During the preconstruction phase, Material takeoff (MOT) is considered to be one of the most important documents involved in a construction project because it lists all the deep labor and materials requirements. Additionally, the quantity and location of each material are specified to give you an overview of construction cost estimates in the early stages of design, as well as baseline costs for contractor estimates. Construction is an expensive project, and it is a fact that cost constraints are enforced quite severely in practice.
Why material take-off (MOT) is important
In case you are looking for major projects, you must know how much the materials will cost you to complete the project. When it comes to estimating the total cost of the project, our objective is to find out the cost of the project in order to calculate the profits after completing the project.
It is common for businesses to calculate their return on investment by calculating the cost of their project, so the first step in doing this is to estimate the cost of materials and labor in order to be able to be profitable.
HOW DOES A MATERIAL TAKEOFF WORK?
When it comes to the material take-off cost, it is a quite complicated method to practice although it might seem simple on the surface. It is precise because of the fact that it has to go through that process that professional companies are able to come up with an accurate cost estimate.
As soon as the construction is started, you need to keep the circumstances as close as possible and judge the cost of the price so you can be as accurate as possible.
How is the process going?
A list of materials that are going to be extracted from a list of things that will be used in the final design can be found when it comes to the design method. Different things are kept in mind when it comes to the materials such as travel, current pricing, quality of materials required, and labor.
The professionals have to make sure that the quantity of the materials they calculate is accurate according to the design. With that, they have to make a proper list of the desired items required according to the specific design which has been made.
During the process, the people with different experiences have to be sure about the materials required, for example, the electrical department will inform them about their needs based on the specifications.
Materials used in construction
The construction of houses or buildings requires large amounts of materials, therefore, since ancient times, natural elements such as sand, clay, and stone have been used as raw materials.
During construction, some of these materials, especially sand, are mixed with other materials to form one of the most widely used raw materials. Since different materials have different characteristics such as durability, resistance, or insulation, they are used in construction in several different ways.
In terms of construction materials, it is clear that stone is a predominant element, and within this group are granite, marble, granite, plaster, and cement, among others. On the other hand, there is also the clay group, which consists of mud, bricks, and tiles.
Performing calculations
When performing the take-off process, we must understand how the calculations are made in order to accomplish the process.
- In the process of calculating concrete, grit, or similar items, the volume is measured in cubic feet or cubic yards
- Generally, things such as flooring, roofing, and wallpaper are calculated based on the size of the area in square feet.
- Some of the items are counted individually for instance items like windows, doors, tiles, etc
- The price of items like ductwork and lumber is calculated according to their length in linear foot
The following are some of the key calculations that are made by the professionals during the quantity take off the process in order to take out the costs of the material. These calculations need to be accurate in order to get the perfect results.