Architectural
- Cover sheet and sheet index
- Dimensioned floor plans
- Exterior elevations
- Building and wall sections
- Door, window, and finish schedules
- Reflected ceiling plans and details
Free planning resource
House plan takeoff checklist
A complete, current plan set produces a stronger scope and fewer TBD quantities. Use this checklist before uploading drawings or requesting construction estimates.
The minimum useful upload
A floor plan alone can support room recognition and some dimensions, but it usually cannot support a defensible whole-house material takeoff. Upload the complete issued plan set whenever possible.
Structural
- Foundation and slab plans
- Framing plans
- Beam, header, and lintel schedules
- Shear-wall or bracing information
- Roof framing and connection details
- Engineer notes and revisions
Systems and site
- Electrical and lighting plans
- Plumbing plans and fixture schedules
- Mechanical plans and equipment schedules
- Dimensioned site plan
- Grading, drainage, and utility information
- Landscape or exterior-scope plans if included
Before uploading, check these five things
- Every page is readable. Export vector PDFs when available; avoid photos with perspective distortion or clipped dimensions.
- Revision dates are visible. Do not combine old and new sheets without identifying which issue governs.
- Options are identified. Mark alternate elevations, bonus rooms, balconies, fireplaces, and other optional conditions as included or excluded.
- Schedules match plans. If area, door, window, finish, or equipment schedules disagree, ask the designer for clarification.
- Engineering is included. Without structural information, headers, reinforcing, connections, and many framing quantities must remain TBD.
What can still remain unknown
Even a complete permit set may not define every procurement decision. Cabinet construction, appliance models, finish selections, fixture packages, site conditions, local code amendments, temporary work, contractor means and methods, and supplier packaging can remain open. A responsible report identifies these gaps instead of converting them into hidden assumptions.
Quick upload checklist
Use this condensed list before starting an analysis:
- Complete PDF set, not isolated screenshots
- Architectural + structural + MEP sheets
- Schedules, sections, and details
- Latest revisions only—or clear revision history
- Optional scope marked included/excluded
- Readable dimensions and plan scale
Missing information should change the answer.
BuildAHouse reports what the plans support and returns TBD where the evidence is incomplete.
See what the report includes