Estimating and costs, from the drawing to project close
Takeoff, estimate and live cost control in a single flow.
If your job is to estimate, Matterial brings the whole cycle together in one place: you take off quantities from the drawing, build a detailed estimate by line item and unit price, and then compare budget against actual as the job progresses. A single thread ties the takeoff, the price and the money spent, with no jumping between scattered spreadsheets.
| Item | Unit | Quantity | Unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | ||||
| Red clay brick | pza | 42.00 | $6.80 | $285.60 |
| Cement-sand mortar 1:4 | m³ | 0.030 | $2,150 | $64.50 |
| Labor | ||||
| Mason | jor | 0.180 | $520 | $93.60 |
| Laborer | jor | 0.180 | $380 | $68.40 |
| Equipment | ||||
| Small tools 3% | % | — | — | $4.86 |
The day-to-day of estimating & costs today
Today the estimate lives in one spreadsheet, the takeoff in another, and actual spend in a third that nobody reconciles until closeout. By the time the numbers finally add up, the overrun has already eaten your margin and you can't tell which line item it went to.
How Matterial helps
Take off from the drawing
The drawing takeoff feeds your estimate with line items, units and quantities, with nothing to re-enter.
Build the estimate
You build line items with unit prices and a cost database, with the breakdown your client expects to see.
Quote and adjust
You request supplier quotes and fine-tune unit prices with real costs before you lock in the number.
Control cost live
As the job spends, you see budget vs. actual by line item and catch the variance early.
Key features for estimating & costs
- Drawing takeoff that feeds the estimate
- Estimate by line item with unit prices
- Reusable cost database across projects
- Supplier quotes tied into the estimate
- Cost control: budget vs. actual by line item
- Financial progress tracking for every project
What changes
Features you'll use
Frequently asked questions
Can I move from the drawing takeoff to the estimate without re-entering?
Yes. The quantities extracted from the drawing feed the estimate with line items, units and amounts, so you just review and adjust instead of typing it all over again.
How do I control actual cost against the estimate?
Cost control compares budget vs. actual by line item as the job spends, so you see the variance item by item and not only at closeout.
Can I reuse my unit prices and line items across projects?
Yes. You build a database of line items and unit prices that you reuse from one estimate to the next, and refine with real costs.
Do supplier quotes connect to the estimate?
Yes. You request quotes and their prices fine-tune the estimate's unit prices, with no copying figures between files.
Get started with Matterial today
From blueprint to build, with clarity. Try it free, no card.