Before After

Project Details

Platform

MeasureSquare 8

Industry

Residential

Project Type

Master Bathroom

Tools Used

• Rectangular Draw
• Split Wall Segment
• Draw Wall
• Door
• Window
• Tile Texture (Cabinet Face & Picture)
• Elevation (Shower Curb, Bathtub Tub Deck, Toilet, Vanity, Picture & Mirror Frames)
• Elevation as Recess (Bathtub/Sink/Toilet Basins, Picture & Mirror Inserts)
• Set Arc

Materials Captured

• Mud Bed
• Waterproofing/Crack-Iso Membrane
• Wall Tile (Hex & Subway)
• Floor Tile (laid on 45) & Mesh-Mounted Mosaic on Shower Floor
• Marble Threshold at top of Shower Curb
• Flooring Transition at doorway
• Edge Trim (Outcorners)
• Caulking
• Floor Drain

Project Overview:

MeasureSquare 8 makes it easy to tackle bathroom takeoffs, complete with 3D visualization to impress your clients.

Project File & Reports:

Bathroom project & reportDownload

Before After

Project Details

Platform

MeasureSquare 8

Industry

Sports & Recreation

Trade

Construction / Flooring / Pool Design

Project Type

Standard Swimming Pool with Seating & Facility Area

Background

This bathroom takeoff project involved designing an Olympic-size swimming pool (50m × 25m) with 8 standard lanes, integrated spectator seating, and supporting facilities such as changing rooms and lounge areas. The goal was to create a layout that serves both competitive swimming and recreational use.

Challenge

The design required precise alignment of lanes and markings, incorporation of spectator seating along one side, and allocation of space for recreational zones and facilities. The biggest challenge was ensuring that all components fit seamlessly into a single, accurate plan ready for construction and material takeoff.

Measure Square Solution:

With MeasureSquare 8 takeoff and estimating software, the design team achieved the following to complete the swimming pool takeoff:

1. Accurate Pool Modeling
   • Created the pool body using rectangular drawing tools.
   • Applied official dimensions (50m × 25m) and divided the area into 8 lanes.
2. Adding Detailed Elements
   • Inserted black guideline markings in each lane, with turning indicators at both ends.
   • Represented lane dividers using red float lines for clarity.
3. Spectator Seating & Lounge Layout
   • Arranged tiered seating on one side of the pool with customizable row counts.
   • Added lounge chairs and shaded areas at pool ends for multipurpose use.
4. Facility Integration
   • Included changing rooms, shower areas, and storage zones with color-coded highlights.
   • Ensured the plan was clear, functional, and ready for presentation.

Technical highlights:

Precisely defined Olympic-standard dimensions.

Used separate layers to distinguish pool, lanes, seating, and facilities.

Balanced competitive use with recreational functionality.

Generated accurate material takeoffs (tiles, waterproofing, flooring) directly from the layout.

Project File & Reports:

Before After

Project Details

Platform

MeasureSquare 8

Industry

Commercial Construction & Interior Finishes

Trade

Terrazzo Flooring / Specialty Scope Estimation

Project Type

Large-scale auditorium flooring with custom terrazzo design

Background

This terrazzo takeoff project focused on installing decorative terrazzo flooring in a large public auditorium. The design featured intricate custom patterns and inlays, requiring precise material calculations and accurate terrazzo takeoffs to ensure both beauty and functionality.

Challenge

Estimating terrazzo work is complex due to its specialty nature: Multiple material components (cement, epoxy, aggregates, divider strips).High-precision pattern layouts that must align perfectly on site. Waste factors and joint details that are difficult to estimate manually.

Measure Square Solution:

With MeasureSquare takeoff and estimating software, estimators and contractors are able to overcome the complexity of terrazzo takeoffs and streamline the process:

1. Pattern Modeling & Visualization
   • Imported the architectural drawings and replicated the terrazzo layout, including medallions, borders, and curved elements.
   • Used precise CAD-style tools to ensure the design intent was translated accurately into a digital model.
2. Material Quantification
   • Calculated exact amounts of epoxy/cement binder, aggregates, divider strips, and sealants required for each section.
   • Applied grout joint allowances and waste factors automatically, minimizing errors from manual calculations.
3. Labor Estimation
   • Broke down the installation scope into measurable tasks (surface prep, divider placement, pour & grind, polish).
   • Allowed project managers to create realistic schedules and labor cost projections.
4. Dynamic Takeoff Adjustments
   • Adjusted easily when the design team requested pattern changes or material substitutions.
   • Automatic recalculation of quantities helped keep the estimate accurate without starting over.
5. Client Communication
   • Delivered clear visual layouts to architects and owners, showing how the terrazzo would look once installed.
   • Increased client confidence in the bid and reduced back-and-forth clarifications.

Technical highlights:

Streamlined estimation of complex terrazzo layouts.

Reduced risk of under- or over-ordering specialty materials.

Clear visual takeoffs improved bid accuracy and client confidence.

Flexible enough to handle both cementitious and epoxy terrazzo systems.

Project File & Reports:

Before After

Project Details

MeasureSquare 8 takeoff and estimating software makes it easy to complete school takeoffs.

Platform

MeasureSquare 8

Industry

Educational Facility

Trade

Educational Commercial Flooring (Carpet Tile, LVT, SVT, Concrete, Tile)

Project Type

Middle School Classrooms & facilities

Background

Spaces designed for children—such as schools and pediatric hospitals—need to be both engaging and practical. This school achieves that balance beautifully. The corridors feature three coordinated color schemes in two different materials, while irregular angles and complementary design elements bring playful geometry to select rooms. In the restrooms, multiple tile sizes add visual variety and depth. The result is a space that’s as functional as it is visually stimulating.

Challenge

Accuracy!
1. 3 color patterns in 2 different materials in corridor (6 products total)
2. Irregular angles of intersecting walls, and design elements that follow arbitrary angles within rooms
3. Pattern of different sized floor tiles in ganged restrooms.

Project Overview:

Project File & Reports:

Before After

Project Details

Platform

MeasureSquare 8

Industry

Sports Facilities

Trade

Athletic Flooring (hardwood, rubber base, game lines, accessories)

Project Type

Indoor basketball court

Background

This project estimates materials and layout for a reguler basketball court inside a gymnasium, including multi-color zones, game striping, and branding logo. It requires precise scaling from plans, clean division of color areas, and accurate linework that does not distort quantities. MeasureSquare’s drafting, takeoff, and reporting tools streamline the workflow..

Challenge

Gyms often combine different surface colors, logos, and dense linework, which can complicate quantities if lines are “drawn” as material. Courts also interface with corridors or recessed bleachers, creating transitions and flood-resilience considerations that must be reflected in scope and notes. Estimators need a repeatable way to show alternates, waste, and seaming (if applicable) while preserving a professional plan set.

Measure Square Solution:

Plan setup, scale & court template

Import the architectural plan (PDF/DWG), set an accurate scale using a known dimension, and trace the gym perimeter.

Color zoning with Divider tool

Use the Divider tool to split the floor into finish/color regions (e.g., main field, lanes/keys, borders). Because Dividers control material boundaries, each zone can receive its own finish/color without affecting adjacent counts—great for courts with accent borders or contrasting keys. This produces clean quantities and a clear legend for installers.

Game lines with Segment tool (doesn’t affect material)

Add free-throw arcs, three-point lines, center circle, and hash marks with the Segment tool so linework is documented without altering area takeoffs. Lines remain editable for quick spec changes (e.g., new three-point radius), and they stay independent from the finish materials

Scope notes: drains, transitions & edges

Document a mud-bed allowance with floor drains for resilience in case of flooding events common to schools, and call out transitions at all dissimilar flooring junctions. Include an edge detail assumption (e.g., 135° back-cutting at out-corners) to avoid special trim allowances unless specifically required—clarifying scope during bid review.

Quantities, waste & alternates

Assign materials to each zone, then generate area totals, perimeter/linear footage, and any seaming/waste (for sheet vinyl or rubber systems). Use Alternates to price optional color schemes (e.g., painted vs. inlaid key, contrasting border widths) without redrawing the court—helping decision-makers see cost deltas instantly.

Professional deliverables

Export plan views with labeled zones, linework legend, and logo placement; include a finish schedule and professional project report.

Technical highlights:

Stamp tool for striping & logos to place branded

Divider tool to organize different floor colors/patterns cleanly across the court and border areas.

Segment tool to add free-throw, three-point, and center-circle lines as independent linework (no effect on flooring products).

transitions at every dissimilar flooring junction to prevent change-order disputes

Project File & Reports:

Before After

Project Details

Platform

MeasureSquare 8 & Measuresquare Mobile

Industry

Sports & Recreation

Trade

Specialty Flooring & Turf Installation

Project Type

Golf Course

Background

A golf course project requires accurate measurement and layout planning for artificial turf, sand traps, and surrounding landscape areas. Precision is critical to ensure smooth play surfaces and professional installation. MeasureSquare provides advanced takeoff and estimation skills tailored for such large-scale, irregular-shaped spaces.

Challenge

Estimating the area of a golf course green is challenging because greens have irregular, curved shapes, subtle elevation changes, and undefined boundaries that blend into the surrounding turf. These contours, irregular shapes and mixed materials such as turf, sand and decorative tiles, make precise area estimation crucial for accurate material and cost calculations.

Measure Square Solution:

1. Accurate Digital Takeoff for Irregular Layouts
   • MeasureSquare 8 allows contractors to import site plans or use aerial imagery to capture exact dimensions of irregularly shaped golf course. The software’s tracing and curve-fitting tools make it easy to define unique boundaries such as fairways, greens, and bunkers.
2. Seam and Joint Optimization
   • Artificial turf requires careful seam planning to minimize waste and ensure a seamless finish. MeasureSquare 8’s seam layout tools optimize roll usage, reduce excess material, and provide detailed seam diagrams for installers.
3. Collaboration & Reporting Tools
   • MeasureSquare 8 generates professional reports and 3D visualizations that can be shared with project stakeholders. Installers benefit from clear cut sheets and seam diagrams, while clients receive visual presentations that build confidence in the project plan.

Tools Used

• FreeDraw
• Delete All Walls
• Set Arc
• Divider

Materials Captured

• Turf (3 types & sizes)
• Hexagonal Tiles (2 types – 1 size)
• Rectangular Tiles (1 type)

Project File & Reports:

What followed was a period of rapid growth: CIR increased its revenue by 88.37% over a 5-year period. Here’s how Valentino guided his estimating team through the transition, overcame key challenges, and helped position the company for scalable success.

CIR’s Evolution

As CIR began to take on larger commercial projects, its existing takeoff software, Callidus, couldn’t keep up. That’s when Valentino began exploring alternatives.

After testing several solutions, Valentino found that MeasureSquare 8 initially stood out for its modern user interface. “Other programs looked Windows ’95-esque. Measure Square looked more modern,” Valentino said. But what really sealed the deal was the ability of MeasureSquare 8 to handle large-scale projects with ease.

“With Callidus, when we worked on multistory buildings, we had to manage separate files for each floor. Just working out how to do that took time away from actually moving the project forward.”

MeasureSquare 8 eliminated that bottleneck. Its Tabs feature allowed users to manage multiple areas of a project within a single file, perfect for multilevel jobs or multi-phase rollouts.

By early 2019, CIR began phasing out Callidus and transitioning to Measure Square. But the switch wasn’t without its growing pains.

Early Roadblocks: Adoption and Accuracy

Initially, the residential and retail-leaning setup of MeasureSquare 8 didn’t reflect CIR’s commercial workflow. On top of that, CIR’s estimators were used to how Callidus calculated waste and material quantities, details that directly impacted their competitiveness in bids.

Valentino compares the transition to learning Photoshop:

“It was like opening a complex program with no manual. We didn’t know which settings to tweak, like seam overlaps and stretch size. The small details that affect quantities. And the commercial workflow process that we needed replicated within MeasureSquare 8 just was not built into the program yet. So we did use the Measure Square training program and many other online resources, but at the early stages that adaptation to a commercial workflow just wasn’t there yet.”

Rather than abandon the rollout, Valentino customized the settings in MeasureSquare 8 to more closely mirror that of Callidus’. That made the platform more intuitive for his team and ensured consistent material usage across bids.

“Fortunately, I was able to figure it out by trial and error, and that’s my specialty. I was able to make Measure Square reflect the quantities and the behavior of Callidus. So then if we drew it on Callidus or Measure Square, both projects would vary very, very slightly. And so once it got to that point, everybody liked it.”

From Steady Growth to Major Gains: Scaling with Measure Square

It took about 1-2 years for CIR to fully adopt Measure Square and climb the learning curve. But by year three, the impact was clear.

The bottleneck in estimating disappeared, and, combined with other contributing factors such as a growing estimating team and increased proficiency with the software, this led to rapid growth in project sales.  By year four, sales had jumped by more than 50%, and within two more years, CIR had nearly doubled that milestone.

Measure Square also gave CIR the capability to take on its largest project to date, valued at over $6 million, which played a major role in achieving that record-breaking year in 2024.

The Tools That Transformed CIR’s Workflow

According to Valentino, three key features in MeasureSquare 8 were game changers:

1. Hot Keys for Faster Workflows

“I mapped all my hot keys to the left side of the keyboard. I can do everything without moving my hand. In a project that might involve hundreds of clicks, cutting half a second off each one adds up fast.”

This optimization alone shaved 1–2 hours off projects that used to take 8 hours.

2. Image IntelliSense (Now Align on Path)

“It’s subtle but powerful. You get quick, accurate alignment when drawing floor plans. Saving even milliseconds per task adds up over hundreds of actions.”

3. Tabs & Phases for Complex Jobs

On large projects (like hotels or event spaces) CIR often needs to separate front-of-house, back-of-house, and shared areas, for example. The Tabs and Phases features in MeasureSquare 8 made it easy to break jobs down, estimate specific rooms, and generate area-specific reports.

“It follows the workflow all the way to the installer. Being able to send quick, precise printouts for each section made a big difference.”

A Costly Lesson in Detail

Of course, not every lesson came easy.

In one project, CIR’s team didn’t realize that grout lines in MeasureSquare 8 reduce the net square footage of tile—leading to a shortage after materials were ordered.

“It wasn’t a huge amount, but the tile was coming from Italy. Between manufacturing and shipping delays, that one miscalculation turned into a substantial delay. It was a costly lesson.”

Valentino now uses that example as a training opportunity: overlooking or just not knowing about small setup details in estimating software can have major downstream consequences.

Note that at the time, tile estimates in MeasureSquare 8 included grout spacing (e.g., 1/8″ or 1/16″), which subtly reduced the net coverage per tile. If users didn’t realize this impact on total square footage, they may have underordered materials. That’s exactly what happened in this case: the calculated area appeared sufficient, but the actual quantity of material fell short once grout spacing was factored in.

For new users currently experiencing blind spots due to the learning curve, know that Measure Square offers numerous support resources, including an in-house support team, a 24/7 AI chatbot, YouTube tutorials, Knowledge Base articles, and a Facebook group where Measure Square users like you troubleshoot challenges and share time-saving tips and tricks.

Final Thoughts

CIR’s story is one of adaptation, customization, and leadership. By leaning into a flexible platform like Measure Square, and tailoring it to their commercial needs, Valentino was able to design a process that reduced manual work, scaled their output, and created a smoother experience from takeoff to completion.

“It took time, but we made the software work for us. Now, it’s the foundation of how we estimate every job,” Valentino says.

Learn more about MeasureSquare 8: click here.

Sign up for a 30-minute demo: click here.

Download the PDF version of the case study:

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