We tried a new takeoff tool against our old manual method for a school project

Our crew was bidding on a school addition in Tacoma last month. We used our usual paper plans and a scale ruler for the concrete takeoff, which took two of us about six hours. Then we ran the same plans through a new takeoff software, and it gave us a full material list in under an hour. The software caught a few missed window openings we had overlooked. Has anyone else made a switch like this and had it pay off on the first job?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagey693mo ago

Wow, tech just quietly fixes our blind spots.

margaretf402mo ago

I get what you're saying but honestly I think it's the opposite for a lot of this stuff. That beeping car thing you mentioned? It actually makes me trust my own eyes less over time. I start second guessing myself waiting for the car to tell me what to do. Same with phones reminding you to leave for stuff. I've noticed I pay way less attention to my schedule now because I just assume the phone will bail me out. And don't get me started on autocorrect fixing typos. I've seen it change whole words and make me look dumb. It feels less like a backup brain and more like we're handing over our basic attention skills for a little convenience.

nathan_patel3mo ago

Totally agree about tech fixing our blind spots. I was driving the other night and my car's safety thing beeped because I didn't see a bike in the lane next to me. It's wild how it just steps in without making a big deal. Stuff like that is everywhere now, from phones reminding you to leave for an appointment to apps catching typos. It's like having a quiet backup brain for the little things we miss.