Estimaite
TradesPricingMCP
Division 31-33 · C-sheets

Sitework & Utilities takeoff,
the way estimators do it.

Earthwork balanced by cut and fill, paving by area, and site utilities by run, size, and structure. Exactly what gets measured, how it gets priced, and how the number is proven.

Sitework & Utilities

Division 31-33 · C-sheets

Earthwork balanced by cut and fill, paving by area, and site utilities by run, size, and structure.

Illustrative Sitework & Utilities methodology: how Estimaite takes off the sitework system
Illustrative takeoff
What Estimaite measures
Cut / fill earthworkVolumeCY
Aggregate baseVolumeCY
Asphalt + concrete pavingAreaSF
Curb + gutterLinearLF
Storm / sanitary / water utilitiesLinearLF
Catch basins + manholesCountEA
How it's priced
  • Cut/fill from grading-plan spot elevations vs existing; balance cut against fill on site.
  • Bank vs compacted CY: apply shrink/swell factors (typically ~10-25%) and state them.
  • Pavement section per the geotech: HMA over aggregate base; compaction to 95%.
  • Utilities: RCP/HDPE storm, PVC/DI water + sanitary, size + material in the layer name.
Derived + allowances
  • Haul-off tonnage for net export; dewatering / shoring where the profile requires it.
  • Structures counted per the plan + profile: catch basins, manholes, cleanouts, hydrants.
  • Erosion control LF (silt fence, inlet protection); striping + signage.
Live sample estimate
Mass excavation (cut)4,200 CY$58,800.00
Aggregate base1,100 CY$52,206.00
HMA paving36,500 SF$226,118.00
Storm RCP 18"880 LF$88,827.00
Catch basins + manholes18 EA$52,920.00
Material$319,801.00
Labor$130,198.00
Markup 15%$67,500.00
Grand total$517,499.00
Markup15%
Illustrative unit costs, priced live through Estimaite's real estimating engine. Your catalog uses your own costs.
How Estimaite proves it
Cut ≈ fill, or the import/export quantity is explicit.
Utility LF matches plan AND profile; every structure on the plan is counted.
Shrink/swell + pavement section assumptions stated.
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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