Door Takeoff From Plans and Schedules: Step by Step
A step-by-step door takeoff: confirm the sheets, count openings by mark, reconcile against the door schedule, measure storefront and glazing, review, commit and price.
To take off doors from plans and schedules, confirm which sheets are current, count every opening by mark on each floor plan, reconcile those counts against the door schedule, measure storefront and glazing, then review, commit and price. The reconciliation step, plans against schedule, is where most door takeoff errors are found.
Here is the workflow step by step, and where DrawScale's agent, Momo, does the repetitive work.
Step 1: Confirm the sheets
Identify the floor plans (for example A-101 to A-104), the door schedule and door types (often A-601), the hardware section of the specifications (08 71 00), and any addenda that reissued plan sheets. Make sure every sheet you count is the current revision. DrawScale indexes the set and confirms sheet numbers and titles before anything is measured.
Step 2: Verify scale where it matters
Counts do not depend on scale, but storefront lengths and glazing areas do. Verify scale on any sheet where you will measure lengths or areas, using a long printed dimension.
Step 3: Count openings by mark
Count every opening on every floor plan, by mark. Momo does this across the relevant plans and records each opening as a point on the sheet, so the count can be checked visually. It also reports which sheets it counted and which it skipped and why.
Step 4: Reconcile against the door schedule
Compare the plan count with the schedule, mark by mark. Differences usually have one of three causes:
| Difference | Typical cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Opening on plan, not in schedule | Added on a revised plan | Confirm the revision; add a schedule assumption or RFI |
| Opening in schedule, not on plan | Deleted opening left in schedule | Confirm deletion; exclude from the takeoff |
| Count differs for a mark | Missed or double-counted tag | Check the plan; adjust the count |
These are judgment calls. Record each decision so a reviewer can follow it.
Step 5: Measure storefront and glazing
Measure storefront framing in lengths and glass in areas at the verified scale, organized by elevation or type.
Step 6: Review and commit
Review the proposal riskiest first: openings with unusual marks, rated openings, and anything on an addendum sheet. Accept, adjust or reject, and add anything missing with the manual count tool. Commit when you are satisfied. Only committed quantities reach the estimate and the export.
Step 7: Price and export
Committed counts flow through item formulas into the estimate, where each hardware set, frame and leaf is priced with labeled assumptions. The Excel or CSV export carries audit columns and committed quantities only.
Why this beats the old way
Manual door takeoff fails quietly: a missed leaf here, a double count there, a schedule difference nobody had time to chase. Having the counts done for you, as visible points on each sheet, turns the job into reconciliation and review. For pricing detail, see door hardware estimating. To try this on your own set, request a demo.
Frequently asked questions
How do you reconcile a door schedule with the floor plans?
Compare counts mark by mark. Openings on the plan but not in the schedule, openings in the schedule but not on the plan, and count differences each have typical causes. Decide each one and record the decision.
Does door counting need a verified scale?
Counts do not depend on scale, but storefront lengths and glazing areas do, so verify scale on any sheet where you measure them.