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Review plan-linked AI suggestions, calibrate the roofing sheets, and add or correct counts, lengths, paths, and areas before carrying accepted scope into editable quote lines.
Test the workflow on a representative plan.
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The trade
Roofing estimating brings together plan area, pitch, facets, perimeters, ridges, valleys, hips, eaves, penetrations, drains, curbs, accessories, tear-off, access, labor, and disposal. Steep-slope and low-slope systems use different materials and details, so the estimator must reconcile roof plans, sections, details, schedules, and specifications.
Plan geometry is only one input. True surface area depends on slope, while material coverage, laps, starter, flashing, insulation, fasteners, waste, existing layers, deck condition, safety, staging, weather, and productivity remain project decisions. Field or specialist aerial verification may still be necessary where the drawings are incomplete.
BuildVision AI supports reviewable takeoff from saved PDF or image plans; it is not a satellite measurement service. Review plan-linked AI detections, calibrate the sheet, and add or correct manual counts, lengths, paths, areas, or rectangles with estimator-defined labels. Complete-document totals, workspace-owned Costing rows, CSV export, and editable quote lines support the next pricing step; pitch conversion, material assemblies, waste, tear-off, labor, aerial measurement, and supplier pricing remain estimator-owned.
Cost structure
Use these categories as an estimating checklist. BuildVision AI does not supply aerial measurements, live supplier prices, or installed-cost rates; your estimator owns those inputs.
| Category | Typical items | Unit | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt Shingles (Installed) | 3-tab, 30-year architectural, and premium designer | Per square | Set in your workspace |
| Metal Roofing (Installed) | Corrugated, standing seam, stone-coated steel, copper | Per square | Set in your workspace |
| Tile & Slate (Installed) | Concrete tile, clay tile, and natural slate | Per square | Set in your workspace |
| Underlayment | Synthetic, high-temp, ice and water shield | Per SF / Per roll | Set in your workspace |
| Flashing & Accessories | Step and valley flashing, drip edge, counter flashing, pipe boots | Linear ft / Each | Set in your workspace |
| Ventilation | Ridge vents, soffit vents, power vents, turbines, baffles | Linear ft / Each | Set in your workspace |
| Tear-Off & Disposal | Single-layer asphalt removal, haul-off, landfill | Per square | Set in your workspace |
| Steep-Slope Premium | Labor surcharge at 8/12 and above | Per SF surcharge | Set in your workspace |
| Waste Factor | Simple gable through cut-up hip and valleys | Percentage | 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 roof plans, sections, details, schedules, and specifications; accept or dismiss each item deliberately.
Calibrate the drawing and add or correct counts, perimeter lengths, segmented paths, facet areas, and openings with manual tools.
Collect all pages, review totals by label, and apply your own pitch, coverage, waste, tear-off, labor, and price decisions in the quote.
Margin pressure
Hips, valleys, dormers, turrets, and pitch turn a simple footprint into a complex surface.
Simple gables may waste 5–10%; cut-up hip roofs with valleys can reach 15–20%.
Rain, wind, cold, and peak-season labor affect working days and crew cost.
Hidden layers, rot, and deck damage require contingency without pricing a good bid out of reach.
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 roofing scope without treating AI output as a finished roof report.
Add or correct plan areas, perimeter lengths, hips, valleys, ridges, openings, drains, curbs, and accessory counts.
Set a known distance in imperial or metric units before relying on plan measurements.
Organize reviewed work by roof area, system, facet, level, detail, 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, waste, tear-off, labor, tax, and terms.
FAQ
It helps an estimator connect roof-plan evidence, reviewed quantities, cost references, and quote preparation. The estimator remains responsible for slope, coverage, assemblies, waste, tear-off, labor, and price.
No. BuildVision AI is not an aerial measurement service and does not look up a roof from an address. Use saved PDF or image plans and obtain field or specialist measurements when the drawings are insufficient.
Calibrate a known plan distance, then use line, polyline, area, rectangle, and count tools to record estimator-selected roof geometry and visible accessories.
No. It does not convert footprint to true roof area, select coverage, or apply a waste factor. The estimator applies slope, laps, pattern, complexity, and ordering judgment to reviewed plan quantities.
Yes. Use labels and CSI categories to distinguish steep-slope, low-slope, metal, tile, membrane, insulation, flashing, or any estimator-defined scope.
No. Record visible or known scope with manual tools, then price layers, access, disposal, deck allowances, and contingencies in workspace Costing rows or editable quote lines.
Your workspace owns material, labor, and subcontractor Costing rows. BuildVision AI does not provide live supplier pricing, ordering integrations, installed-cost databases, or labor productivity tables.
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 final material, waste, tear-off, labor, price, terms, and exclusions.
Related scopes
Move between dedicated estimating workflows without losing the project-wide context.
In the product
Set a trustworthy page scale from a known drawing dimension.
For a printed scale, click the scale readout to open Set scale.
Choose Imperial and enter formats such as 1/8 in = 1 ft, or choose Imperial/Metric ratio and enter 1:N.
For a known dimension, press K, click two points, enter the real-world length, and choose ft or m.
Apply and verify the scale readout and recomputed item quantities.
Review the full scope
Verify plan geometry first, then apply your own slope, coverage, waste, tear-off, labor, and pricing judgment.