Jones Building Takeoff: metal-building quantities

Open Jones Building Takeoff

Jones Building Takeoff is a browser tool for estimating material quantities for rectangular metal buildings. It produces roof and wall panel cut lists, individual panel layouts, trim and accessory quantities, and an Excel workbook that can reopen a job. A 3D preview helps you inspect building shape and opening locations.

Supported work

• Rectangular footprints with symmetric gable, asymmetric gable, or single-slope roofs.
• Roof and wall profiles with their configured coverage widths.
• Rectangular doors, windows, and other openings, with a per-opening panel-cutting setting.
• Panel cut lists, trim and accessory quantities, and a building preview.
• Excel export and reopening the original exported workbook.

A basic workflow

1. Enter the building length, width, eave height, roof shape, and slope.
2. Select roof and wall panel profiles. Check coverage widths and the supplier's actual product selection.
3. Set purlin spacing or row counts and add openings on the correct walls.
4. Review the panel layouts, trim, accessories, assumptions, and takeoff notes.
5. Export Excel to save the job. Reopen that original workbook when you return.

A bare 20 in a measurement field means 20 feet. You can also enter feet-and-inches measurements, such as 20' 2". The inches component must remain below 12 when feet are present.

Worked quantity check

For a simple 30-foot-long, 20-foot-wide symmetric gable with a 4:12 roof slope, each half of the roof has a 10-foot horizontal run. The sloped length is about 10.541 feet. The two ideal roof rectangles total about 632.46 square feet, before overhangs, allowances, laps, and openings.

If roof panels cover 3 feet across the 30-foot building length, an initial coverage check is 10 panels per roof side, or 20 total. This is a check on the basic geometry, not a completed order list.

Download a takeoff review worksheet.

What the output does not establish

There is no automatic job storage: export the original Excel workbook to retain a job. The tool estimates quantities; it does not design structural members, verify code compliance, select engineered fasteners, design drainage, or calculate a priced quotation. Review the drawings, current manufacturer requirements, profiles, allowances, and supplier selections before ordering.

Read about the Detailer Calculator for smaller dimension checks, or contact me about your workflow.