Job takeoff
Room fit-out takeoff
Board, fill, paint and floor a rectangular room, walls and ceiling, from one set of dimensions.
A takeoff is the trade word for the shopping list a job produces — every material, and how much of each, worked out by its own cited calculator.
- 5Measurements in
- 7Trades out
Give the job once
Every figure on the right follows these, in the units you choose.
Been given a quote for this job?
Paste it into the room fit-out quote check: each line is read against these same calculators — what it leaves out, what it adds, and what to ask.
Check the quoteEvery trade, from those dimensions
then change a dimension, and each line shows what moved.
| Trade | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
Drywall CalculatorBoard for the four walls, less openings — the ceiling is the next row.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
The waste factor: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention. | 15 sheets (4x8 ft) | |
Ceiling Plasterboard (Gypsum Board) Sheet CalculatorBoard for the ceiling, which is the floor area, at the calculator's opening sheet: 2.88 m², a 2400 × 1200 mm board, in metric, and 32 sq ft, a 4 × 8 ft sheet, in imperial — the same board the wall row buys in each. Set this row's sheet to the board you buy if it differs.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
The waste allowance: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention. Change any other figure on the Ceiling Plasterboard (Gypsum Board) Sheet Calculator | 8 sheets | |
Drywall Joint Compound CalculatorCompound for the boarded walls and ceiling, with each door taken off at 1.95 m² (21 sq ft) and each window at 1.4 m² (15 sq ft), as the wall board row does at its defaults.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
The pan and sanding loss: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention. Change any other figure on the Drywall Joint Compound Calculator | 2 x 4.5 gal boxes | |
Paint CalculatorWall paint for the same four walls, less openings.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
| 2.18 gal | |
Ceiling Paint CalculatorCeiling paint for the floor area — usually a different paint from the walls.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
| 1.07 gal | |
Flooring CalculatorFloor covering for the footprint.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
The material and layout waste: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention. | 231.66 ft² | |
Baseboard & Trim CalculatorSkirting around the perimeter, less a doorway at each door.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
The cutting waste: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention. | 61.65 linear ft | |
Drywall CalculatorBoard for the four walls, less openings — the ceiling is the next row.
Why this quantity? | 16 sheets (2400x1200 mm) | |
Ceiling Plasterboard (Gypsum Board) Sheet CalculatorBoard for the ceiling, which is the floor area, at the calculator's opening sheet: 2.88 m², a 2400 × 1200 mm board, in metric, and 32 sq ft, a 4 × 8 ft sheet, in imperial — the same board the wall row buys in each. Set this row's sheet to the board you buy if it differs.
Why this quantity? | 8 sheets | |
Drywall Joint Compound CalculatorCompound for the boarded walls and ceiling, with each door taken off at 1.95 m² (21 sq ft) and each window at 1.4 m² (15 sq ft), as the wall board row does at its defaults.
Why this quantity? | 39.67 kg | |
Paint CalculatorWall paint for the same four walls, less openings.
Why this quantity? | 7.97 L | |
Ceiling Paint CalculatorCeiling paint for the floor area — usually a different paint from the walls.
Why this quantity? | 4 L | |
Flooring CalculatorFloor covering for the footprint.
Why this quantity? | 21.6 m² | |
Baseboard & Trim CalculatorSkirting around the perimeter, less a doorway at each door.
Why this quantity? | 18.81 m |
Estimates, not a quote. Each row gives its base, the allowance on top, the adjusted figure and what to order; change an allowance on the row, or open its reasoning to see every figure it rests on. A trade's own page carries what it does not cover — open the one you are about to order against.
Labour and programme
Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.
- Drywall4.8 h (2.7–9.0)
- Ceiling Plasterboard (Gypsum Board) Sheet2.6 h (1.4–4.8)
- Drywall Joint Compound9.7 h (5.4–19)
- Paint7.3 h (4.1–16)
- Ceiling Paint3.6 h (2.0–8.0)
- Baseboard & Trim3.4 h (1.9–7.5)
About 31 person-hours in the rows that carry them, between 18 and 65.
Trade by trade
- Drywaller1 drywaller + 1 labourerhalf a day
- Taper1 taper + 1 labourerhalf a day
- Painter1 painter1½ days
- Carpenter1 carpenterhalf a day
About 3 days, one trade after another at eight hours a day. Left out: drying and curing, deliveries, inspections, trades overlapping.
1 row carries no hours of its own
- Flooring: no rate for its work here yet
Labour and programme
Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.
- Drywall5.1 h (2.9–9.6)
- Ceiling Plasterboard (Gypsum Board) Sheet2.6 h (1.4–4.8)
- Drywall Joint Compound9.6 h (5.4–19)
- Paint7.2 h (4.0–16)
- Ceiling Paint3.6 h (2.0–8.0)
- Baseboard & Trim3.4 h (1.9–7.5)
About 31 person-hours in the rows that carry them, between 18 and 65.
Trade by trade
- Drywaller1 drywaller + 1 labourerhalf a day
- Taper1 taper + 1 labourerhalf a day
- Painter1 painter1½ days
- Carpenter1 carpenterhalf a day
About 3 days, one trade after another at eight hours a day. Left out: drying and curing, deliveries, inspections, trades overlapping.
1 row carries no hours of its own
- Flooring: no rate for its work here yet
Setups you have saved
The build-up, the dimensions and any allowance you changed — kept on this device, and reusable on any job. Your prices are not copied in: they stay in your price book, so a setup never holds a stale one.
How far does a budget go?
At your own prices, with this build-up unchanged.
About this job
A fit-out is the sequence that turns a framed shell into a finished room, and almost all of it is surface area: the walls and the ceiling each decide their own board and paint, the board decides the compound, the footprint decides the floor and the perimeter decides the trim. One room measurement drives every one of them, which is why typing it into each calculator in turn is both slow and the most common way a fit-out estimate goes wrong.
Openings are the part people leave out. A door and a window are not just holes in the paint — they take board, compound and paint away, a door takes skirting away too, and both add linings and cutting waste. The count matters more in a small room than a large one, because a single door is a larger fraction of a 3 m (10 ft) wall than of a 6 m (20 ft) one.
How each line reads
- Base
- What the calculator gives for these dimensions, before anything is added.
- Allowance
- Cutting waste, a lap or spare stock — named, with where it comes from, and changeable on the row.
- Adjusted
- The base with its allowance on top.
- Order
- What to buy: the adjusted figure in whole boards, bags, rolls or lengths.
The order this happens in
Quantities do not tell you the sequence, and on this job the sequence is where the money goes wrong.
- First fix is complete and signed off — once the board is on, anything behind it costs a hole.
- Board the ceiling first, then the walls, so the wall sheets support the ceiling edge.
- Tape, fill and sand; this is the step that decides how the paint looks.
- Mist coat new board before the first full coat, or the paint will not key.
- Floor after the walls are painted, so nothing drips on it.
- Trim last, scribed to the finished floor.
What this takeoff does not cover
- Everything behind the board: framing, insulation, electrical and plumbing first fix, and any acoustic or fire-rated build-up.
- The doors, frames, linings and window boards themselves — only the trim run around the room is counted.
- Floor preparation. Levelling compound, adhesive and underlay depend on the substrate and the covering, and neither is measured from the room's dimensions alone.
- Screws and joint tape for the ceiling, and corner bead anywhere. The wall board row works out its own screws and tape; the ceiling row counts sheets only.
- Labour, plant, waste disposal and access.
Quote check
Been given a quote for this job?
Paste it into the room fit-out quote check. Every line of it is read against these same calculators and your measurements. Quantities only, never prices.
What it leaves out
Every line this takeoff has that nothing on the quote reads as.
What it adds
Labour, removal, hire, fees — each named for what it is.
What to ask
One list of questions, ready to copy. Never a verdict.
More takeoffs
Other job takeoffs
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Run this takeoffTile a floor
4 tradesBacker board, the thinset it is bedded in, tile and adhesive for a rectangular floor from one measurement.
Run this takeoffPlaster a room
4 tradesPlaster, beads and protection for a room, with the background choosing between a skim and a float and set.
Run this takeoff
Frequently asked questions
- What does the room fit-out takeoff give for a typical job?
- Opened at Room length 5 m · Room width 4 m · Wall height 2.4 m · Doors 1 · Windows 1, it orders: Drywall, 16 sheets (2400x1200 mm); Ceiling Plasterboard (Gypsum Board) Sheet, 8 sheets; Drywall Joint Compound, 39.7 kg; Paint, 7.97 L; Ceiling Paint, 4 L; Flooring, 21.6 m²; Baseboard & Trim, 18.8 m. Opened at Room length 16.5 ft · Room width 13 ft · Wall height 8 ft · Doors 1 · Windows 1: Drywall, 15 sheets (4x8 ft); Ceiling Plasterboard (Gypsum Board) Sheet, 8 sheets; Drywall Joint Compound, 2 x 4.5 gal boxes; Paint, 2.18 gal; Ceiling Paint, 1.07 gal; Flooring, 232 ft²; Baseboard & Trim, 61.7 linear ft. Every figure follows the dimensions you give it.
- Which calculators does the room fit-out takeoff run?
- 7 calculators, one to a line: Drywall Calculator, Ceiling Plasterboard (Gypsum Board) Sheet Calculator, Drywall Joint Compound Calculator, Paint Calculator, Ceiling Paint Calculator, Flooring Calculator, Baseboard & Trim Calculator. Each has a page of its own with its formula and its sources; the takeoff runs them all on one set of dimensions.
- What does the room fit-out takeoff leave out?
- 5 things, each named on this page: Everything behind the board; The doors, frames, linings and window boards themselves; Floor preparation; Screws and joint tape for the ceiling, and corner bead anywhere; Labour, plant, waste disposal and access.
- Can I check a quote for this job against the takeoff?
- Yes. The room fit-out quote check reads a quote's lines against these same calculators and your measurements, and reports what it leaves out, what it adds and what to ask. It reads quantities, never prices.