Constructable Labs

Construction software has mostly been a place to file things. We think software can do much more of the actual work, from reading a drawing set to catching mistakes before they reach the field. Constructable Labs is a program for general contractors who want to be first: we work alongside them on real projects to see how far that goes.

Automated takeoffs

October 2026

Floor plan

Living area, garage, and covered porch outlined, exterior walls traced, and doors and windows counted by type.

Teaching software to do a takeoff

A takeoff is mostly reading. An estimator works through the plans with the legend and schedules open, works out what every symbol and tag means, and then counts and measures sheet by sheet. We built a takeoff system at Constructable that does that reading on its own.

We ran our takeoff system on a residential plan set in a Constructable project. Working from the drawings, the system scoped the takeoff and set up 48 items in seven categories, from floor areas and wall lengths to doors, windows, electrical devices, the roof, and the foundation. Then the system placed 230 counts and measurements across four sheets, each one an ordinary takeoff mark that an estimator can check, adjust, and price.

The electrical plan is the part we keep coming back to. Our system matched 155 symbols to the legend and sorted them into receptacles, switches, lights, fans, and detectors. Where the drawings didn’t line up, like a door type on the plan with no entry in the door schedule, the system named the item for review instead of guessing.

Clash detection

October 2026

Stairs with nothing over them

Two stairs run to the roof, but no enclosure is drawn on any plan or elevation.

Building the model to find the clashes

Most drawing conflicts only show up when someone tries to build the project. A floor is labeled at one height and drawn at another, or a stair runs up to a roof with nothing over it. So instead of comparing sheets side by side, our clash detection system builds the project first.

On a three-story mixed-use project, the system read all 217 sheets as vector data rather than images. The plans supplied wall faces, grids, and openings. Elevations and sections supplied floor levels and window heights. Schedules filled in doors, windows, and storefronts, and the civil and landscape sheets supplied grades, streets, and trees. The 3D model is generated from a script, so every dimension traces back to a sheet, and each piece was checked against the drawing it came from.

Wherever the drawings disagreed, the model couldn’t be built both ways, and that became a finding. The third floor, for example, is labeled +26′-6″ on every sheet but drawn at +24′-6″. The system raised 11 issues like that and threw out four more after checking them against the drawings again. On a second project, a sloped site with retaining walls, the system built the finished grade from the civil spot elevations and found 36 elevation clashes between walls, grade, drains, and pipe inverts, each tied to the sheets behind it.

Join Labs

Tell us a little about your team and what you'd like to try on your next project, and we'll be in touch.