Your tip-off on take-offs using HBXL software

Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the moon, is quoted as saying, “I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine.” Well whilst here on planet earth most of us aren’t planning space missions, we do all want to make the best use of our time.

And we think there could be something missing from your business that could save you even more hours and give you a better business outcome. If you don’t have any of our software then can we point you in the direction of this article, which will give you an insight on the whole kit? There’s lots you should know…

So here comes an important tip-off for owners of EstimatorXpress. You’ve made a brilliant purchase and one you’ll never regret. You have a truly powerful piece of kit at your fingertips. Loads of inbuilt calculators work out complex sums, using up-to-the-minute material price lists. Profit margins, and more, are factored in using your preferred percentages. The quotes produced are 100% accurate. Nothing is left out, not a screw, not a tube of glue. You simply answer drop-down questions, type dimensions into fields on onscreen drawings and in a short space of time out pop a comprehensive quote and supporting reports (all 80 of them!)

Input once and get twice the benefit

But… it’s possible to go one step further. You could turn EstimatorXpress into the most amazing calculator and source of accurate prices, which takes its instructions not from you, but from another HBXL product, PlansXpress. 

Many builders prefer to work out the cost of a job using the take-off process. And with PlansXpress you can do just that.

Scan a drawing and import it into PlansXpress, or import a CAD file (PDFs/DWGs/JPEGs etc) into PlansXpress.

Then simply point and click to trace your drawing, taking off areas, lengths and counts as you go and specifying your project with ease. Add doors, windows and other openings, and the software measures in negative, automatically netting off the areas.

For ease, it highlights what you have traced over to remind you what you have already taken off. Turn layers off to remove things you don’t need on the plan.

See what you have measured and counted in 3D to get a good feel for your take-off.

Then export your take-off into EstimatorXpress. The calculators will go to work and in a matter of minutes you’ll have the same estimate and all the reports you’ve come to know and love. We call it ‘Rapid Take-off’.

But what’s the advantage of having PlansXpress as well? Here’s what we think you’ll like about this clever partnership:

• Because of the speed of quoting you’ll be able to go for even more jobs and tenders with much less effort.
• The software produces 3D visuals directly from your plans – name a customer who doesn’t like a picture!? Go for the 3D Visualiser plug-in and you’ll get a photo-realistic render too.
• You’ll have a drawing file that you can update in the future – when you’re asked to add a window or discover the architect’s idea won’t quite work…
• By tracing the drawing and answering questions you are truly scrutinising the project. Every single wall traced turns red so there’s no chance of missing anything out. In fact it’s possibly even easier than EstimatorXpress in that respect.
• And if you feel inclined (and it’s a service in short supply across the UK) you can always start offering Design & Build. You can draw from scratch using PlansXpress without having any CAD skills whatsoever.

So how about using your EstimatorXpress in a new way and watch your business really take-off? Buying PlansXpress will give you more options and, dare we say it, you should be over the moon?

Talk to the team on 0117 916 7892 for more information, discuss the best price and ways to pay, ask for a demo or take it for a test drive. And until 30.9.17 PlansXpress has been reduced by a whopping 40% so don’t delay!