Estimating: AI-assisted takeoff
AI construction estimating, checked before delivery
AI takeoff counts symbols and measures areas fast, but it still misreads scales, legends, revisions and scope boundaries. We check every quantity before you see it.
Fixed price in 2 business hours. Pay only after you accept.
- Fixed price agreed before any work starts
- Plan review is free
- You pay only after you accept the price and delivery date
- Single-trade estimates in 48 hours
- Your rates, your markup, your final number
Quick answer
AI construction estimating from Bidmere uses AI to draft takeoffs from your plans, then a person checks every quantity against the sheets, specifications and addenda before delivery. Subcontractors and GC estimators get a checked takeoff, an exceptions list and, if requested, an estimate priced at your rates. Estimates are priced from $195 and are ready in 48 hours.
What is AI construction estimating?
AI takeoff software uses computer vision to find rooms, walls, symbols and surfaces on PDF plans and propose quantities: areas, lengths and counts. It speeds up the slowest part of a manual takeoff, the clicking, and leaves the judgment to the estimator.
AI does not price the estimate. It does not know your crews, suppliers or margins. Quantities are priced with the rates and markup you approve.
How accurate is AI takeoff?
It depends on the plans and on the check. We do not publish an accuracy percentage, because it varies by plan set. The same problems recur:
- A sheet that is not to scale, or a scale bar that differs from the title block
- Symbols that differ from the legend or from one sheet to the next
- Revisions and addenda that replace earlier sheets
- Scope boundaries the software cannot know, such as work by others
- Openings and deductions counted twice, or not at all
What does a person check before an AI takeoff is delivered?
Every AI-drafted takeoff is checked for:
- The scale on every sheet used
- Symbols against the legend and the schedules
- The current revision and every addendum
- Your scope boundaries and exclusions
- Units, deductions and duplicate counts across sheets
Anything we could not resolve goes on the exceptions list with what we assumed.
Should you buy AI takeoff software or use a service?
| AI takeoff software | Checked takeoff service | |
|---|---|---|
| Suits | Steady volume, an estimator with time to learn and check | Uneven volume or tight bid dates |
| Who checks the output | Your estimator | A Bidmere estimator before delivery |
| Cost structure | Subscription | Fixed price per job or monthly plan |
| Pricing | Your rates | Your rates |
Send one project and compare the result with your own count before deciding.
Can ChatGPT do construction estimates?
Partly. A general chatbot such as ChatGPT can explain estimating methods, draft a scope letter or exclusions list, organize quantities you give it and check the arithmetic in a spreadsheet you paste in. It is not a takeoff tool, and that limits what it can do from plans.
- Measuring to scale. It is not built to measure lengths, areas and counts to the drawing scale the way takeoff software does, so quantities it reads off a sheet need a full recount.
- Reading the whole set. A bid depends on schedules, details, specifications and addenda agreeing across many sheets. A chat answer rarely shows which sheets it used or what it skipped.
- Your costs. It does not know your crews, labor units, supplier quotes or markup. Prices it suggests are general figures, not current quotes for your market.
- Accountability. Answers can sound confident and still be wrong, with no marked-up plans to check them against.
Use a chatbot for writing and checklists. For quantities you will bid, use a measured takeoff tied to the sheets. At Bidmere, AI drafts the takeoff and a person checks every quantity against the sheets, specifications and addenda before delivery. Estimates are priced from $195 and are ready in 48 hours.
Have plans for this scope? Send them over. Fixed quote within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Get a fixed quoteWhat should you send?
- The plan set and specifications, with every addendum
- The trades and scope to measure
- Your rates, crew productivity and markup, if you want a priced estimate
- The bid date and the format you want the takeoff in
Sample takeoff
What a takeoff looks like
| Sheet | AI draft issue | Check result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-101 | Scale bar differs from title block | Measured from a known dimension | Assumption listed |
| E-201 | Fixture symbol not in legend | Matched to fixture schedule | Open question |
| A-201 rev 2 | Superseded sheet included | Replaced with current revision | Corrected |
| A-601 | Door openings counted twice | Deduplicated across sheets | Corrected |
Fictional example: exceptions list from a checked AI takeoff of an invented office
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Will I lose control of my number?
No. We price with your rates. You set markup, review every line and choose the bid price.
Who is responsible for the final bid?
Your company. Bidmere prepares the estimate. Your team reviews, signs and submits.
Do you visit the site?
No. We measure from the documents. Existing conditions go on the open-question list for your team to verify.
What if the plans are incomplete?
Gaps go on the open-question list with the source sheet. Nothing is guessed silently.
Monthly estimating plans
Bidding every week? Put estimating on a monthly plan
If plan sets arrive faster than your team can measure them, a monthly plan keeps a remote estimator on your bid calendar. Starter is $1,395 per month for up to 6 bids. Pro is $2,595 per month for up to 12 bids. Scale is $4,795 per month for up to 25 bids. Every estimate uses your rates and lists its assumptions and open questions. Start with one estimate to see the work first.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI-assisted takeoff or estimate cost?
Qualifying single-trade estimates are priced from $195, with 25% off your first estimate. Takeoff-only work is priced from $149. Each job gets a fixed quote within 2 business hours after we review the plans. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept the price and delivery date.
How fast is the estimate delivered?
Qualifying single-trade estimates are ready in 48 hours from your accepted quote and complete documents. A 24-hour rush for 30% more option is available when capacity allows. Tell us your bid date in the request so the quote and the delivery date reflect it.
Is an AI takeoff accurate enough to bid from?
Only after it is checked. That is why every quantity is checked against the plans, specifications and addenda before you receive it, and every assumption is listed. A raw AI count should not go into a bid without a person reviewing scale, legend, revisions and scope.
Can I send plans that are not to scale?
Yes. We flag those sheets in the exceptions list and agree how to measure them, for example from a known dimension. If a sheet cannot be measured reliably, we say so rather than carrying a quantity we cannot support. You decide how to handle it before pricing.
Which trades can you take off?
Every trade on the estimating page, from concrete and masonry to finishes, MEP and sitework, plus landscaping and insurance restoration estimates. Tell us the trades and scope boundaries in the request, and the quote lists exactly what will be measured.
Does AI set the price?
No. AI does not know your crews, suppliers or margins. Quantities are priced with the rates and markup you approve, in separate columns, and your team decides the final number. AI only speeds up the measuring step, and a person checks that step before you see it.
Do you offer monthly estimating plans?
Yes, for contractors who bid every week. Plans start at $1,395 per month for up to 6 bids, with Pro at $2,595 per month for up to 12 bids and Scale at $4,795 per month for up to 25 bids. Each estimate uses your rates and lists assumptions and open questions. Most contractors start with one estimate to see the work first.
How do you handle confidential documents?
Start with a short, non-confidential description in the quote form. The form takes text only, with no uploads and no payment. If the job needs your plans, financials or pricing, we arrange a secure document exchange after scope review. Leave private rates and personal data out of the first message.
Can ChatGPT do construction estimates?
Partly. A general chatbot can explain methods, draft scope letters and check arithmetic you give it. It is not built to measure plans to scale, cross-check a full set with addenda, or know your labor and material costs, so its quantities and prices are not bid-ready. Use a measured takeoff tied to the sheets for any number you will bid. Bidmere uses AI to draft takeoffs, then a person checks every quantity before delivery, from $195 in 48 hours.
Get a fixed quote
Share the project basics. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.