Take-off Templates
  • 20 Oct 2024
  • 7 Minutes to read
  • Dark
    Light
  • PDF

Take-off Templates

  • Dark
    Light
  • PDF

Article summary

A Take-off Template is a saved group of Measurements to apply to new or existing Stages. They contain pre-saved Symbols, Style options and can include Parts / Pricing / Labour and Formula. Multiple Templates can be added to a single Stage.

Quoting with a Software Integration?

Please view the Take-off Template integration articles below:
Simpro, AroFlo, Xero, Ascora, Intuit QuickBooks (Online), Tradietech and Sparky.

Creating a Take-off Template from an Existing Stage

  1. From the Editor or the Worksheet tab, click Stage Actions
  2. Click Copy to new Template

take-off-creating-from-existing-stage.png

  1. Rename and click Copy Stage
  2. Click +Measurement to add additional Count, Length and Area Measurements

📝Additional Items and Additional Labour added to Stages will not be saved in the Take-off Template.

Building a New Take-off Template

Take-off Templates can be a combination of Count, Length and Area Measurements. Each Measurement can have additional Parts, Labour, Formula and Pricing.

  1. From the Home page, click the Take-Off Templates tab
  2. Click +Take-Off Template

take-off-build-new-take-off.png

  1. Enter the Template Name and click Create
  2. Click +Measurement, select Measurement type

take-off-building-new-2.png

  1. Complete the required details and click Create
    If additional Parts and Labour are required, click Create & Add More Parts

take-off-building-new-3.png

Editing Take-off Templates

Take-off Templates can be edited independently of Projects. Any changes to a Template will be reflected in future Projects where it is applied.

To:

  • Change the order - Click hold and drag to change the order
  • Change Symbols and Styles - Enter the Measurement and adjust

Click Measurement Actions to:

  • Rename
  • Add / Edit Parts & Settings
  • Copy
  • Delete

take-off-templates-editing.png

Copying Measurements

Copy Measurements will Copy all Parts, Pricing, Formula and Labour to another Measurement in the same or another Take-off Template.

  1. Click Measurement Actions
  2. Click Copy
  3. Type the New Measurement Name
  4. Select option of where to Copy to:
    • Current Take-Off Template: (name)
    • Another Take-Off Template
  5. Click Copy Measurement

take-off-templates-editing-copy.png

  1. (Optional) to change the Parts, click Part Actions then Parts & Settings
  2. (Optional) Click Part Actions then Edit

take-off-template-replacing-name.png

  1. (Optional) Rename the Part from the old name, update Pricing or Formula

  2. Select:

    • Edit to update all linked Parts OR
    • Replace to ensure it is not Grouped / Linked with the Measurement Part it was copied from
  3. (Optional) Click Save

take-off-template-replacing-name-2.png

  1. (Optional) update Style Options then click Save
    Style is identical to the Measurement it was copied from
  2. Click X to Close
Important to note:

When copying a Measurement that has more than one Part, it will duplicate all Parts and Labour and Group/Link all identical Parts including the Part name matching the original description. If a non Grouped Part (different Description) is required, the above steps will need to be completed to Replace the incorrect Part.

Alternatively, Delete the incorrect Part and re-create a new Part.

Original MeasurementCopied Measurement
DL 1 Measurement with DL - 1 PartDL - 1 Part is present under the DL - 4 Measurement as it was Copied from the original Measurement
image.pngimage.png

Importing Take-off Templates

Along with creating Take-off Templates from existing Projects, you can also Import Measurements from a CSV File. After Importing, additional Parts and Labour can be manually added to a Measurement.
Maximum limit of 199 Measurements per Take-off Template.

Importing Take-off Templates will not automatically link Measurement or Parts to items within an Integrated System even when the Part Number, Description, UOM and Price in the CSV File match an Integrated System.

Please consult the relevant Integrated software articles to create linked Templates: simPRO, AroFlo, Xero, Intuit QuickBooks (Online), Tradietech and Ascora to find out how to link Measurements.

How to Import a Template

Groundplan provides two importing options. A simple Import or an Import option which includes Labour assigned to Measurements.

  1. Within a Template, click Take-Off Actions
    Either a Newly Created Template or an Existing Template

  2. Click Get Sample CSV or Get Sample CSV with Labour

take-off-templates-importing.png

  1. Save CSV File
    Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers

  2. Complete the CVS File required fields

Information entered must follow the exact format of the CSV example.

FieldsSample CSVSample CSV with Labour
Part NoOptionalOptional
DescriptionRequiredRequired
Unit of Measure (ea, m, ft, sqm, sqft)**RequiredRequired
Unit CostOptionalOptional
Markup (as %)OptionalOptional
Labour DescriptionN/ARecommended #
Labour Unit CostN/AOptional
Labour Markup (as %)N/AOptional
Labour Multiplier in Hours***N/ARecommended #

** Unit of Measure: Count - ea, Length - m / ft, Area - sqm/sqft
A blank or using a Unit of Measure not listed above will be Imported by default as a Count.

# Recommended: Labour Description and Labour Multiplier in Hours are recommended. Measurements using this option can have no Labour Description / Multiplier and still successfully Import into a Take-Off Template.

*** Labour Multiplier in Hours: To be entered as a decimal eg. 15 minutes = 0.25, 20 minutes = 0.33
Multiple Labour lines with the same Description will populate the Unit and Cost Price identical to the first Labour Line with that Description.

  1. Save CSV File
  2. On Groundplan, click Template Name
  3. Click Template Actions and click Import from CSV
    Select File then Click Open All Measurements will be assigned a random Style
  4. To Edit the Measurement Style or add additional Parts and Labour, click Measurement Name

Applying a Take-off Template to a New Stage

  1. From within a Plan, click +Add Stage
  2. Enter Stage Name and click Apply Take-off Template
  3. Click Take-off Template name, review and de-select Measurements not required
  4. Click Create
    Add additional Count, Length and Area Measurements if required

Applying Takeoff Template

Applying a Take-off Template to an Existing Stage

  1. From within a Plan, click Stage Actions and click Apply Template

take-off-applying-template-to-existing-stage.png

  1. Click Take-off Template name
  2. Review and/or de-select Measurements not required
  3. Click Apply Template

take-off-applying-template-to-existing-2.png

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a copied Measurement have the Part name the same as what I copied?

If there is more than one Part within the Measurement, all Parts are copied identically. This may mean no changes are required or, or the Part/s may need to be Edited to suit the use case.

Seen below, when copying a Measurement that has more than one Part, it will duplicate all Parts and Labour and Group/Link all identical Parts including the Part name matching the original description. If a non Grouped Part (different Description) is required, the above steps will need to be completed to Replace the incorrect Part or Delete it and re-create it.

Original MeasurementCopied Measurement
DL 1 Measurement with DL - 1 PartDL - 1 Part is present under the DL - 4 Measurement as it was Copied from the original Measurement
image.pngimage.png


I used a Take-off Template in a Stage and added some extra items. Will those items be automatically added to the Take-off Template I used?

No. Items will not be automatically added to a Template.

Templates and Projects are independent of each other. Any changes that you make will not affect the saved Template.

To save changes, create a New Template
  1. Click Stage Actions
  2. Click Copy to new Template and enter the new Template name
  3. Click Copy Stage
    Recommended: Delete the previous Take-off Template to avoid confusion


Why can't I edit a Take-off Template?

Another user or an Administrator has created the Take-off Template. A Standard User is unable to edit the Templates of an Administrator or those created by other Users.

Take-off Templates can only be Edited by the Template creator, Owner, Admin and Setup Roles.


When applying a Take-off Template, I don’t see the option Filter by Name and Filter by Label?

The Filter by Name and Filter by Label options appear when there are ten or more Take-off Templates saved in the Account.


Can you change the order Take-off Templates appear in?

A1: Yes. Within the Take-off Template tab, Templates can be sorted by Name A-Z / Z-A and Creation Date newest first / oldest first.

take-off-changing-order.png

A2: Take-off Template Labels can be used to Filter Templates.

    Labels can be used on the Take-off Template when there are more than ten and when applying a Take-off Template to a Stage.

A3: Numbers can be added to the beginning of the Take-off Template names to create a custom order.
Spacing when adding numbers also affects the custom order.

Adding Numbers to Take-Off Template Name


Can I bulk update pricing within my Take-off Template?

No. There is no bulk update for pricing or margins across Take-off Templates.

Updating Pricing, Margins, and Parts must be completed on a per-Template basis. While in the Take-off Template, manually click into each Measurement and Edit the price. All Grouped parts will be updated.

Alternatively, please contact the Support Team at Help > Send us a Message for further assistance or if your Take-off Templates are linked to Integration items.


Why will my Import not upload back into Groundplan?

A1: There could be several reasons. Please check that the Columns and Unit of Measures are in the correct format.

A2: Are you a Mac User? If you are using Apple Numbers Program, please Export to a CSV File to Upload into your Template.

After completing your spreadsheet:

  1. Click File
  2. Click Export to
  3. Select CSV

take-off-saving-csv-in-numbers-mac




Was this article helpful?

What's Next