Masonry packages often come with tight deadlines and many pages of drawings. Civils.ai assists by preparing a draft of wall runs and opening deductions straight from your PDFs. Your team then reviews, adjusts, and finalizes the numbers for pricing.
AI for Masonry Takeoff: Block/Brick Wall Runs & Opening Deductions
AI-powered masonry takeoff for block and brick walls — measure wall runs, deduct openings, count units, and generate accurate PDFs from any PDF drawing.
Oct. 24, 2025
Julianna
Widlund, P.E
AI for Masonry Takeoff: Block/Brick Wall Runs & Opening Deductions
Civils.ai helps teams prepare a draft masonry takeoff from PDF plans—so you can move faster on bids while your people stay firmly in control.
Why Estimators Use AI Assistance for Masonry
Quicker start
Begin with a prepared draft instead of building every quantity from scratch.
Traceable outputs
Draft quantities point back to the plan pages and schedules used, making reviews simpler.
Easier re-issues
When drawings change, it’s easier to update and re-issue than to re-measure everything manually.
How It Works (Simple, Human-Centred)
- Upload your PDFs — Add plan drawings, elevations/sections, and any wall/door/window schedules you want considered.
- Write your prompt — For example: “Prepare block/brick wall runs by type and level. Deduct door/window openings shown on plans and schedules.”
- Click “Run” — Civils.ai begins preparing a draft masonry takeoff from the documents you provided.
- QA review & adjust — Your QA team reviews the draft, fixes anything that needs attention, and confirms assumptions before release.
- Share with confidence — Release the reviewed set and quantities to stakeholders with clear references back to the source PDFs.
Important: Civils.ai assists with preparing bids. It does not replace professional judgment—final quantities are reviewed and approved by qualified people.
What the Draft Can Cover
The aim is a clean starting point for pricing—prepared from the drawings and schedules you upload.
Typical items
- Wall runs (block/brick) by type and level, as shown on plans
- Opening deductions for doors and windows where sizes/positions are listed or shown
- Simple summaries by zone/level to support pricing discussions
How measurements are set
All quantities come from your plans and specifications. Any wall heights or opening sizes are taken strictly from those documents; the system doesn’t “interpret” heights or invent information.
What to Expect (and What Not To)
What you can expect
- A draft masonry takeoff to help your bid
- References back to the exact plan pages and schedules
- Faster internal checks and fewer back-and-forths
Limitations to note
- Not a 100% automated takeoff—human QA remains essential
- Measurements are based only on what’s shown in your plans/specs
- If heights or opening details aren’t provided, your team sets and confirms them during review
FAQ
Can we specify block vs. brick types?
Yes. State your preferred wall types in your prompt, and your QA team confirms them during review.
How are openings deducted?
From the door/window schedules and the openings shown on the plans. If any are missing, your team can add them during QA and re-issue the draft.
Can we get summaries by level or zone?
Yes. The draft can include simple summaries so stakeholders can see where quantities sit at a glance.
Is this helpful during busy bid periods?
Absolutely. It prepares a draft quickly so your team spends time checking and finalizing instead of starting from a blank page.
Prepare Stronger Masonry Bids with Civils.ai
Upload your drawings and schedules, write a prompt, click run—then let your QA team review and release clear, traceable quantities for pricing.
Interested in learning about how you can use AI in your Civil Engineering workflow?