DRYWALL ESTIMATING SOFTWARE

Drywall Estimating Software Built for Faster Takeoffs

Turn PDF floor plans into wall and ceiling quantities, sheet counts, finish levels, materials, labor, and a reviewable drywall estimate — editable on the plan, start to finish.

Walls, ceilings, board types, finish levels, texture, tape, mud, bead, and accessories — connected in one drywall estimating workflow.

vega · takeoff
B. Pantry53 sqftMudroom82 sqft1/2 Bath31 sqftOffice121 sqftKitchen193 sqftDining121 sqftLiving Room277 sqftEntry Corridor115 sqftPrimary Bed131 sqftPrimary Closet78 sqftPrimary Bath80 sqftFront Porch318 sqftBack Deck358 sqft

ROOM TAKEOFF

B. Pantry
53 sqft
Mudroom
82 sqft
1/2 Bath
31 sqft
Office
121 sqft
Kitchen
193 sqft
Dining
121 sqft
Living Room
277 sqft
Entry Corridor
115 sqft
Primary Bed
131 sqft
Primary Closet
78 sqft
Primary Bath
80 sqft
Front Porch
318 sqft
Back Deck
358 sqft
Conditioned1,282 sqft
REAL TRACED PLAN
14 rooms · 1,282 sqft
Upload the floor plans
Walls, rooms, doors, windows, wet areas
AI-assisted board detection
Type X, MR, sound-rated from notes
Sheets, materials & labor
Reviewable and editable
FROM WALLS AND CEILINGS TO A PRICED DRYWALL ESTIMATE

From Plan Geometry to a Priced Drywall Estimate

Vega extracts walls, rooms, doors, windows, and wet areas from floor plans, measures wall and ceiling quantities, detects the board type, calculates sheet counts, and builds editable material and labor estimates.

STEP 01

Upload the plans

Start with the floor plan PDFs. Vega extracts rooms, interior and exterior walls, doors, windows, and shower/tub wet areas — the geometry behind every drywall quantity.

STEP 02

Detect the board type

Vega reads wall-type legends, general notes, and finish schedules across all pages to seed the predominant board type — Type X, moisture-resistant, sound-rated, or standard. You can override it per room.

STEP 03

Measure walls and ceilings

Each wall segment carries its own length and height. Interior partitions board both faces; exterior walls board the inside face. Ceilings are pitch-adjusted for vaulted and cathedral rooms.

STEP 04

Calculate sheet quantities

Board area plus a waste allowance, divided by the selected sheet size, rounded up to whole sheets — from 4×8 through 4×16 and wide-format board. A purchase quantity, not just square footage.

STEP 05

Build the estimate

Vega prices board, finish labor, texture, tape, mud, screws, corner bead, and accessories — then carries the reviewed quantities into a material and labor estimate and a client proposal.

Wall and ceiling quantities come from floor-plan geometry. Board type is AI-detected from notes and legends — the estimator reviews and edits everything on the canvas.

WALL + CEILING TAKEOFF

Turn Floor Plans Into Wall and Ceiling Quantities

Wall board is measured per wall — each segment carries its own length and height. Interior partitions board both faces; exterior walls board the inside face. Ceiling board is pitch-adjusted for vaulted and cathedral rooms. Wet areas drive tile backer and moisture-resistant board.

Wall quantities (measured per wall)
Each wall segment carries its own length_ft and height_ft
Interior partitions board both faces; exterior walls board the inside face
Wall type — internal vs external — drives the side count
Ceiling quantities (calculated)
Flat ceilings: room floor area × 1.0
Vaulted / cathedral: floor area × pitch multiplier (√(144 + rise²) / 12)
Rooms with a suspended ceiling system are suppressed — Ceiling Systems owns them
Board type (AI-assisted)
Read from wall-type legends, general notes, and finish schedules
Type X, Type C, moisture-resistant, mold-resistant, sound-rated, standard
Fallback to Type X when nothing is specified — editable per room and per job
Wet areas (AI-detected)
Shower and tub footprints read off the floor plan
Tile backer board priced over the tiled surround walls
Bathrooms and laundries flagged for moisture-resistant board
Sheet quantities (calculated with waste)
Board area × (1 + waste) ÷ selected sheet area → whole sheets
Sheet sizes from 4×8 (32 SF) through 4×16 (64 SF), plus 54" wide-format
A purchase quantity — rounded up, not a bare square-footage number
Opening trim (measured per opening)
J-bead up both jambs and across the head of every door
J-bead around all four sides of every window opening
Casing bead as an alternative trim — same measured perimeters

Wall geometry is measured from floor plans. Board type is AI-detected from notes and legends. Ceiling area is calculated with a pitch multiplier. Wet areas are AI-detected. Every quantity is editable on the canvas.

FROM SQUARE FOOTAGE TO SHEET QUANTITIES

From Square Footage to Sheet Quantities

Vega calculates whole-sheet purchase quantities — board area plus a waste allowance, divided by the selected sheet size, rounded up. A purchase quantity, not just a square-footage number.

Board area (SF)wall + ceiling
+
Waste allowance× (1 + waste)
÷
Sheet area32 – 64 SF
=
Sheet quantity (rounded up)whole sheets

Multiple sheet sizes

4×8 (32 SF), 4×9 (36), 4×10 (40), 4×12 (48), 4×14 (56), 4×16 (64), and 54" wide-format — the sheet size matches the board item.

Waste-adjusted

A waste allowance is applied to the board area before dividing by the sheet size, so the sheet count includes the cut-off the crew will actually order.

Purchase quantity

The result is rounded up to whole sheets — a purchase quantity you can hand to the supplier, not a bare square-footage number.

Sheet quantities are calculated with waste — not optimized for cut layout. Vega does not optimize horizontal or vertical hanging, and does not apply AI waste optimization.

BOARD & MATERIAL OPTIONS

One Workflow. Multiple Board Types.

The same wall-based workflow supports standard, fire-rated, moisture-resistant, sound-rated, flexible, ceiling, and tile-backer board — assigned per wall and per room, with sheet quantities calculated for each.

Standard & Ceiling

1/2" and 5/8" standard gypsum board, plus sag-resistant and ceiling board.

1/2" standard board
5/8" standard board
Sag-resistant ceiling board
54" wide-format ceiling board
Multiple sheet sizes (4×8 – 4×16)

Fire-Rated

Type X and Type C fire-rated board for rated assemblies.

5/8" Type X
Type C (enhanced rating)
Garages and rated corridors
Shared / demising walls
Multiple sheet sizes

Moisture & Mold

Moisture-resistant and mold-resistant board for wet and humid rooms.

Green board (moisture-resistant)
Purple board (mold + moisture)
Glass-mat interior board
Bath and laundry walls
Combo fire + moisture board

Sound & Specialty

Sound-rated, flexible, and tile-backer board for specialty assemblies.

Sound-rated / QuietRock
Double-layer sound assemblies
Flexible 1/4" (curved walls)
Cement board tile backer
Foam and glass-mat tile backer

Board type is AI-detected from plan notes and legends, editable per room and per job. Not every catalog item carries live pricing — confirm prices in the estimate before relying on them.

MORE THAN BOARD QUANTITIES

Level 0 Through Level 5 Finishing

Each surface carries one unified finish selection — a taped level or a texture over a Level 3 tape-out. Level 5 adds a skim-coat compound line. Primer and paint belong to the Painting trade.

Level 0

Hang only — no taping or finishing.

Temporary enclosure, behind finishes.

Level 1

Tape embedded in joint compound.

Plenum or concealed areas.

Level 2

One coat over tape.

Garages, storage, utility areas.

Level 3

Two coats — texture-ready (default).

Textured walls and ceilings.

Level 4

Three coats — paint-ready.

Smooth painted walls and ceilings.

Level 5

Full skim coat — highest finish.

Critical lighting, gloss paint, commercial.

Finish level drives the labor rate per square foot and the compound selection. Level 5 adds a skim-coat compound line. Texture is a separate selection — 13 sprayed and hand-applied options with separate wall and ceiling rates.

TAPE, MUD, BEAD & ACCESSORIES

More Than Board — the Full Drywall Material Takeoff

Vega estimates the accessories that turn a board count into a drywall bid — tape, joint compound, corner bead, J-bead, screws, control joints, sanding, and sound accessories.

Joint tape & compound

Paper and fiberglass mesh tape. All-purpose, taping, topping, and setting-type compounds — with coverage variables you can adjust.

Corner bead

Metal square, paper-faced tape-in, bullnose metal and vinyl, and flexible arch bead for curved walls — priced per linear foot.

J-bead & casing bead

J-bead up both jambs and across the head of every door; around all four sides of every window. Casing bead as an alternative.

Screws & fasteners

Fine and coarse thread for wood framing, self-drilling for steel stud, in multiple sizes and box counts.

Control joints

Wall control joints where a run exceeds the max spacing, and ceiling control joints where a room span exceeds the limit.

Sound & furring accessories

Resilient channel, sound isolation clips, furring channel for masonry, and deflection clips for steel stud — optional, off unless chosen.

Primer and paint are not drywall scope — they belong to the Painting trade. Insulation, framing, and suspended ceiling systems each have their own Vega trade.

WET-AREA DRYWALL

Moisture-Resistant Board and Tile Backer Where It Matters

Vega reads shower and tub footprints off the floor plan, flags bathrooms and laundries for moisture-resistant board, and prices tile backer over the tiled surround walls — so the wet-room scope is handled without double-counting.

Moisture-resistant board

Bathrooms and laundries are flagged for green, purple, or glass-mat board on the wet-room face. The dry face of a partition takes standard board.

Tile backer at showers and tubs

Cement board, DensShield, or foam tile backer is priced over the tiled surround walls of each detected shower and tub — taken off the MR board area.

Waterproofing membrane

Liquid-applied and sheet membrane over cement board, with editable coverage variables. Only bought over backer systems without a built-in barrier.

Tile itself remains the Tile trade's scope. Vega does not design waterproofing or verify code compliance — confirm wet-wall assembly requirements with the project's architect or building code.

AI ASSISTS. THE ESTIMATOR STAYS IN CONTROL.

Review and Edit Drywall Takeoffs Directly on the Plan

A drywall estimate is only as good as the wall geometry and board assignment behind it. Vega shows every wall, room, door, window, and wet area on the canvas — and every quantity, price, and material is editable.

See walls and rooms on the plan

Every wall segment, room polygon, door, window, and wet area is visible on the canvas — drawn or detected, editable in place.

Edit wall heights and classification

Each wall carries its own height. Change a wall from interior to exterior, set fire-rated or sound-rated flags, mark a curved wall — the board split follows.

Edit wet areas

Draw, move, or resize shower and tub footprints. Set the surround height, flag a niche or bench, and re-detect which edges are tiled.

Change ceiling type and pitch

Switch a room from flat to vaulted, set the rise, or assign a suspended ceiling system — the ceiling area and board line recompute.

Assign board per room

Give any room its own board type, finish, and price. A room pulled out of the aggregate bills on its own line — no double-count.

Edit every quantity and price

Override board, finish, texture, accessory, and labor prices. Include or exclude any line. Add custom items. Reset to defaults anytime.

Drywall BreakdownILLUSTRATIVE

Wall SF

—

Per wall

Ceiling SF

—

Pitch-adjusted

Board

—

Per room

ITEMQTYUNIT
Standard board (1/2")
—sheet
Type X board (5/8")
—sheet
Ceiling board
—sheet
Tile backer (wet areas)
—sheet
Wall finish — Level 4
—SF
Ceiling finish — knockdown
—SF
Joint compound
—bucket
Corner bead
—LF
Labor (finish, per SF)
—SF
Every line editable — overrides saved, defaults preserved

Illustrative breakdown — quantities and prices shown as placeholders, not actual Vega output.

MATERIAL + LABOR ESTIMATING

Turn Reviewed Quantities Into Material and Labor Estimates

Vega carries reviewed drywall quantities into a priced material and labor estimate — board, finish, texture, accessories, and labor — with every unit cost and labor assumption editable.

Priced lines in the estimate

Board (per sheet, per type)
Wall finish — level or texture (per SF)
Ceiling finish — level or texture (per SF)
Tile backer (per sheet, wet areas)
Tape, compound, screws, bead, accessories
Control joints, sanding, sound accessories

Labor adjustments

Finish labor per SF by finish level
Union / non-union multiplier
Ceiling premium (overhead work)
Complexity / access dial
Per-room itemization
Every unit price and labor assumption editable

Labor is estimated from finish level and crew — not promised as local labor rates. Every price is editable through the estimate breakdown.

TRADE BOUNDARIES

Keep Drywall Scope Where It Belongs

Vega's trade workflows help separate overlapping construction scope — so drywall, framing, insulation, painting, ceiling systems, tile, and demolition each own their part of the building.

Drywall

Board, hanging, taping
Mud & finishing (Level 0–5)
Texture
Corner bead, J-bead, accessories
Tile backer in wet areas

Framing / Steel Stud

Wood & metal studs
Tracks & headers
Blocking & backing
Structural framing

Insulation

Batt & blown insulation
Spray foam
Mineral wool
Acoustic insulation

Painting

Primer
Paint (walls, ceilings, trim)
Specialty coatings

Ceiling Systems

Suspended grid
Acoustical tile (ACT)
Direct-mount panels

Tile

Tile finish
Schluter trim
Tile installation labor

Demolition

Existing drywall removal
Ceiling removal
Haul-off & disposal

Exteriors

Exterior cladding
Stucco / EIFS
Soffit & fascia
Exterior paint

Vega's trade workflows help separate overlapping scope. A room with a suspended ceiling system suppresses its drywall ceiling so the same area is never billed twice. Tile backer belongs to Drywall; tile finish belongs to Tile.

WHO IT'S FOR

Built for the People Who Price the Drywall

DRYWALL SUBCONTRACTORS

From wall geometry to a drywall bid

Focus on the wall and ceiling quantities, board selection, finish levels, and the full material takeoff — and carry it into a trade-specific bid without rebuilding the takeoff from scratch.

Per-wall board, both faces, inside face of exterior
Sheet quantities with waste
Level 0–5, texture, tape, mud, bead, accessories

GENERAL CONTRACTORS

Carry drywall alongside the other trades

Estimate drywall alongside framing, insulation, painting, and ceiling systems — one building, one project, one proposal — instead of rebuilding each scope.

Clear boundaries with Framing, Insulation, Painting, Ceiling Systems
No double-counting of ceiling area
One proposal from many trades
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is drywall estimating software?

Drywall estimating software helps contractors turn construction plans into drywall wall and ceiling quantities — board area, sheet counts, finish levels, tape, mud, screws, corner bead, and accessories — and then into material and labor pricing and a reviewable estimate. Vega is built around that workflow for drywall subcontractors, general contractors, and estimators.

Can Vega create drywall takeoffs from PDF plans?

Yes. Vega extracts walls, rooms, doors, windows, and shower/tub wet areas from floor plan PDFs, measures wall and ceiling quantities, detects the predominant board type from notes and legends, and builds an editable drywall takeoff. This is an AI-assisted, estimator-controlled workflow — not a one-click automatic takeoff. You review and edit the geometry on the canvas before pricing.

Does Vega calculate drywall sheet quantities?

Yes. Vega calculates whole-sheet purchase quantities by taking the board area, adding a waste allowance, and dividing by the selected sheet size — from 4×8 (32 SF) through 4×16 (64 SF) and 54" wide-format board. The result is rounded up to whole sheets, so it is a purchase quantity, not just a square-footage number.

Does Vega estimate walls and ceilings?

Yes. Vega measures wall board per wall — each wall segment carries its own length and height. Interior partitions board both faces; exterior walls board the inside face. Ceiling board is calculated from each room's floor area, with a pitch multiplier applied to vaulted and cathedral ceilings so the true sloped surface area is measured.

Can Vega handle vaulted ceilings?

Yes. Vega reads ceiling type from the plans and applies a pitch multiplier to vaulted, cathedral, and raked ceilings — the same roof-pitch math used for roofing. A vaulted room with an 8/12 pitch produces roughly 20% more ceiling area than its flat floor footprint. The ceiling type and pitch are editable per room on the canvas.

Does Vega support Type X drywall?

Yes. Vega supports 5/8" Type X fire-rated board and Type C enhanced fire-rated board, in multiple sheet sizes. Walls flagged as fire-rated on the canvas are boarded with Type X or Type C; the board type is AI-detected from plan notes and legends and editable per room and per job.

Does Vega estimate moisture-resistant drywall?

Yes. Vega supports green board, purple board, glass-mat interior board, and combo fire-plus-moisture board. Bathrooms and laundries are flagged for moisture-resistant board, and the tiled surround of each shower and tub is taken off the moisture-resistant board area because tile backer goes there instead.

Does Vega support Level 5 drywall finishes?

Yes. Vega supports finish Levels 0 through 5 — from hang-only to a full skim coat. Each surface (wall and ceiling) carries one unified finish selection: either a taped level or a texture over a Level 3 tape-out. Level 5 adds a skim-coat compound line to the estimate. Primer and paint are not drywall scope — they belong to the Painting trade.

Can I edit the drywall takeoff?

Yes. You can add, delete, move, and resize walls, doors, windows, and wet areas; change wall heights and classification; set fire-rated, sound-rated, curved, and wet flags; change ceiling type and pitch; assign board type per room and per job; override quantities, prices, and labor; include or exclude lines; and add custom items. Every quantity and price is editable, and the estimate recomputes with every change.

Does Vega estimate drywall labor?

Yes. Vega carries reviewed drywall quantities into a material and labor estimate. Finish labor is priced per square foot by finish level, with a union or non-union multiplier, a ceiling premium for overhead work, and a complexity dial for cut-up rooms and tall walls. Every labor rate and assumption is editable. Vega does not promise local labor rates.

Does Vega include suspended ceiling systems?

No. Suspended grid and acoustical ceiling systems belong to Vega's separate Ceiling Systems trade. When a room is assigned a ceiling system on the canvas, Vega suppresses that room's drywall ceiling so the same area is never billed twice. Drywall still boards the walls of a room with a drop ceiling.

Can Vega export drywall estimates?

Yes. The reviewed drywall estimate carries into a branded client proposal with sections, line items, and a secure share link. Estimates can be exported to PDF, Excel, and Word, and the proposal supports digital client acceptance.

Related resources

GET STARTED

Upload the Plans. Build the Drywall Estimate.

See how Vega turns floor plans into wall and ceiling quantities, sheet counts, finish levels, a full material takeoff, and a reviewable drywall estimate.

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