Substructure
Excavation, footings, ground slabs, basements and below-ground drainage.
Whole Building Estimating
Whole BuildingEstimating
A single estimate covering the whole building, for builders and head contractors — every trade from substructure to finishes and services, measured from your drawings and organised by trade package or element.
Need this ongoing? Get a dedicated estimator
Service 06
Typical inputs
Full drawing setSpecificationsFinishes schedulesServices drawings
Outputs
Full BOQEstimate summaryCost per m²
Formats
ExcelPDFYour template
How we measure a whole building
See a Whole Building Takeoff in 3D
Every trade is measured from the one drawing set — substructure, frame, roof, envelope, internal walls, finishes and services — package by package, so the whole building lands in a single BOQ ready to price.
- Pad footings and ground beams are measured from the foundation plan, then the ground slab by area and thickness.
- Columns and beams are counted on the grid and weighed by section; upper floors are measured slab by slab.
- The roof is measured inside the parapets, with insulation and membrane taken from the roof plan.
- Cladding is measured elevation by elevation, net of openings, and every window is counted from the schedule.
- Partitions are measured by length and height, and floor finishes room by room from the finishes schedule.
- Ductwork, pipework and cable tray are measured run by run from the services drawings, risers included.
- Every package is summarised by element against the gross floor area, so the BOQ is ready to price per m².
| Item | Qty | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Substructure pads, ground beams, slab | 77.5 | m³ |
| Steel frame 12 columns · 51 beams | 25.4 | t |
| Upper floors composite slab · L1, L2 | 533 | m² |
| Roof membrane & insulation | 253 | m² |
| External envelope cladding net · 60 windows | 582 | m² |
| Internal walls 180 m partitions | 486 | m² |
| Floor finishes 3 floors | 760 | m² |
| Building services duct · pipe · cable tray | 280 | lm |
| Gross floor area basis for cost per m² | 800 | m² |
| Delivered as a full BOQ in Excel with marked-up drawings and an elemental summary | ||
Illustrative three-storey office building — sample figures, not a quotation.
Scope
What’s Included
The scope is confirmed with you before work starts, so you know exactly what will be measured and priced.
Frame & upper floors
Concrete, steel or timber frames, suspended slabs, stairs and reinforcement.
Roof
Roof structure, coverings, flashings, insulation and roof drainage.
External envelope
External walls, cladding, windows, external doors and glazing.
Internal walls & doors
Partitions, linings, internal doors and ironmongery.
Finishes
Wall, floor and ceiling finishes, tiling and painting.
Fittings & joinery
Kitchens, joinery, sanitary fittings and fixed equipment.
Building services
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical services, plus fire services and lifts where shown.
External works & preliminaries
Paving, landscaping and site drainage, with preliminaries, contingencies and margins as separate items.
Deliverables
What You Receive
- 01
Complete Bill of Quantities in Excel, covering every trade and formula-linked to the summary
- 02
Estimate summary by trade or by element, with cost per m² of gross floor area
- 03
Material, labour and plant breakdowns (when pricing is requested)
- 04
Marked-up drawings showing what was measured
- 05
Assumptions, exclusions, provisional sums and clarifications
Ideal for
Who It’s For
- Builders and head contractors
- Design and build contractors
- Developers and property owners
- Quantity surveyors needing extra capacity
Dedicated estimator available
Need whole building estimates every week? Get your own dedicated estimator.
Pricing complete projects on a regular basis? Add a dedicated estimator to your team who prepares full building estimates in your format, project after project.
- The same estimator on every project
- Works in your templates and formats
- Learns your rates, trades and standards
- Support arranged around your pipeline
How it works
Simple From Start to Finish
Send drawings
Share drawings, scope and deadline.
Scope review
We confirm deliverables and timeframe.
Takeoff & estimate
Quantities measured and organised.
Review & delivery
Checked, then delivered in your format.
Every trade shown on the drawings — substructure, frame, roof, envelope, internal walls, finishes, fittings, building services and external works — with preliminaries and margins shown separately. The scope is confirmed with you before work begins.
Yes. Quantities can be organised into trade packages so each subcontractor prices the same measured scope, or grouped by building element following the measurement method used in your market.
Yes. Early estimates can be prepared from concept or design development drawings, with assumptions clearly stated so the estimate can be refined as the design develops.
Because every trade is measured, a whole building estimate usually takes longer than a single-trade estimate. We confirm the delivery date after reviewing your drawings and scope, before work begins.
Get support with whole building estimating
Send your full drawing set and scope. We will review the project and confirm deliverables and the delivery date before any work begins.