Roofing & building envelope takeoff services
We measure roof areas by assembly, cladding by elevation, and every layer of the wall build-up separately — sheathing, air and vapour barrier, insulation, strapping, cladding and the flashings that tie them together. For roofing, cladding and envelope subcontractors across Canada: from $600, on time or 50% off.
What we count on an
envelope takeoff
Every layer, counted as its own layer. A rainscreen wall is five or six materials over the same square footage, each with a different supplier and a different install rate — so the workbook reports them as separate lines against a named wall assembly, not as one wall area.
- Roof areas by assembly typeSF / m²Each roof assembly its own line — membrane type, attachment method and cover board recorded against it.
- Roof insulation, including taperedSF / m² + boardBase layers by thickness, with tapered areas, crickets and saddles identified from the roof plan and slope arrows.
- Roof membrane, base and cap sheetsSF / m²
- Parapets, curbs and upstandsLF + developed SFHeight taken from the details, both faces measured — the membrane doesn't stop at the roof line.
- Roof flashings, counterflashing and regletsLF / m
- Roof penetrations and equipment curbsEACounted from the roof plan and the mechanical layout, by size and detail.
- Drains, scuppers and overflowEA
- Walkway pads, pavers and protectionSF / EA
- Cladding and siding by elevation and materialSF / m²Fibre cement, metal panel, composite, brick veneer, wood and stone each separated, elevation by elevation.
- Exterior sheathingSF / m²Flagged where the spec puts it with the framer or the drywall trade — see drywall takeoffs.
- Air and vapour barrier by typeSF / m²Self-adhered, fluid-applied and mechanically fastened kept apart, with transition membrane counted in lineal.
- Exterior insulation by type and thicknessSF / m²
- Rainscreen strapping, girts and clipsLF + EABy spacing off the details, with the cavity depth recorded.
- Cavity closures, vents and insect screenLF / m
- Wall flashings, trims, corners and closuresLF + EAInside and outside corners, window head and sill flashing, base of wall — counted by condition.
- Sealant by joint conditionLF / mIncluding every transition to glazing, roofing and adjacent assemblies.
- Soffits, fascia and eavesSF + LF
- Balcony and deck waterproofingSF / m² + LF
- Below-grade waterproofing and drainage board where in scopeSF / m²
How we measure
roofing and envelope
We build the takeoff from the wall and roof assembly types in the details, then measure areas against them. An envelope bid priced off a single elevation area is a guess; priced off the assemblies, every layer has a quantity you can hand to a different supplier.
Wall and roof types drive the workbook
Each assembly is recorded layer by layer from the details — sheathing, barrier, insulation type and thickness, cavity, strapping, cladding. Areas are measured against that build-up, so the quantity for every layer comes out separately instead of being derived from one wall area with a factor.
Cladding measured by face, net of openings
Each elevation is measured on its own, with openings deducted according to a rule written on the assumptions page. Faces differ in material, in exposure and in access, and a single building-wide area hides all three.
The cavity is counted, not assumed
Rainscreen assemblies are standard on the coast, and the strapping, clips, closures and vents in the cavity are real quantities with real labour. Spacing comes off the details, not a rule of thumb, and the cavity depth is recorded so the right fastener and the right girt get priced.
Tapered insulation read off slope arrows and drains
Tapered areas, crickets and saddles are identified from the roof plan, the slope arrows and the drain locations, and reported separately from the base layers. Board quantities and average thickness are stated so the tapered supplier can price from the same numbers you bid on.
Parapets and upstands measured as surfaces, not lines
A parapet has an inside face, a top and an outside face, and the membrane and barrier run over all of them. Height comes from the details and the developed area is measured, with the lineal run kept alongside for flashing and cap.
Every interface is a lineal quantity with a name on it
Barrier-to-window, roof-to-wall, wall-to-foundation, cladding-to-glazing: each is measured in lineal feet by condition, with the division the spec assigns it. These joints are where envelope claims come from, and they're where a takeoff earns its money — the same joints we flag from the other side on glazing takeoffs.
Roof penetrations counted from the mechanical layout
Curbs, vents, stacks and equipment supports are counted from the roof plan read against the mechanical drawings. The equipment isn't your scope; every flashing and every membrane detail around it is.
Metric or imperial, whichever you bid in
Commercial and institutional sets in Canada are commonly metric; residential work is often imperial. The workbook arrives in the units you price with, or both columns, with assembly codes carried through exactly as the details write them.
Scope gaps we flag
on envelope packages
The six that cost roofing and envelope subs money most often. Each one lands on the assumptions and exclusions page with the sheet it came from, so you can qualify it in your bid instead of meeting it in a change order.
Barrier tie-ins at rough openings
The air and vapour barrier has to tie into every window and curtain wall perimeter, and specs routinely leave the membrane, the flashing and the sequence unassigned. It's the most claimed condition on the envelope and the easiest one to leave out of a bid.
Exterior sheathing that may belong to another trade
Glass-mat and plywood sheathing sit with the framer, the drywall sub or the envelope trade depending on the spec. We measure it, keep it separate and name the division — so it isn't excluded three times over.
Parapets priced as lineal feet
A parapet carries membrane and barrier on both faces and over the top, plus cap flashing and a cant at the base. Priced as a lineal run against a roof area, most of the material and nearly all of the labour goes missing.
Rainscreen components left out of the wall area
Strapping, clips, closures, vents and insect screen are separate purchases that don't show up in a square-foot cladding number. On a Metro Vancouver wall where rainscreen is standard, they're a meaningful share of the package.
Roof penetrations only shown on mechanical
The roof plan shows a clean field. The mechanical drawings show the units, curbs, stacks and vents that puncture it. Every one is a flashing detail and a membrane termination, and bidding off the architectural roof plan alone misses all of them.
Tapered insulation carried as flat board
Crickets, saddles and tapered fields have an average thickness well above the base layer, and they're quoted by a different supplier on a different basis. Counted as flat area at nominal thickness, the roof is underpriced before the first roll goes down.
More of these by trade in the bid traps list, and the cost side in what a construction takeoff costs in Canada.
Workbook +
marked plans
Everything is checkable. Every quantity traces back to an assembly, an elevation and a coloured area on the marked-up drawings — and each layer's section can go straight out to the supplier who quotes it.
Download the sample workbook (.xlsx) — a fictitious office TI, in the real format.
- Excel quantity workbookCSI MasterFormat or your own cost codes, layer by layer per assembly.
- Colour-coded plan and elevation markups (PDF)Straight from On-Screen Takeoff / Bluebeam Revu.
- Assumptions & exclusions pageAssembly build-ups, deduction rule, transition division of work, all in writing.
- One revision round and bid-period addendaIncluded, not billed as an extra.
- Optional: price placeholders (+15%) and quote template (+$150)Bid-ready workbook and a clean proposal format.
Project types we
take off most
The set types where senior counting changes the number most.
- Wood-frame multifamilyRainscreen walls, balcony waterproofing, and a long list of flashing conditions repeated on every elevation.
- Concrete mid-rise and high-rise residentialExterior insulation and barrier over concrete, parapet build-ups, and podium roofs with heavy tapered work.
- Mixed-use podiumAmenity roofs, planters and pavers over occupied space, with transitions to the glazed wall at grade.
- Commercial and industrial roofingLarge single-assembly fields where tapered layout and penetration counts decide the number.
- InstitutionalMultiple assemblies in one building, high performance requirements, and detailed transition drawings worth reading closely.
Roofing & envelope takeoff FAQs
How much does a roofing or envelope takeoff cost?
How fast is it delivered?
Can I get roofing only, or cladding only?
Do you count each layer of the wall separately?
How do you handle tapered insulation?
What drawings do you need?
What's excluded?
Send the drawings.
Fixed quote in 4 hours.
Drop a link through the quote form or email info@sharpbid.ca. A fixed price and a guaranteed delivery date come back within 4 business hours.
Trades that usually come with it
Where we work
…and anywhere else in Canada — everything is digital.