Framing Take-off

[Delmer]

Does anyone, contractor or otherwise, use the framing tool's takeoff spreadsheet? Does it help with any areas of your calculations or is it just plain easier (as well as more accurate) to figure it out from the plans & sections?

[Travis]

Delmer,

We use the Framer tool extensively. We rely on its takeoffs of walls as a guide only. The two square footage calculations are actually pretty reliable, but the stick quantity can be off by as much as 15%. Especially if you've asked it to frame gable-end or sloped walls.

Anything framed using the Joist PIO, and then referenced from a worksheet, is pretty reliable. But this is generally limited to floors and possibly ceiling trusses. We likewise have a fair amount of confidence in the roof framing, provided the individual pieces have been properly labeled. (I'm really aching for a tool that will allow I-joists to be angled as rafters.)

It may or may not be helpful for you to have a read through this thread:

http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=001408

Good luck,

[Delmer]

Thanks Travis, that's just what I was wondering.

If you can rely on it like you say I can see the direct value to design-build. Now I have to weigh if contractors will like me enough to make it worthwhile for me to frame my drawings to the point of it being accurate.

[Travis]

To further Chris' comment:

Anytime our drawings go out-of-house for competitive bids, or if we do a set of drawings for another contractor, we always label the take-offs as Estimated Materials. Never as a schedule.

That should encourage the builder to double-check, and after working with you for a while, he'll learn how to adjust the estimate to suit his needs.

Good luck,

[islandmon]

My approach is too always design to the 'nominal' dimensions and use the nominal as the class, eg. 3x12x22. This way a materials list can be easily generated without reliance on the exact lengths which for roofs always require a slope calculations.