Turn construction plans into an estimate — in minutes, not evenings
The takeoff is the slowest, most error-prone part of bidding: counting fixtures, measuring rooms, transferring numbers to a spreadsheet at 10pm. Orchamind reads the plans and does it for you.
Snap photos of the plans on your phone — or upload the PDF — and AI performs the takeoff: rooms, square footage, fixture and outlet counts, systems. It then drafts an itemized estimate with labor and materials split out, lists every assumption it made, and asks about anything the plans don't specify. You verify, apply your rates, and send.
How plan-to-estimate AI works
What the AI reads off your plans
A good estimator reads a set of plans in layers, and the AI works the same way. First the geometry: room dimensions and square footage, wall runs, ceiling heights where noted. Then the counts: fixtures, outlets, switches, windows, doors, panels — the things you'd otherwise tally with a highlighter. Then the systems: what the electrical, plumbing and mechanical scope implies even when it isn't itemized. And finally the fine print: written notes on the drawings, which is where scope surprises usually hide.
From that takeoff it builds the estimate the way you would — quantity times unit price, labor separate from materials — so every line is checkable against the plans, not a mystery lump sum.
The part that matters: it never guesses silently
Plans never tell you everything. The difference between a takeoff you can trust and one that burns you is what happens with the gaps. Orchamind handles them two ways: every assumption is listed in plain English on the draft (“assumed 8 ft ceilings — height not marked on page 2”), and anything that materially changes the price comes back as a clarifying question — up to four, answerable by voice. That's how an experienced estimator works, and it's why the draft is a starting point you can defend rather than a black box.
What it still can't do
Honesty matters here. AI takeoff doesn't replace structural engineering, doesn't see site conditions — the slope, the access, the soil — and doesn't know your crew's production rates or this week's supplier pricing. That's why every AI draft in Orchamind is clearly marked as a draft, and why you review every line before it goes out. The AI removes the counting and the arithmetic; the contractor's judgment makes it a bid.
| Task | Manual | With Orchamind |
|---|---|---|
| Takeoff from a residential plan set | 2–4 hours | Minutes |
| Itemizing labor + materials | An evening in a spreadsheet | Drafted automatically |
| Catching unspecified scope | Hope you noticed | Listed assumptions + questions |
| Quote turnaround to the client | Days | Same visit |
Try it on a real set of plans
Open the live demo, go to Estimates, tap “From plans” and snap a photo. No signup, no card — watch the takeoff happen.
Try Orchamind free →Frequently asked questions
Yes. Upload a PDF of the plans or snap photos of the pages and AI reads rooms, dimensions, square footage and fixture counts, then drafts itemized estimate line items from that takeoff. You review the quantities, apply your own rates, and send. It replaces hours of counting and measuring, not your judgment.
Floor plans, site drawings, blueprints and even hand sketches - as a PDF or plain photos taken on your phone at the job site. Clearer pages give better takeoffs. If a dimension is unreadable, the AI says so and asks instead of silently guessing.
It is a strong first pass, not a final bid. The AI lists every assumption it made and asks up to four clarifying questions about anything the plans do not specify - fixture grade, ceiling heights, whether demo is included. Answer them and it refines the numbers. Your production rates and supplier costs are always the last word.
It is a draft. In Orchamind the AI-drafted line items land in your normal estimate editor where you verify quantities, adjust pricing and add your markup before sending. Sent documents state that pricing is an estimate subject to a written contract - which protects you and moves the client toward signing.