Window coverings takeoffs, counted twice.

A Countersheet window covering takeoff counts every shade, blind and drapery opening in your bid set, sizes each one from the window schedule or a written dimension, and ties it to the sheet it came from. You get a report, an Excel workbook, a CSV and the marked-up sheets within 48 hours of complete documents, with every opening counted twice and every opening left out of scope listed with its reason. This is the trade Countersheet was proven on first: commercial shade bids for window covering dealers.

What a Countersheet window covering takeoff includes

One row per shade, in a schedule you can price from your own grid or send to a manufacturer's commercial desk.

Below it: totals by type and floor, SF by fabric, motors and controls, LF of pocket and channel, and spares as their own line. Openings out of scope (storefront marked N.I.C., spandrel glass) are listed with the note that took them out.

How we count it

1. Read the spec first. Section 12 24 13 (or 12 21 13 and 12 21 16 for blinds) sets the product, fabric and roll width, mount, sizing rule, pocket, channels, motors and spares. Division 01 says whether it is an allowance or an alternate.
2. Check the scale of every sheet we measure against its own written dimensions. A title block can say 1/4" on a sheet printed at 1/8".
3. First count: the opening list. Every glazed bay on every floor from the window schedule and elevations, then the notes that put openings in or out.
4. Second count, by a different method. A text search of the window tags, the jamb linework on the plan, or the elevations against the plans. Every difference is explained before a number goes out.
5. Sizes with their source. Schedule, then written dimension, then scaled drawing. Heights come from the schedule, elevations or sections only; a missing height goes on the field-verify list.
6. Limits and accessories. Each size is checked against the fabric's roll width and the product's published maximums, then bands, drives, channels and pockets are counted.

Sizes are opening sizes. Most commercial manufacturers take their own inside-mount deductions, so we never pre-deduct. A finished-size rule in the spec is quoted in the spec summary.

What estimators often miss on window covering bids

• Spare stock by size. Common roller shade spec text asks for spares of 5% of each size, color and fabric, no fewer than two units. Read literally per size, 14 shades in 3 sizes would need 6 spares, not 1. Spares are their own line, and we ask the GC how the minimum applies.
• One window, several shades. A storefront bay with three lites can be one coupled set of three bands on one drive, or three shades. Separate band and drive columns keep the motor count right.
• Railroaded fabric and seams. A shade wider than the fabric roll is railroaded, and the roll width becomes its height limit. Above that it needs a horizontal seam, which some architects reject.
• Blackout without the hardware. A blackout room needs side channels (two per shade, plus center channels on coupled sets), a sill channel and a pocket or headbox, each counted.
• Pockets in another section. A recessed pocket is either extruded, from the shade vendor, or drywall, under Division 09, with only the closure panel from you. The head detail decides.
• Jamb depth. An inside mount needs a minimum depth, a dual shade more. A shallow jamb makes it an outside mount or a pocket, so jamb depths go on the field-verify list.
• Motor power and the final connection. Line-voltage motors need power at each head; low-voltage systems need power panels. MasterSpec-based text also puts the connection to the building electrical system in the shade section, so unless Division 26 says otherwise, the final connection may be yours. We ask.
• Interior glass. Conference room glass and sidelites are often in scope by a legend note, even under a general note that says "exterior windows".
• Alternates. "Motorize conference rooms" is a typical alternate, counted as its own line.

What you get

• The report (PDF): totals, the shade schedule with sources, the spec summary, inclusions and exclusions, GC questions, the field-verify list and the quality check showing both counts.
• The workbook (Excel): every line with field-measure columns and totals as live formulas.
• A CSV of the schedule for your quoting system or a manufacturer request.
• The marked sheets (PDF): every opening numbered, ready for Bluebeam or Acrobat.
• Scope language to paste into your proposal.

To price it, run each size through your manufacturer's grid or send the schedule for a size-by-size quote, then add motors and controls by count, channels and pockets by LF, labor per unit, spares and freight. See the sample package.

Price and turnaround

Per trade, by the pages we work from: drawing sheets plus the trade's spec pages.

Your first takeoff is free: one trade, a set under 25 pages. Plans run $449 a month for 3 takeoffs, $799 for 6 and $1,499 for 12 (pricing). We confirm the fee by email before work starts; you pay by card or bank through Stripe. The package is back 48 hours from complete documents, faster on request when we can, and revisions are free until bid day, plus one addendum. Send the bid set.

What's not included

• Blocking and backing (06 10 00 rough carpentry, 09 22 16 metal framing).
• Drywall pockets, soffits and bulkheads (Division 09). We note whether a closure panel is yours.
• 120 V power, J-boxes and conduit (Division 26), and lighting-control, BMS or AV integration.
• Sealant at light-blocking accessories (07 92 00).
• Window film (08 87 00), its own window film takeoff.
• Drapery yardage and fabric layouts (drapery openings are counted and sized, not converted to yards).
• Exterior sun control and projection screens.
• Site visits, field measuring and code review. Sizes are for bidding; field measure before ordering.

Frequently asked questions

What sizes does a window covering takeoff give for each shade?

Opening sizes: jamb to jamb and head to sill on an inside mount, with the source of each size on the line. Most commercial manufacturers take their own deductions, so we never pre-deduct. When the spec writes a finished-size rule, we quote it in the spec summary.

Do you count motors, keypads and power panels?

Yes. Bands, drives and motors have separate columns, and keypads and power panels are counted from the spec and the electrical sheets. Who provides power and the final connection goes to the GC as a question.

What happens when the drawings do not show window heights?

The height stays blank and the opening goes on the field-verify list. Heights come only from the window schedule, elevations or sections, never from a floor plan. We do not guess a height.

Is a takeoff worth it when window coverings are an allowance?

Yes. You still bid the allowance, and the count shows you and the GC whether it covers the shades on the drawings.

Does a window covering takeoff include window film?

No. Window film is its own trade, measured in SF by film type. Pick both on one request and they come back together, each priced by its own pages.