Mechanical estimating software: from the M-sheets and Division 23 to a priced estimate
Skoper reads your mechanical drawings and specs and returns the takeoff, a priced estimate and a scope of work. What a mechanical sub gets back, shown with real lines from a real HVAC estimate, and what to check before it goes out.
Skoper reads the mechanical sheets and the specs you upload and returns the takeoff, a priced first-pass estimate and a scope of work. That is AI estimating, not just AI takeoff: the quantities come back priced and organized by trade, with every line naming the sheet or schedule it came from, so your hours go into the equipment quotes, the controls decision and the number.
Built for the mechanical sub who bids more than they can measure
You bid equipment, duct, pipe, insulation and controls off the same set, usually with a week and an addendum or two. Takeoff tools hand you quantities and leave the pricing and the scope to you. Skoper hands you a first-pass estimate to review.
1. Equipment from the schedules
Skoper reads the equipment schedules and the plans together. Each piece lands as its own line with its tag and the details the schedule gives, such as the model and CFM, so you can drop in your vendor quote. Check that rigging, curbs and start-up are carried on your bigger pieces; if the drawings don't show them, add them or exclude them.
2. The scope split, written down
Controls, balancing, insulation, roof curbs, starters, disconnects, firestopping: the scope of work lists what is included and what is excluded, so the GC reads your split instead of guessing at it. Review it against your own split before it goes out.
3. First-pass prices, then yours
Every line comes back priced at market rates for the project location, or from your price book once you have one. Change a unit price in the editor and the estimate follows; every price you change is saved to your price book, so the next bid starts from your numbers.
What Skoper returns for a mechanical set
These lines come from a real Skoper estimate for a 1,145 SF restaurant tenant build-out in Florida (job name and address left out). The workbook splits each unit price into material and labor; the totals here are the installed price.
| Line | Qty | Unit price | Total | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KEF-1(N) Greenheck CSP-A390-VG inline fan, 200 CFM | 1 EA | $1,150 | $1,150 | M6.0 exhaust fan schedule |
| RTU-1(E) clean, refurbish, MERV-13 filters, flush condensate | 1 EA | $2,400 | $2,400 | M6.0 RTU notes 2-8; M1.0 keynotes 1, 2 |
| 16x14 supply duct, insulated | 10 LF | $52.00 | $520 | M1.0 floor plan; length estimated |
| 8 in insulated flex branch to CDS diffusers | 120 LF | $11.00 | $1,320 | M1.0 plan, 12 CDS-1 branches; estimated |
| CDS-1 24x24 square cone diffuser | 12 EA | $155 | $1,860 | M6.0 schedule; M1.0 plan, 1,950 CFM total |
| Volume dampers at branches and returns | 14 EA | $95 | $1,330 | M1.0 VD symbols; M6.0 note 4 |
| Roof goosenecks, curb flashing and penetrations | 2 EA | $485 | $970 | M1.0 roof keynotes 4, 5; M5.1 detail 4 |
| TAB report: RTU, air devices and exhaust | 1 LS | $1,650 | $1,650 | M0.1 notes; M1.0 note I; spec section 23 05 93 |
Notice the sources say "length estimated" where a run wasn't dimensioned. That is where your review goes first. Duct comes back by size and length; if you price duct by the pound, use your own rates on the big runs.
Below the lines, overhead, profit, insurance, bond and contingency sit as their own rows you can change, and the Word scope of work lists inclusions, exclusions and assumptions.
Frequently asked questions
Does Skoper do mechanical takeoff?
Yes. The takeoff is part of what you get back, but it doesn't stop at quantities: they come back priced, with the scope of work and the sources behind them, so you spend your hours on judgment: the equipment quotes, the controls decision, the number.
Can it handle HVAC, plumbing and piping on one bid?
Upload the full set. The estimate is grouped by trade with its own totals, so plumbing and HVAC sit in separate sections you can bid together or apart.
What about controls and balancing, where subs get burned?
Skoper reads the spec pages you upload as well as the sheets, so a balancing requirement in Section 23 05 93 can land as a line, as it did above. Controls are carried where the drawings and specs show them; check the scope of work and make sure anything you aren't carrying is listed as an exclusion.
How accurate are the prices?
They are a first pass. Pricing can sit about 10% either way until your own rates are in, so put your numbers on the biggest lines before you bid.
Try it on a set you already bid
Run a mechanical set you already priced and compare it to your number. Start with 3 free estimates. No credit card.
Run a mechanical set you already bid
Related reading: What is the difference between AI estimating and AI takeoff?