ESTIMATING,

QUANTITY
SURVEYING
& TAKEOFF
ESTIMATING
ESTIMATING
Estimating or estimation is the process of
calculating the quantities of various items of works
involved in the projects.

ESTIMATE
Estimate is a document which furnishes the
quantities of different works involved, their rates
and the expenditure anticipate in a project.
ESTIMATOR
An estimator is responsible for calculating the costs of a project before
work commences, covering everything from materials, labour, equipment
hire, transport costs and everything in between.
SIGNIFICANCE OF ESTIMATION

• To know about the approximate cost of the building

construction
• To calculate the tax of the building
• To fix the rent of a building
• To know about the various items of works involved in
the building construction and arrange the available
materials of the construction
• To arrange the labours of the construction works
THE ROLE OF AN ESTIMATOR

Estimators or sometimes called cost

planners calculate how much construction
projects will cost, taking into account labour,
materials and equipment requirements. They
will negotiate with suppliers and gain quotes
from subcontractors and use this information
to compile detailed cost proposals for a
client.
TYPES OF ESTIMATE
1) Preliminary or Approximate Estimate
2) Rough Cost Estimate based on plinth area
3) Rough Cost Estimate based on cubic contents
4) Detailed Estimate
5) Annual Repair Estimate
6) Special Repair Estimate
7) Revised Estimate
8) Supplementary Estimate
9) Complete Estimate
Preliminary Estimate
or Approximate
Estimate
This type is prepared to decide financial aspect,
policy and to give idea of the cost of the proposal to
the competent sanctioning authority. It should
clearly show the necessity of the proposal and how
the cost has been arrived at.
The estimate which is prepared using any rough method to get
approximate cost of the construction anticipated in a project called
approximate estimate. The following documents should be attached with it.
a) Detailed report
b) Site plan of the proposal
c) Acquisition of land and provision of electric and water supply
Rough Cost Estimate
based on Plinth Area
Plinth area of a building means Length X
Breadth (roofed portion only) excluding plinth
offsets. The estimates are prepared on the basis of
plinth area of the various buildings proposed to be
constructed. The rates are being arrived by dividing
the total cost of construction with its plinth area.

The following documents should be attached with it.

a) Line plan with brief specifications
b) Cost of various services added i.e. electric and water supply
c) North line should be shown clearly on line plan
Rough Cost Estimate
based on Cubic Contents
The cubic contents of a building means plinth
area X height of the building. The height is taken
from top of floor level to top of roof.

Total Cost = cost per cubic meter X cubic contents

Detailed Estimate
After getting administrative approval on rough
cost estimate, detailed estimates are prepared.
This estimate provides the item wise quantities
of works, item wise unit rate and expenditure in
the project.
This type of estimate is divided in to sub-heads
and quantities of various items are calculated
individually.
 Annual Repair Estimate
Annual repair estimates are being prepared by
the concerned department for getting allocation of
funds made in the annual budgets.
In order to keep buildings and roads in perfect
condition, annual repairs should be carried out as
follow:
i. In case of a building-white washing, oiling and painting of doors and
windows, cement plaster repairs (inside and out), repairs of floors etc. In
no case this annual repair amount should increase more that 1.5% to 2%
of the capital cost of the building
ii. In case of a road-filling patches, maintenance of berms etc.
Special Repair Estimate
If the work cannot be carried out of the annual
repair funds due to certain reasons resulting in the
genuine increase in cost, then this type of estimate
is to be prepared.
The reason of increase may be:-
i. In case of a building opening of new doors, change of floors,
plastering walls etc.
ii. In case of roads-if the whole surface is full of corrugation and
patches, then the total surface is to be scarified. The old
metal is taken out, consolidation by adding more metal is
done and top surface is repainted
Revised Estimate
When the sanctioned estimate exceeds by 5%
either due to the rate being found insufficient or
due to some other reasons, a fresh estimate is
prepared which is called a Revised Estimate. A
comparative statement on the last page of the
estimate is attached giving there in the reasons of
cost in case of each item.
Supplementary Estimate
This is fresh detailed estimate in addition to
the original sanctioned estimate prepared when
additional works are deemed necessary during
the progress of a work to supplement the
original works. The abstract of cost should show
the amount of the original sanctioned estimate
as well as the supplementary amount for which
sanction is required.
Complete Estimate
This estimate which includes, in addition to
the cost of construction, the cost of land, the
expenses towards surveying, preparation of
plans and estimates, legal assistance,
registration of documents, payment of taxes and
service charges. It represents the final project
cost given the costs incurred to date and the
expected costs to complete the project.
QUANTITY
SURVEYING
QUANTITY SURVEYING
Quantity surveying is measuring the items
which form a construction one by one and
quantifying these items.
In calculations, distances, meters, volumes
and weights are measured by using meters,
meter square, meter cubic and tonnes,
respectively.
There is a direct relationship between the accuracy of the costs of the
construction calculated based on quantity surveying and accuracy of quantity
surveying alone. Therefore, it is required to know how to prepare quantity surveys
properly.
Note: Inappropriate quantity survey = Inappropriate estimation
IMPORTANCE OF
QUANTITY SURVEYING
Quantity survey is essential to estimate before
the construction starts the probable cost of
construction for the complete work. The
construction cost includes cost of materials, cost
of transportation, labor cost, taxes, reasonable
profit of the contractor and etc. The estimate is
required in inviting tenders for the works and to
arrange contract for a complete project.
QUANTITY SURVEYOR

A quantity surveyor (QS) is a professional

working within the construction industry
concerned with project costs. The profession is
one that provides a qualification gained following
formal education, specific training and experience
that provides a general set of skills that are then
applied to a diverse variety of problems.
WARNINGS in PREPARING
QUANTITY SURVEYING

The quantity surveying does not require

complex mathematical calculations. However,
mistakes in writing units of dimensions, taken
off dimensions and simple calculation can lead
to conflicts between the parties involved in
construction
 QUANTITY ABSTRACT

The total quantity survey consists of many

pages, therefore instead of presenting all
calculations related to the quantity survey, a table
shows the abstract of all quantity survey which
provides total quantity of each construction
structure. This table is called quantity abstract
table.
Some of the works:
Work Items Units Work Items Units

Excavation m³ Scaffoldings m²

m³
Transportation of Soil Baseboard m

Reinforcement ton Washboard m

Concrete m³ Ceramic Tile m²

Interior Walls m² Plaster m²

Exterior Walls m³ Painting m²

Blockage m³ Woodworks m²

Formworks m² Glassworks m²
QUANTITY
TAKEOFF
 QUANTITY TAKE-OFF
Quantity takeoffs (QTO) is an in-depth construction
estimation of materials and labor required to complete
a construction project.
It is developed during the pre-construction phase.
These measurements are used to format a bid on the
scope of construction. Estimators review drawings,
specifications, and models to find these quantities.
Preparing a quantity take off requires a high degree of
skill, as well as good judgment and critical thinking
skills. The term “takeoff” refers to the process of
“taking off” all of the materials for a project from a
design drawing or blueprint.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF QTO

Quantity takeoffs fulfill an important function

for construction projects of nearly any size. QTOs
are an integral part of the cost estimation process.
The information from a QTO is incorporated into a
final detailed estimate, along with things like labor
costs, office overhead costs, subcontractor costs,
and equipment rentals.
Quantity takeoffs are generally performed early
on during the bidding process.
 2 BASIC FUNCTIONS OF
QTO IN CONSTRUCTION

First, they detail the what materials need to be

purchased to complete a project. Second, they
provide a total material cost for a project, which is
then incorporated into a detailed cost estimate.
TYPES OF
QUANTITY TAKEOFF

1. MANUAL QUANTITY TAKEOFF

2. DIGITAL QUANTITY TAKEOFF

MANUAL
QUANTITY TAKEOFF
A manual quantity takeoff is simply a
takeoff that is completed without the
assistance of digital software.

DIGITAL
QUANTITY TAKEOFF
Digital quantity take offs are completed using construction cost
estimation program that contains digital takeoff capability.
BENEFITS OF
DIGITAL TAKEOFFS
1. Digital takeoffs help reduce errors associated with
quantity takeoffs.
2. Digital take offs take much less time to produce.
3. DQTOs don’t just save time when creating a takeoff,
but they also save time when a QTO has to be
adjusted that happens frequently during projects.
Digital takeoff software allows for a rapid turnaround
time if adjustments are necessary.
4. Digital quantity takeoffs require less specialization to
complete than the manual takeoff.