Loading BuildVision AI
Loading BuildVision AI
Review plan-linked AI suggestions, verify device counts against the electrical sheets, and add or correct measured routes before carrying accepted scope into editable quote lines.
Test the workflow on a representative plan.
AI
review
Manual
tools
Quote
editable
The trade
Electrical estimating brings together device and fixture counts, measured raceway or cable routes, distribution equipment, controls, specialties, labor, and code review. Reflected ceiling plans, one-lines, panel schedules, specifications, and details can each carry scope that is not visible on the main power plan.
The estimator must decide routing, vertical allowances, conductor makeup, conduit fill, derating, voltage drop, supports, terminations, testing, productivity, and exclusions. Those engineering and installation decisions cannot be inferred safely from a symbol count alone.
BuildVision AI keeps the plan-takeoff portion reviewable. Accept or dismiss plan-linked AI detections, add missing devices with manual counts, measure proposed runs with line or polyline tools after calibration, and label the work by system or scope. Complete-document totals, workspace-owned Costing rows, CSV export, and editable quote lines support the next pricing step; circuit design, code calculations, labor units, assemblies, and supplier pricing remain estimator-owned.
Cost structure
Use these categories as an estimating checklist. BuildVision AI does not supply distributor prices or labor units; your workspace and estimator own those inputs.
| Category | Typical items | Unit | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wire & Cable | THHN, Romex, MC cable, XHHW, armored cable, low-voltage | Linear ft / Roll | Set in your workspace |
| Conduit | EMT, rigid, PVC, flexible, liquidtight, fittings, straps, hangers | Linear ft / Each | Set in your workspace |
| Panels & Breakers | Main panels, sub-panels, breakers, disconnects, transfer switches | Each | Set in your workspace |
| Outlets & Switches | Receptacles, GFCI, AFCI, dimmers, 3-way, smart switches, covers | Each | Set in your workspace |
| Lighting Fixtures | LED troffers, recessed cans, pendants, emergency, exit signs, controls | Each | Set in your workspace |
| Labor | Journeyman electrician, apprentice, foreman rates | Per hour | Set in your workspace |
| Permits & Inspections | Permits, rough-in and final inspections, arc flash study | Per project | Set in your workspace |
Workflow
Upload the relevant PDF or image sheets and confirm they are saved before starting an AI takeoff.
Compare plan-linked suggestions with plans, schedules, one-lines, details, and specifications; accept or dismiss each item deliberately.
Calibrate the sheet, add missing device counts, and measure estimator-chosen routes with line or polyline tools.
Collect all pages, review totals by label, and apply your own conductor, raceway, labor, code, and price decisions in the quote.
Margin pressure
Every panel needs NEC-compliant load calculations. Wrong wire sizes, breakers, or conductor counts mean failed inspections and rework.
Conduit fill limits, derating factors, and routing complexity can add thousands when calculated incorrectly.
Hundreds of outlets, switches, and boxes can appear on one commercial floor. Small misses repeat into meaningful material and labor losses.
Wire is often the largest material cost. Weekly copper movement across thousands of feet can destroy a stale estimate.
Capabilities
These are BuildVision AI review, measurement, and quote controls. Trade calculations and pricing decisions remain estimator-owned.
Inspect plan-linked suggestions and accept or dismiss electrical scope without treating AI output as a designed circuit takeoff.
Add or correct outlets, fixtures, panels, controls, boxes, and specialty items with estimator-defined labels.
Calibrate the sheet and draw straight or segmented paths for estimator-selected raceway, cable, or feeder routes.
Organize reviewed quantities by power, lighting, controls, low-voltage, or another scope structure you control.
Roll quantities up across loaded pages and disclose incomplete collection before CSV export or quote creation.
Use workspace cost references and editable quote lines for job-specific material, labor, tax, discount, and terms.
FAQ
It helps an estimator connect plan evidence, reviewed quantities, cost references, and quote preparation. The estimator remains responsible for circuit design, conductor and raceway decisions, code compliance, labor, and price.
AI creates plan-linked suggestions for review. Accept or dismiss those items, compare them with every relevant sheet and schedule, and add or correct counts and measurements manually.
No. It does not design routes, size conductors, calculate conduit or box fill, check derating or voltage drop, or balance panels. Those remain engineering and estimator responsibilities.
Use counts for devices, line or polyline geometry for chosen routes, areas or rectangles where useful, and imperial or metric calibration. Labels and CSI categories keep accepted scope organized.
Your workspace owns material, labor, and subcontractor Costing rows. BuildVision AI does not provide a live distributor feed, supplier import, or NECA labor library.
BuildVision AI accepts saved PDF and image plans. DWG, DXF, BIM, schedule parsing, and universal file conversion are not currently supported.
Accuracy varies with drawing quality, scale, scope, and review. Treat suggestions as proposed items, verify them against the plans, and complete missing work manually before pricing.
Use complete-document totals to check coverage. CSV preserves every row with its review state; editable grouped quote lines use accepted AI and manual work only. You decide the final material, labor, pricing, terms, and exclusions.
Related scopes
Move between dedicated estimating workflows without losing the project-wide context.
Review the full scope
Verify devices and measured routes first, then apply your own circuit, code, labor, and pricing judgment.