February 26, 2025
Let’s be real - doing a timber takeoff for a residential frame is about as exciting as watching paint dry.
You’ve got better things to do than sit around counting studs, sifting through span tables, and double-checking numbers while your crew is out on-site getting the real work done. It’s slow, it’s tedious, and if you stuff up the numbers, you’ll be in a world of strife when the timber order arrives short—or worse, with too much.
Thankfully, we live in a world where tech can take the grunt work off your hands. Enter TimberTec, the AI-powered software that does the number-crunching for you—quick, accurate, and without the headache. Let’s break down why traditional takeoffs are a nightmare and how TimberTec makes your life easier.
1. Manual Takeoffs: A Surefire Way to Kill Your Motivation
Snooze-Worthy Work
If you love getting stuck into real work—cutting, nailing, and actually building—then sitting at a desk with a calculator, highlighters, and a stack of plans is a brutal shift. You could be out there putting frames up, but instead, you’re stuck in admin hell, tallying up lengths of MGP10.
One Tiny Stuff-Up Can Cost You Big
Misread a measurement? Forget to account for wastage? Congrats, now you’re short on timber and scrambling to get another delivery—or worse, you’ve got more timber than you need, and that’s money straight down the drain. Manual takeoffs leave too much room for human error.
Read: 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Manual Material Takeoffs
2. The Timber Takeoff Process—As Painful As It Gets
Step 1: Print the Plans
You need physical plans, and unless you’ve got an A1 printer, you’re off to the print shop, wasting time before you’ve even started.
Step 2: Get Your Measuring Gear
Rulers, calculators, highlighters—check. You’re about to spend the next few hours measuring every bloody wall, stud, and beam manually.
Step 3: Cross-Reference Span Tables
Now comes the fun (read: mind-numbing) part—flipping between AS 1684 span tables and your notes, making sure everything is spot-on.
Step 4: Double-Check Everything
Before sending the order, you check and re-check your numbers because, let’s face it, you don’t trust yourself (and you shouldn’t). By this point, you’ve wasted a full arvo, and the boys are already a day ahead on-site.
Related: How TimberTec Can Save Builders Time on Material Estimation
3. TimberTec: The Easiest Takeoff You’ll Ever Do
Upload, Click, Done
With TimberTec, you don’t have to mess around with rulers and calculators. Just upload your plans, and the software does the takeoff for you—spot on, no mistakes.
No More Span Table Juggling
The software knows its way around AS 1684 better than any human. It applies the right span tables automatically, saving you hours of back-and-forth. So its a lot quicker and elimates mistakes.
More Time on the Tools
Instead of burning hours in admin mode, you’re back on-site where you belong, getting frames up and jobs done faster. But most of all spend time after hours doing the things you want to do.
See more: How Automation Improves Accuracy in Construction
4. What You Gain With TimberTec
- Time Saved: Cut your takeoff time by up to 80%.
- Fewer Errors: AI means no miscalculations.
- Less Wastage: Order the exact timber you need—no more, no less.
- More Jobs Done: More time on-site means more projects finished, faster.
Read: Real Deal for Aussie Chippies and Builders
Questions & Answers
Q1: How much time does TimberTec actually save?
A: Heaps. A takeoff that usually takes 3-4 hours can be done in minutes.
Q2: Is TimberTec easy to use?
A: Too easy, mate. If you can upload a file and click a button, you’re good to go.
Q3: Does it work for all timber framing projects?
A: Yep! Whether it’s a granny flat, a double-story home, or a big reno, TimberTec has it covered.
Conclusion
Stop Wasting Time - Let TimberTec Do the Hard Yakka
Manual timber takeoffs are boring, slow, and error-prone. You’re better off on the tools, building homes, not sitting in the shed with a ruler and calculator. TimberTec is the future—faster, smarter, and no more headaches.
Want to get back to the work that actually matters?
Try TimberTec today and ditch the paperwork forever.