Points counted room by room, cable measured by size and route, switchboards scheduled and data kept on its own line. Priced with your rates in a spreadsheet you keep.
A rate per point is a reasonable starting position and a poor finishing position. It cannot see a long run back to the board, a double storey with no ceiling access, or a specification that changes the cable size on half the circuits.
So we count the points and measure the cable. Every circuit gets a route and a length, every point gets a type, and the switchboard is scheduled by its actual contents. Your supply rates and your labour rate per point go in the sheet, and you can move both.
Points are counted off the electrical plan and grouped by room and by type: GPOs, switches, light points, exhaust fans, hardwired appliances and dedicated circuits. Grouping by room is what lets you check the count against the drawing in a minute rather than an hour.
Cable is measured by size and type along a realistic route, not as a straight line. Runs back to the board are measured through the ceiling space and down the walls the way they will actually be pulled, and each circuit appears as its own line.
The switchboard comes back as a schedule: main switch, RCBOs and circuit breakers by rating, surge protection, metering and enclosure size. Data, comms, TV, security and solar are separate packages so the client can accept or drop them without unpicking the whole quote.
Nothing here is an allowance. Each line is measured off your drawings in its own unit, so you can check it against the plan yourself.
| Item | How it is measured | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Power points | Counted by type — single, double, weatherproof, dedicated | A weatherproof or dedicated point is not the same money as a standard double |
| Lighting points | Counted by type, with dimming and switching arrangements noted | Two-way and multi-way switching adds cable that a point count alone cannot see |
| Cable runs | Metres by size and type along the actual route back to the board | Straight-line lengths understate every run; the route through the ceiling is longer |
| Circuits | Each circuit listed with its protection and cable size | Circuit count drives switchboard size and RCBO quantity |
| Switchboard | Scheduled by main switch, breakers, RCBOs, metering and enclosure | An upgrade to the board is often the largest single item on a renovation |
| Sub-mains | Metres by size, with the route and any conduit or trenching | On a shed, granny flat or second board this is a major line |
| Data and comms | Outlets and cable runs, kept as a separate package | Clients often want this priced separately so they can decide on it late |
| Solar and EV | Panel and inverter positions, DC and AC runs, isolators | Increasingly requested and rarely on the original electrical plan |
| Package | Measured as | Why it is separate |
|---|---|---|
| General light and power | Points by type, plus circuit cable | The base scope the client compares on |
| Dedicated circuits | Count, with cable size and protection | Ovens, cooktops, aircon and pumps price differently |
| Switchboard | Schedule of components | Often an upgrade decision on its own |
| Sub-mains | Metres by size, plus trench or conduit | Distance-driven, not point-driven |
| Data and comms | Outlets and cable metres | Frequently added or dropped late |
| Solar / EV charging | Panels, inverter, DC and AC runs | Separate approval and separate decision |
On a new build the frame is open and cable pulls quickly. On a renovation with a finished ceiling and no roof access, the same circuit can take several times the labour, and no rate per point reflects that.
We read the plans and the scope for access conditions and note where the install is likely to be in existing fabric, so the labour allowance matches the job. Where the drawings do not tell us, it is listed as an assumption to confirm rather than absorbed.
The same five steps on every job, whether it is a single slab or a full tender package.
Email the architectural and structural drawings, the specification and the scope of works in whatever format you have — PDF, DWG, or photos of a marked-up set. If something is missing we will tell you before we start, not after.
Points are counted off the electrical plan and grouped by room and by type: GPOs, switches, light points, exhaust fans, hardwired appliances and dedicated circuits. Grouping by room is what lets you check the count against the drawing in a minute rather than an hour.
Every measured item gets its own colour and legend entry on the drawing. When the takeoff comes back you can see exactly what was counted and what was not, so you are never asked to trust a number you cannot trace. This is the part clients tell us they did not know they needed until they had it.
The takeoff is delivered as a working spreadsheet, not a locked PDF. Your rates sit in their own column, so you can change a supply price or a labour rate and watch the total move. Plug in your own numbers and the sheet is yours to reuse on the next job.
Quantities are re-measured independently and cross-checked against the drawing before anything leaves here. You get the marked-up plans, the priced spreadsheet and a plain-English note on anything we flagged as unclear or excluded.
The takeoff arrives as a live Excel spreadsheet with the colour-coded marked-up plans beside it. Your rates go in your own column, so you can plug in your own supply and labour numbers and reuse the sheet on the next job. Nothing is locked.
First estimate free. After that the fee is confirmed in writing as a fixed amount before any work starts. No retainer, no subscription, no lock-in contract. Full pricing detail here →
Two identical floor plans can carry very different electrical bills depending on the specification: nominated fittings, dimming, smart switching, cable type and whether the client wants everything on separate circuits.
We work off the electrical plan and the specification together, and where a fitting is nominated by brand we keep it as its own line so you can substitute later without rebuilding the estimate.
Quantities are measured against the standards and the specification for your job. Where a drawing and a standard disagree, we flag it rather than quietly picking one.
| Standard | Covers | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| AS/NZS 3000 | Electrical installations (Wiring Rules) | The core installation standard |
| AS/NZS 3008 | Electrical installations — selection of cables | Cable sizing and voltage drop |
| AS/NZS 3018 | Electrical installations — domestic installations | Residential-specific requirements |
None of these are unusual. They are the things that get missed when a quote is put together at 9pm after a full day on the tools.
If your question is not here, email it through and you will get a straight answer, not a sales call.
Both, and they appear as separate lines. The point count is what your client compares against other quotes; the cable measure is what protects your margin when the runs are long.
Each circuit is listed with its route, length, cable size and protection, so nothing is a lump sum you cannot defend.
The electrical plan if there is one, plus the architectural set and the specification. On residential jobs there is often no electrical plan — in that case send the floor plan and tell us the client's requirements, and we will set out the points and list what we assumed.
Yes, as a schedule rather than an allowance: main switch, breakers and RCBOs by rating, surge protection, metering and the enclosure. On renovation work we flag whether the existing board has capacity, because an upgrade changes the job significantly.
Yes, and we recommend it. Each comes back as its own priced package so the client can take it or leave it without you having to re-quote everything.
Different labour allowances. New-build cable pulls through an open frame; renovation work in a finished ceiling takes far longer for the same circuit. We note the access conditions we have assumed so you can adjust if the site is worse than the drawings suggest.
The first estimate is free. After that, 1% of the quoted job value as a fixed fee confirmed before we start — no retainer, no subscription, no lock-in.
Most residential electrical packages come back within 24 hours of the plans arriving. Commercial fit-outs with emergency lighting and mechanical services take longer, and we confirm the timing up front.
Most jobs cross more than one trade. We can price the whole package in one spreadsheet.
Your first estimate is free. Email the drawings and the scope, and you will have a marked-up takeoff and a priced spreadsheet back within 24 hours on most residential jobs. Prefer to talk first? Reply with "KEEN" and your number.