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Quantity Takeoff

A construction takeoff, also known as a quantity takeoff, involves detailed measurement and calculation of the materials needed for a construction project. The primary requirements for a construction takeoff include:

Project Plans and Specifications: The blueprints, drawings, and project specifications are essential as they provide all the necessary details about the project, including dimensions, materials, and construction methods.
Software Tools: Estimating software or digital takeoff tools can significantly enhance accuracy and efficiency. Examples include Bluebeam, PlanSwift, and Autodesk Quantity Takeoff.
Material Knowledge: Understanding the different types of materials and their uses is crucial. This includes knowledge of standard measurements, units, and conversion factors.
Experience and Expertise: Experience in construction and estimating helps in understanding the nuances of the project and making accurate estimations.
Accuracy and Attention to Detail: Precision is key in takeoffs to avoid cost overruns and material shortages. Double-checking calculations and measurements is essential.

By combining these elements, a construction takeoff can provide a reliable basis for estimating project costs and planning resource allocation.

Project Estimate

In addition to everything listed in the quantity takeoff section, a construction estimate includes several other key components. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what is typically included in our construction estimates.

Direct Costs: Labor, Materials, and Equipment costs are included with prices pulled from a national service -- such as RS Means (or equivalent) – based on the zip code of the project.
Overhead Costs: General business expenses that are not directly tied to the project but are necessary for operations (e.g., office rent, utilities, administrative salaries). Applied as a % of the cost of the project.
Subcontractor Costs: costs to cover work you will be subcontracting.
Contingency Allowance: A percentage of the total estimate added to cover unforeseen expenses or changes in scope.
Profit Margin: A percentage added to cover the contractor’s profit.

By including these components, a construction estimate provides a thorough and realistic projection of the total costs involved in completing a construction project. This helps with better financial planning, project management, and decision-making.

Budgetary Estimate

Our budgetary estimate involves approximating the overall cost of a project based on high-level information rather than precise measurements. Therefore, a detailed line-by-line material takeoff is NOT INCLUDED.

This method uses:

Historical data
Industry benchmarks
Expert judgment

It develops an estimate by considering factors such as:

Project size
Project type
Location
Complexity

While less accurate than detailed estimates, budgetary estimates are useful in the early stages of project planning to provide a ballpark figure for financial feasibility and decision-making. They help stakeholders set initial budgets and scope before committing resources to more in-depth analysis and detailed quantity takeoffs.

Project Schedules

Creating construction project schedules involves outlining the sequence and duration of tasks required to complete a project. This process starts with defining the project scope and identifying all necessary activities.

Detailed Schedule

A detailed schedule provides an in-depth view of a project, breaking down every task and activity required for completion.

Summary Schedule

A summary schedule offers a high-level overview of the project, focusing on major phases and milestones.

Comparison

Level of Detail: Detailed schedules are exhaustive, while summary schedules provide a broad overview.
Purpose: Detailed schedules are used for day-to-day project management, whereas summary schedules are ideal for executive reporting and initial planning.
Audience: Detailed schedules are for project teams and managers, while summary schedules are for stakeholders and executives.

Both schedules are essential for effective project management, offering different perspectives and information levels suited to various needs and audiences. We will create detailed and/or summary schedules (using a start date you provide) using Microsoft Project. We can also provide the same information exported to PDF or excel however, managing dependencies and changes will only work with the MS Project version.

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Scope Leveling

Scope leveling is instrumental in deciding between different contractors during the bid process. Here’s how it helps:

Fair Comparison: By standardizing the scopes of work, it allows for an apples-to-apples comparison of bids, making it easier to evaluate contractors on an equal footing.
Identifying Completeness: It highlights which contractors have included all necessary tasks and materials in their bids and which have not, ensuring you select a contractor with a comprehensive understanding of the project requirements.
Cost Accuracy: It helps identify any potential underbidding or overbidding by ensuring that all contractors are quoting for the same scope of work, leading to more accurate cost comparisons.
Risk Reduction: By clarifying and aligning scopes, it reduces the risk of scope gaps and overlaps that could lead to future disputes or additional costs.
Quality Assurance: It allows for better assessment of the quality and thoroughness of each contractor's proposal, helping you choose a contractor that demonstrates a clear and detailed understanding of the project.

Overall, scope leveling ensures that you make a well-informed decision by providing a clear and consistent basis for comparing contractor bids.

Change Order Management

Change management in large construction projects involves handling changes in scope, schedule, and cost efficiently. It includes:

Change Request Process: Formal submission and documentation of change requests.
Approval Workflow: Detailed review of change requests as an owner’s advocated to ensure pricing is consistent with ingchange requestsand deciding on change requests.
Communication: Notifying stakeholders and updating project documents.
Implementation: Adjusting resources, schedules, and budgets for approved changes.
Monitoring and Control: Tracking the progress and quality of changes.
6. Risk Management: Identifying and mitigating new risks from changes.
Training and Support: Providing necessary training and resources for changes.
Documentation and Reporting: Maintaining logs and reporting on changes.

This process ensures changes are managed effectively, minimizing disruptions and maintaining project goals.

Custom Consulting Services

Custom consulting services in construction, excluding takeoffs, estimates, schedules, scope leveling, or change order management, can include:

Project Planning: Feasibility studies and site selection.
Risk Management: Risk assessment and safety planning.
Quality Control: Quality audits and compliance management.
Contract Management: Contract review and claims management.
Technology Integration: BIM services and software training.
Procurement: Vendor management and procurement strategy.
Training: Staff training and leadership development.

Reach out anytime to discuss how we can help you with one of these or any other construction consulting services you may need.

Work Process

01 Registration

Click on the register button and sign up for a free private portal to hold all of your projects.

02 Start Project

Login to your account and click on the “Start Project” button. This will open a form allowing you to load all of the details for your next project including Project Name, Due Date, Scope, etc.

03 Proposal

We will review the project you submitted and send back a free fixed price proposal within one (1) business day. You have no obligation to proceed.

04 Approval

As soon as you approve and fund the project, it goes on our calendar and we deliver it on the due date we agreed on.

Ask about our Expedited Project Delivery for turnaround in as few as 24 hours!

Words From Our Clients

Every opportunity is different. Sometimes things have to be turned around in a few days, other times 24-hours. Impulse Takeoffs never fails to respond, and I am not waiting two or three days for answers. Using Impulse Takeoffs, I save the expense of another full-time employee yet always have access to just the right amount of additional capacity in estimating.

American Roofing Services Fast Turnaround & Scalability

Our Firm has been working with Paul and his team for about 6 months now. It has been a major asset in allowing us to keep management in the field and Quality Control at a high level. Their product is done in a clear and easy to interpret format that allows us to quickly get all the footages and take-off info that we need

FDS Enterprises & Construction LLC Focus on Business Development

We have undertaken a very expensive experiment over the past 6 months. We handed the same projects to several different local and online takeoff and estimating services to find out who was the best fit for our company. Honesty, accuracy, and a willingness to help us customize the data we need to be most competitive was our criteria. Impulse Takeoffs stood out head and shoulder against all competition and has earned our trust and business. We have a winner!

A+ Construction Going the extra mile

After considering a number of estimating companies we chose Impulse Takeoffs primarily because they were local. After working with them for a few months we came to really appreciate their fast turn times and good communication. They have really come through for us while we went without a chief estimator for several months.

F. S. Scarbrough Overflow Estimating Services

It has been a pleasure getting to know him and working with him. He understands we are all aiming for the same goal in takeoffs but go about it in different ways. This means his takeoffs may need to be adjusted to suite my needs rather than what may have been done for another company with the same trade. These are the kind of people I take pleasure in working with.

Pro Tech Builders Custom Deliverables

Impulse Takeoffs is a value compared to the cost of a full-time employee. Their professionals read the plans and produce the calculations exactly as I want them, and the hours are allocated as needed to meet my actual workload.

Rosser Painting Value Proposition

Using Impulse Takeoffs, we confidently propose on more projects and win more work. It really frees up my project managers to be in the field overseeing the work instead of at a desk doing takeoffs. It saves us time and money and helps us concentrate our most valuable resources where we need them.

American Roofing Time & Money Savings

Accuracy in quantities is definitely important and the backup is always just what I’m asking for. Sending their calculations on to my supplier is basically a copy/paste exercise that really doesn’t involve a lot of risk on my part with Impulse Takeoffs on board.

Rosser Painting Accuracy

Obviously, all of this involves a lot of money and a fair amount of risk for the contractor regardless if you are building a high-rise in New York City or hanging drywall in Kansas. Impulse Takeoffs’ willingness to deliver quantity calculations using my logic, my assumptions, and my level of detail allows me to see apples-to-apples against the calculations we are generating in-house.

Gotham New York, LLC. Custom Formatted Takeoffs

Impulse Takeoffs, in particular their owner Paul, has been a pleasure to work with and they really helped us during our time of significant growth and the loss of our inhouse estimating personnel. For almost two years we relied solely on the take offs that Impulse provided in order to prepare our estimates and during that time we continued to win work on jobs that have remained profitable. We look forward to continuing to use Paul’s team into the foreseeable future.

F. S. Scarbrough Growth

We have been working with Impulse Takeoffs for many years, and their service has consistently exceeded our expectations. Paul is always available to address any questions or concerns, and they reliably come through for us with last-minute requests. The spreadsheet format they provide makes quoting jobs both effective and accurate. I highly recommend Impulse Takeoffs for anyone needing outsourced estimating services.

Able Contractors Inc Long Term Success

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