Question 1

How do I estimate drywall from blueprints?

Accepted Answer

Start with square feet. Estimating drywall (what a lot of crews just call sheetrock) means measuring wall linear feet, multiplying by height for both sides of partitions, and tracing ceilings from the floor plan or RCP. Calibrate first: a 24 x 36 in sheet printed on 11 x 17 is roughly 46 percent scale, not 50 percent. MetreMate gives you the square feet, then you apply sheet size and waste.

Question 2

How many sheets of drywall do I need?

Accepted Answer

Divide the square footage by the sheet size, then add waste. 3,200 square feet / 48 = 66.7 sheets of 4x12, plus 10 percent = 73.4, so 74 sheets. For 4x8 board, 3,200 / 32 = 100, plus 10 percent = 110 sheets. A 4x10 covers 40 sq ft. MetreMate gives you the square feet, and you choose the board and the waste.

Question 3

Should I deduct doors and windows?

Accepted Answer

Usually not for standard doors and windows. Many estimators leave standard openings in, because the piece cut out is mostly waste anyway, and deduct only large openings such as garage doors, storefronts or wide cased openings. That is common practice, not a rule. Count openings with the Count tool and trace large ones with Area, so you can deduct them when you choose.

Question 4

How much waste should I add for drywall?

Accepted Answer

Add 10 percent for simple rooms and 15 percent for rooms with many openings or sloped ceilings. On 100 sheets, that means 110 sheets at 10 percent or 115 at 15 percent. MetreMate gives you the square feet, then you apply the waste factor that fits the job. Keep cut-up areas on their own layer so the higher factor lands only where it belongs.

Question 5

How do I keep 5/8 in Type X walls separate from standard 1/2 in?

Accepted Answer

Put them on their own layer. Trace rated walls, often 5/8 in Type X at garages, separations and many commercial walls, on one layer and standard 1/2 in walls on another. That way you can read the rated linear feet apart from the standard walls and price each on its own. Level 4 and Level 5 finish areas can be split out the same way.

Question 6

Is there a free plan, and does it run on a tablet?

Accepted Answer

Yes to the free plan, no to tablets. Start free with no credit card, or use the 7-day trial. The paid plans are Pro and Team, and Team is billed per seat. MetreMate runs in any modern browser on a Windows or Mac computer, with nothing to install. Tablets and phones are not supported, so bring a laptop to check a takeoff on the jobsite.

Drywall takeoffs from the plans, board count and all

The slow way, or the smart way

Everything you can measure off the plan

Lengths in linear feet

Areas in sq ft

Perimeters

Counts

How drywall contractors use MetreMate

Wall and ceiling square footage

Board count by sheet size

Separating rated and standard walls

More than measuring

Auto Scale

Manual Scaling

Auto Snap

Layers Manager

Print & Share

Project Organizer

Questions drywall contractors ask

MetreMate works for every trade

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