AI Takeoff Software
By Phazahn Odom | Founder of Phixmo | Former bookkeeper for residential GCs | Former NFL tight end, Pittsburgh Steelers
Upload your plans. Get measurements in minutes. No more spending entire evenings doing takeoffs by hand.
Phixmo's AI takeoff tool reads your blueprint PDFs and extracts the measurements: room dimensions, wall lengths, door and window counts, square footage, fixtures. You review and adjust the numbers, then generate a full cost estimate from the takeoff. The whole process takes about 10 minutes instead of 3 to 4 hours.
It's built into Phixmo's project management platform. No separate takeoff subscription. No per-sheet fees. Included with your plan.
Three steps from blueprint PDF to a full cost estimate. The AI does the heavy lifting on extraction. You do the experienced review that makes the numbers right for your specific job.
Drag and drop your PDF into the takeoff tool. Floor plans, site plans, architectural drawings. Before the analysis runs, you calibrate the scale: click two points on a dimension you know, type the real distance, and the drawing's true scale is locked in. You can also tell the AI what to focus on, like 'master bathroom remodel only,' so it doesn't pull measurements for the entire house when you only need one room.
The AI returns a structured takeoff with measurements grouped by category: project summary, dimensions, openings (doors and windows), areas (floor, wall, ceiling, roof), plumbing fixtures, and electrical. Every measurement carries a badge showing how it was derived: read from a labeled dimension on the plan (exact), calculated from your calibrated scale, or estimated (low confidence). Everything is editable. If the AI counted 3 windows and you know there are 4, you change it before anything gets priced.
Once you've reviewed the measurements, click 'Generate Estimate.' The AI takes your confirmed takeoff and produces a full cost estimate with line items broken down by category: labor, materials, subcontractors, permits, overhead, and contingency. When you've got completed jobs in Phixmo, pricing comes from your own actuals: your labor rates, your hours per square foot, your sub costs. Regional estimates fill the gaps, and every line item is tagged with its source.
The estimate lands in your Phixmo account just like a text-based estimate would. From there you can send it for e-signature, convert it to a contract, create a project from it, or download it as the same branded PDF your client receives: your logo, categorized line items, and totals, not a browser printout.
Every measurement the AI returns is organized into one of six categories below. You see them grouped this way in the takeoff review screen.
Total square footage, exterior and interior wall linear footage, ceiling heights, total floor area, total wall area (auto-calculated from linear feet times ceiling height).
Exterior and interior door counts with sizes and types. Window counts with sizes and types. The AI reads standard architectural symbols and notations.
Floor area, wall area, ceiling area, roof area, foundation area, exterior siding area. These are the numbers that drive material quantity calculations for flooring, drywall, paint, roofing, and siding.
Sink count, toilet count, shower count, bathtub count, and any other fixtures visible on the plans. These drive plumbing rough-in and fixture cost estimates.
Outlet count, switch count, and light fixture count based on what's shown on the plans. The AI notes that electrical counts from floor plans are estimates since full electrical plans may show more detail.
Room-by-room breakdown with names, dimensions, and square footage. Overall project description based on what the plans show.
This is the most important question, so here's the honest answer.
AI takeoffs from Phixmo are designed to get you 80 to 90% of the way there in 10 minutes. The last 10 to 20% comes from your experience and your review of the numbers. That's why every measurement is editable before you generate the estimate.
Two things anchor the accuracy. First, scale calibration: before the analysis runs, you click two points on a dimension you know and enter the real distance. That locks the drawing's true scale, so measurements are computed from geometry instead of visual guesses. Second, method transparency: every measurement carries a badge showing how it was derived. Read from a labeled dimension on the plan means exact. Derived from your calibrated scale means solid. Estimated means check it before you price it.
The accuracy still depends on the quality of the plans. Clear architectural drawings with dimensions labeled produce the best results. Rough sketches or hand-drawn plans will produce more estimated measurements, and the badges will show you exactly which ones those are.
Where the AI is strongest: room dimensions, door and window counts, overall square footage, and fixture identification. These are the measurements that have the biggest impact on estimate accuracy.
Where you'll want to double-check: complex roof geometries, multi-level transitions, and areas where the plans are ambiguous or missing dimensions. Anything badged as estimated is where your review time goes.
The key insight is that a 90% accurate takeoff in 10 minutes is more valuable than a 98% accurate takeoff in 4 hours. You're reviewing and adjusting either way. The question is whether you start from a blank sheet or from a structured first pass.
The category leaders in standalone takeoff are PlanSwift, Bluebeam, and STACK. Here's how they sit next to Phixmo's built-in approach.
PlanSwift starts around $1,500 to $2,000 for a perpetual license plus annual maintenance. It's a desktop application that requires manual point-and-click measurement on plans. Accurate but time-consuming.
Bluebeam runs $240 to $400/year per user. It's primarily a PDF markup and collaboration tool with measurement capabilities. Powerful for plan review but not an estimation tool.
STACK is cloud-based and starts around $2,999/year. Built for commercial preconstruction teams. Robust but more tool than most residential GCs need.
First, the AI does the extraction. You don't manually trace walls and count doors. You calibrate the scale with two clicks, the AI pulls the measurements, and you review and adjust with a badge on every number showing how it was derived.
Second, the takeoff feeds directly into your estimate and project. There's no exporting a spreadsheet from one tool and importing it into another. The measurements become an estimate, the estimate becomes a contract, the contract becomes a project. One platform. And once you've completed jobs in Phixmo, that estimate is priced from your own actual labor rates and costs, not generic data.
Third, it's included in your Phixmo subscription. No separate license, no per-sheet pricing, no additional software to learn. Pro plan customers get 5 takeoffs per month. Growth plan customers get unlimited.
Phixmo's takeoff feature is built for residential general contractors who estimate 3 to 10 jobs per month and don't have a dedicated estimating department.
You're the owner or PM who does the estimates yourself, usually at night after being on the job site all day. You've got a set of plans from the architect and you need to turn them into a number. The faster and more accurately you can do that, the more bids you can send out and the better your margins will be on the jobs you win.
If you're a commercial estimator doing 200-page plan sets with dozens of trades, Phixmo probably isn't your tool. If you're a residential GC who needs to turn a floor plan into a bid quickly and accurately, this was built for you.
AI blueprint takeoffs are included in Phixmo Pro ($169/month) and Growth ($299/month). No separate subscription. No per-sheet fees.
Pro plan
$169/mo
5 takeoffs per month included.
Growth plan
$299/mo
Unlimited takeoffs.
Both plans include the full Phixmo platform: job costing, contracts with e-signature, invoicing, change order approval workflows, time tracking with geofence, daily logs, customer portal, and verified customer reviews. Field workers are always free.
The AI analysis runs in about 30 to 60 seconds. Add 5 to 10 minutes for your review and adjustments. Total time from upload to finished estimate is typically under 15 minutes. Compare that to 3 to 4 hours for a manual takeoff.
PDF only. Most architects deliver plans as PDFs. If you have paper plans, scan them to PDF first. The clearer the scan, the better the AI results.
Yes. When you upload the blueprint, there's a scope field where you can type 'master bathroom remodel only' or 'kitchen renovation.' The AI will extract measurements for just that area instead of the entire plan set.
Every measurement is editable, and every measurement carries a badge showing how it was derived: read from a labeled dimension on the plan (exact), calculated from your calibrated scale, or estimated (low confidence). The estimated ones are where you look first. You review and correct everything before anything gets priced.
Yes. You might run one takeoff focused on the kitchen, another on the bathroom, and a third on the full house. Each generates a separate estimate.
Takeoffs are available on Pro (5/month) and Growth (unlimited). Free plan customers can upgrade to access the feature, or try it on a 30-day Pro trial.
An experienced estimator doing a manual takeoff on a residential remodel spends 3 to 6 hours measuring, counting, and listing quantities. With Phixmo you calibrate the drawing's scale in 2 clicks, the AI does the initial pass in under a minute, and you spend 10 minutes reviewing. Because measurements come off the calibrated scale instead of a visual guess, the accuracy is comparable for most residential projects, especially after your review.
Absolutely. The AI extracts measurements and prices the estimate from your own completed jobs when you have history in Phixmo, with regional data filling the gaps. But your experience tells you that the framing on this particular job will take longer because of the weird roof angle, or that the plumbing rough-in will cost more because the house is on a slab. Your adjustments on top of the AI numbers are what make the estimate accurate for your specific situation.