a construction project for any given scope of work. This includes all materials big and small from roof trusses to nuts & bolts. To create the takeoff list, you analyze the project’s drawings and specifications and identify all materials required for the scope of work. Regardless, you cannot write a bid without doing some form of a takeoff. It is the critical, fundamental first step in executing a construction project.
Your quantities are the largest factor in calculating your price. If your quantities and measurements are off, your price is off. Being artificially high can cost you the job, and possibly tarnish your reputation. Being artificially low can have major financial consequences. Winning a project without the budget to cover its costs is not a pretty picture.
Imagine you’re building a new house, and your contractor’s proposal has a line item for the roof priced at $50,000 for 5,000 SF of shingled roofing. Now imagine if your contractor had an extra zero in the quantity, your roof just became a $500,000 expense due to a simple error. You’re not even calling this guy back! What a nut! Of course, this is an extreme example, and the team usually corrects errors like this before they reach the client.
Conversely, imagine you as the contractor turn in a bid for $1,000,000 and you’re awarded the job as the apparent low-bidder. The job gets underway, you order materials, and your Project Manager panics, realizing they’re WAY short on tree! Some 50+ large trees didn’t make it into your bid and budget. You retrace your estimator’s steps, re-reviewing multiple plan sets, rummaging through dozens of spreadsheets, emails, hand-written notes, and, as a result, discover that the estimator overlooked the addition of these 50 trees in an ASI. Guess what – you still owe your client those trees… for a gut-wrenching additional $50,000+ in cost. These are the types of lessons that have led many contractors to Takeoff Monkey to take this process off of their plate!
Performing a takeoff, no matter how critical your numbers are, is mundane, laborious, extraordinarily time-consuming, and mind-numbing work. Staring at black & white lines and symbols on a computer screen while fielding phone calls, emails, and questions from your colleagues is enough to drive anyone bonkers. Meanwhile, you’re losing valuable time
In the commercial world, you have to bid a lot of projects to keep your pipeline full. That means performing a lot of takeoffs. So how do we get this done? You’ve got a Senior Estimator on staff with a wealth of knowledge and experience, but do you really want them to spend 80%+ of their time pointing and clicking at a screen? Isn’t that a resource better spent making deals with suppliers, or spending time with your clients? Maybe your boss’ kid just graduated college, and they stuck you with giving them a job. Are takeoffs the perfect task for a greenhorn? Probably not, not without extensive oversight and review by a senior team member. Otherwise, their innocent little mistakes could cost you dearly.
Where do you turn? To Takeoff Monkey, of course! Performing takeoffs is what we do, and all we do! We exist to help you accelerate your sales process without blowing your budget. Our entire team has worked in some form or facet of the construction industry for our entire careers. Our 1:1, lightning fast personalized service will make you feel like you’ve got an entire new team at your disposal because… well, you do!
We’re founded on three basic values: fast, simple, and accurate. We turn work around quickly so you can stay ahead of the competition (our average MTO turnaround is 48 hours!). Takeoff Monkey keeps things simple. We create your delivered files just for you, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel with every takeoff. In fact, we’ll bend over backwards so that you don’t have to. Last, but certainly not least, we are accurate. Each and every project delivered goes through multiple layers of review, including by our US-based team, before it makes it to your inbox. We don’t let mistakes slip by.
Curious? Give us a try. We cover the first 5 pages—no strings attached!
