Estimaite
TradesPricingMCP
Division 26 · E-sheets

Electrical & Low-Voltage takeoff,
the way estimators do it.

Count fixtures first (longest lead time), measure feeders off the one-line, allowance the branch. Exactly what gets measured, how it gets priced, and how the number is proven.

Electrical & Low-Voltage

Division 26 · E-sheets

Count fixtures first (longest lead time), measure feeders off the one-line, allowance the branch.

Illustrative Electrical & Low-Voltage methodology: how Estimaite takes off the electrical system
Illustrative takeoff
What Estimaite measures
Luminaires by schedule typeCountEA
Devices (receptacles, switches, data)CountEA
Gear (panels, transformers, disconnects)CountEA
Feeders: conduit + wire by sizeLinearLF
Branch homeruns + device allowanceLinearLF
Low-voltage / fire-alarm devicesCountEA
How it's priced
  • Branch: #12 THHN copper in ¾" EMT (commercial default); 20A/1P unless noted.
  • Feeders: THHN/XHHW copper in EMT indoors; aluminum XHHW common ≥ #1/0 on long runs.
  • Wire qty = conduit LF × conductor count + 15% make-up (10% open, 20%+ MC/remodel).
  • Vertical adders: +3 ft per device turn-up, +6 ft per homerun termination at the panel.
Derived + allowances
  • Terminations: 2 per conductor per run (breakers/lugs on feeders).
  • Branch allowance ≈ 20-25 LF of ¾" EMT + 60-75 LF of #12 per device beyond the homerun.
  • Trivial hardware carried as a ~7% miscellaneous-materials markup.
Live sample estimate
Fixture A, 2x4 LED troffer64 EA$14,976.00
Duplex receptacles88 EA$8,888.00
Homerun ¾" EMT 3#121,240 LF$15,044.00
Feeder 4#3/0+#6G, 2" EMT180 LF$19,253.00
Panelboards4 EA$12,040.00
Material$36,953.00
Labor$29,011.00
Markup 15%$9,895.00
Grand total$75,860.00
Markup15%
Illustrative unit costs, priced live through Estimaite's real estimating engine. Your catalog uses your own costs.
How Estimaite proves it
Every luminaire schedule letter has a count; total ≈ symbols on the plans.
Every panel on the one-line has a feeder measured to it and a count entry.
Device counts pass the density check (an office floor ≈ 1 receptacle / 80-120 SF).
The method

Every trade runs the same disciplined takeoff.

Not a black box. The same six steps a careful estimator follows, enforced on every sheet.

  1. 01
    Set the scale
    Calibrate on a known dimension or the title-block scale before measuring anything. Sanity-check against a door or a parking stall.
  2. 02
    Read every schedule
    Equipment and fixture schedules anchor the estimate. Count the tagged things first, then reconcile against the plan symbols.
  3. 03
    Count the tagged units
    One count layer per schedule type. Density is never an excuse to skip, a crowded sheet means trace finer, not less.
  4. 04
    Trace by system, size, material
    One layer per system + size + construction class ("CHWS 6" Sch40 grv"). Size alone is not a takeoff line, material and system price it.
  5. 05
    Verify in overlay
    Re-view each region in overlay mode. Every line must sit on a real drawn run; anything floating over nothing is deleted.
  6. 06
    Final full-sheet pass
    Re-tile the entire area of every in-scope sheet. Not done until zero dark runs sit unmeasured and zero lines sit on nothing.
Complete, never sampled
Every system, run, and tagged unit on every in-scope sheet. A "representative" or "main systems only" takeoff is a failed one, not a smaller one.
Only what is drawn
Every line and point sits on a real drawn element. Hallucinated geometry is worse than a gap, so unverified marks get deleted.
Mismatches are findings
When the schedule says 12 and the plan shows 10, that is reported, not silently reconciled. The number stays honest.

Takeoff by trade

Every trade gets its own page: what gets measured, how it is priced, and how the number is proven.

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