Plumbing Takeoff

Fixtures, floor drains, cleanouts and equipment are counted from the plumbing plans and fixture schedule, and supply and waste piping is measured by size and material against the riser diagram — copper, PEX, cast iron and PVC priced and totaled separately.

How we take it off

Fixture counts come straight off the plumbing plan and are checked against the fixture schedule for type — a shift from what's shown on the architectural plan is common and easy to miss. Pipe is measured along its actual routed path using the riser diagram to confirm vertical runs, then grouped by size and material since a foot of 4-inch cast iron and a foot of half-inch PEX are not interchangeable line items. Water heaters, pumps and other equipment are taken from the schedule with their required connections.

What the second-estimator review is checking

• Pipe length estimated from a single average diameter instead of grouped by actual size per the riser diagram
• Vertical risers and drops left out of horizontal-run-only measurements
• Fixture count taken from the architectural plan instead of the plumbing fixture schedule, where the two disagree
• Insulation and hangers for exposed piping omitted from the quantity list