The problem: every assembly has a different R-value and a different unit
- Exterior walls, the attic flat, sloped ceilings, band joists and floors over unconditioned space all carry different R-values on the same set of plans — and cavity insulation and continuous exterior insulation are specified separately, the way the code writes R-20+5ci.
- Batt is sold by the bag with a stated coverage, blown-in is sold by the bag at a coverage published per R-value, with the installed depth following from it, and spray foam is priced by the board foot.
- Continuous exterior insulation is measured on the wall area but priced and installed nothing like cavity insulation.
- The code sheet says what R-value goes where, and that mapping has to survive into the material order.
This is a takeoff where the measuring is simple and the bookkeeping is not. Getting square footage is easy; keeping five different assemblies, five R-values and three different units straight across a whole house is where the errors live.
How the tool handles it
Each assembly is its own condition with its own R-value, its own unit and its own conversion. Blown-in converts square footage to bags at the manufacturer coverage for your target R-value, and reports the installed depth that R-value requires. Spray foam converts area and thickness to board feet. Batt converts to bundles at the coverage printed on the bag. One trace per assembly, and the units come out right.
One trace, the whole material list
A condition is a named, colored layer you trace on the drawing. An assembly turns that one condition into every part it drives, each with its own formula, coverage rate, waste percentage and rounding rule. A R-38 blown attic condition looks like this:
| Part | Unit | Driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Blown fiberglass | BAG | attic SF ÷ coverage per bag at target R-value, rounded up |
| Baffles | EA | eave LF ÷ rafter or truss spacing |
| Recessed fixture covers | EA | can light count |
| Wind-wash blocking | SF | open knee wall and dropped soffit area |
| Attic access dam and cover | EA | count |
| Depth markers | EA | attic SF ÷ 300, per IECC R303.1.1.1 |
| Air sealing material | LS | by penetration count |
| Blow labor | HR | attic SF ÷ production rate |
Change a coverage rate, a waste percentage or a unit cost and every job using that assembly re-prices. You are not editing numbers in twelve places.
R-value per condition
R-13 in 2x4 walls, R-21 in 2x6 walls, R-5 continuous exterior, R-38 in the attic and R-30 in the floor are separate conditions on one plan, each with its own color, unit and production rate.
Coverage comes from the R-value
Manufacturer bag charts are published per R-value, not per inch. Set the R-value on the condition and the bag count follows, along with the installed and settled thickness the inspector will check.
Board feet for foam
Area times thickness gives board feet directly, so open-cell and closed-cell price correctly from the same traced surface.
Every number traces back to a mark
When the inspector asks which assembly got which R-value, the marked-up plan shows each one in its own color with its square footage and R-value labeled on the sheet it came from.
Every number on the report links back to a specific mark, on a specific sheet, at a specific place on the page. The marked-up PDF export draws every mark in its condition color with the quantity labeled — that is the file you attach to the bid.
Accuracy is held to a stated tolerance: linear measurements within 0.10% of true, straight-sided areas within 0.25%, and calibration repeatable within 0.20% across five separate calibrations of the same page. Geometry is stored in PDF units, never screen pixels, and rounding happens exactly once — at report time.
What it costs
Insulation is sold on thin margins in volume. The estimate has to be fast and it has to be right, and doing it twice is not an option.
$2,500, paid once. Nothing in year two. Nothing in year three. No per-seat bill and no renewal date.
| Estimators using it | A per-seat subscription, five years | Ours, one-time licence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8,745 – $10,000 | $2,500 |
| 2 | $17,490 – $20,000 | $2,500 |
| 3 | $26,235 – $30,000 | $2,500 |
| 5 | $43,725 – $50,000 | $2,500 |
Their column multiplies by headcount and then repeats every year. Ours does neither. Put a fourth estimator on it and the number is still $2,500, because you are not licensing seats — you are buying the software.
And it does not repeat
| Whole company | Per-seat subscription, billed that year | Ours, billed that year |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $2,500 |
| Year 2 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $0 |
| Year 3 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $0 |
| Year 4 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $0 |
| Year 5 | $1,749 – $2,000 × seats | $0 |
What you actually receive
- The source code. Not access to it — a copy of it, running on your infrastructure.
- A one-time perpetual licence. It does not expire, it cannot be revoked, and there is no renewal date in your calendar.
- No seat count. Put every estimator in the company on it. There is no user tier to outgrow and nothing that counts logins.
- No dependence on us. Sixty days of support are included. After that you can hire any developer to change it, because you have the code. Most vendors cannot make that offer, because with them you are renting.
Subscription figures are publicly reported PlanSwift prices from software review sites, shown as a representative example of per-seat takeoff pricing. Check any vendor's current pricing directly before you compare. See the full PlanSwift comparison.
What is being built next
- DXF and DWG import is in active development. Today the tool reads PDF. If your drawings arrive as CAD files, ask on the call and we will give you honest timing rather than a guess on a web page.
- Auto-count symbol recognition — box a symbol once and find every match on the sheet — is a later release.
- Multi-estimator assignment, so a supervisor can hand work to specific people, is still being built out.