Field Notes · · features · case study
Template properties: how a contractor saved 40% of estimating time
A worked example of templates, value lists, conditional fields, and property-based grouping on a real lighting takeoff.
Placeholder body — to be written. Outline below.
The job
A small electrical contractor estimating lighting on a 40,000 sqft commercial remodel. Roughly twelve fixture types across four floors, three voltages, and a dozen circuits.
The old way
Bluebeam tool sets gave them one symbol per fixture type — twelve symbols for twelve fixtures. Circuits and voltages had to be tracked in a separate spreadsheet and reconciled by hand. A typo in either place broke the BOM.
The TakeOn way
One template called Lighting Fixture with properties for type (value list),
voltage (value list), and circuit (sticky text). Bracket-name formatting builds
labels automatically. Property-based grouping splits fixtures by voltage and
circuit without anyone having to think about it.
Walk through screenshots of the property panel, group panel, and totals view.
The result
Show the time savings (real numbers from the contractor) and the BOM that fell out of the takeoff, ready to paste into the estimate spreadsheet.
Replace this placeholder with the real article once we have permission to share the contractor’s story or a stand-in worked example.