ALBERTA · CALGARY & EDMONTON

Construction takeoff services in Alberta

SharpBid measures quantities for Alberta subcontractors from Vancouver — all digital, all delivered to your bid deadline. Alberta runs a strong wood-frame multifamily pipeline in Calgary and Edmonton, and that is exactly the repetitive, type-mark-driven work a senior takeoff is worth paying for. From $450, next business day on single-trade sets, on time or 50% off.

From $450Next business dayFixed quote in 4 business hoursOn time or 50% off ✓
WORKFLOWHow it works from Alberta

Drawings link in.
Workbook comes back.

You send a drawings link — Dropbox, Drive, WeTransfer, a GC plan room login, whatever you already use. A fixed price and a guaranteed delivery date come back within 4 business hours. We measure in On-Screen Takeoff and Bluebeam Revu, and the Excel workbook plus colour-coded marked-up plans arrive by the date on the quote. Late means you pay half.

Working from Pacific time is an advantage rather than a problem on an Alberta bid. An hour behind Mountain time means a set sent at the end of your day is being measured while it's still working hours here, and a next-morning delivery lands before your day starts.

CONTEXTBuilding types & code

Building types
we see most in Alberta

Alberta work concentrates in wood-frame multifamily with a solid commercial and institutional layer around it, and each set type changes how a takeoff should be organized.

CODE

National Building Code — Alberta Edition

Alberta builds to the National Building Code – Alberta Edition. It's the reference point behind the rated assemblies, the separations and the fire-resistance ratings that show up on a partition legend — and it's why we record ratings against every assembly rather than reporting bare square footage.

WOOD-FRAME

Six-storey wood-frame is permitted, and it's being built

Six-storey wood-frame construction is permitted in Alberta, and Calgary and Edmonton carry strong volume in wood-frame multifamily. That is the highest-leverage set type for a takeoff: heavy typical-floor repetition, with a ground floor, an amenity level and any transfer level that all differ from the floors above and have to be measured separately.

REPETITION

Repetition rewards being measured once, properly

On a repetitive residential floor plate, one wrong assumption on the typical floor multiplies by every level in the building. We measure the typical floor in full, extend it visibly across the levels it applies to, and measure any level that differs on its own — with the workbook showing which is which, so you can audit the multiplier instead of trusting it.

MIXED-USE

Commercial at grade under residential above

Mixed-use podium sets carry two entirely different partition and finish schedules in one drawing set, with a transfer level between them. Treating the whole building as one schedule is the fastest way to price the retail level with residential assemblies, or the reverse.

COMMERCIAL & INSTITUTIONAL

Tenant improvements and institutional work

Commercial tenant improvements bring dense partition type lists over small areas, plenty of bulkheads and open ceilings with sprayed exposed deck. Institutional sets bring heavy rated assemblies, abuse-resistant board and backing schedules long enough to be their own takeoff.

ENVELOPE

Envelope assemblies still come apart layer by layer

A drier climate changes the detailing, not the counting method. Sheathing, air and vapour barrier, insulation, any cavity components and cladding are still separate purchases with separate install rates, and our envelope takeoffs report each layer against a named assembly rather than one wall area.

CITIESWhere Alberta clients are

Cities we
work with

Calgary and Edmonton are where most of the province's multifamily and commercial volume sits, and where most Alberta work comes from. Surrounding municipalities and smaller centres are handled exactly the same way — there are no separate offices, no travel and no regional pricing. The schedule on the takeoff pricing page is the schedule everywhere in Alberta.

If you bid across the BC–Alberta line, that's routine. The same estimator measures both, the workbook format doesn't change, and neither does the price.

TRADESAll nine, in an Alberta context

Trades we take off
for Alberta subs

  • Drywall & steel stud takeoffs

    Party wall and corridor assemblies on wood-frame multifamily, with ratings recorded and typical-floor repetition you can audit.

  • Acoustic ceiling (ACT) takeoffs

    Commercial tenant improvement ceilings where the perimeter count dwarfs the field area.

  • Flooring takeoffs

    Suites, corridors and amenity separated, with acoustic underlay by assembly on repetitive residential floors.

  • Painting takeoffs

    Open-ceiling tenant improvements with sprayed exposed deck, and CMU that needs block filler priced properly.

  • Glazing takeoffs

    Storefront and entrances at grade, punched openings by type mark above, elevations measured face by face.

  • Roofing & envelope takeoffs

    Large commercial roof fields where tapered layout and penetration counts decide the number.

  • Misc metals takeoffs

    Stair and guard packages repeated floor to floor, plus equipment dunnage off the mechanical sheets.

  • Concrete & formwork takeoffs

    Wood-frame foundations, parkade slabs and site concrete from $500; high-rise cast-in-place quoted per project.

  • Framing takeoffs

    Six-storey wood-frame wall and sheathing areas by floor, with shear wall hardware at the full-breakdown tier.

FAQAlberta questions

Alberta takeoff FAQs

You're in Vancouver — does that slow anything down?
The opposite, usually. Pacific time is an hour behind Mountain, so a set sent at the end of your working day is being measured while it's still working hours here, and a next-morning delivery lands before your day starts. Delivery dates are set against your bid deadline, not our calendar.
Do you know Alberta code requirements?
For takeoff purposes, yes — Alberta builds to the National Building Code – Alberta Edition, and six-storey wood-frame is permitted. What that means in practice is rated assemblies and separations that have to be recorded against each partition type rather than averaged into a square-foot number. Code interpretation and compliance review are a designer's job, not a takeoff.
Are quantities metric or imperial?
Whichever you bid in. Commercial and institutional sets in Canada are commonly metric while residential work is often imperial. Tell us which you price with and the workbook arrives in those units, or with both columns.
Do you work on CCDC contracts?
Yes — CCDC contract forms are standard across Canadian construction. A takeoff is a quantity document rather than a contractual one, but the assumptions and exclusions page is written so it can be attached to your bid and defended in a scope meeting.
How do I send drawings from a plan room?
Download the set and send a link, or send the plan room invitation directly — Dropbox, Google Drive, WeTransfer, BuildingConnected, BidCentral, SmartBid and GC-hosted plan rooms all work. If the set is login-only, give us access and we'll pull it. Client drawings are never shared.
Is there an out-of-province surcharge?
No. There's no travel, so there's nothing to charge for. Single-trade finish takeoffs and acoustic ceilings start at $450, concrete at $500, misc metals and roofing and envelope and framing wall areas at $600, glazing at $900 — the same in Alberta as anywhere else. Full schedule on the takeoff pricing page.
Can you handle a peak bid week?
That's most of what a retainer is for. Retainers start at $1,500 a month and include a set number of takeoffs plus priority in the queue, which is the difference between getting three bids out in a week and picking two. One-off work is welcome too, and same-day rush is +50% when the calendar is ugly.
NEXTStart here

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.

Other provinces

…and anywhere else in Canada — everything is digital.