Turn PDF plans into detailed tile estimates — floor tile, shower walls, backsplashes, materials, patterns, prep, and installation labor — editable on the plan, start to finish.
AI-assisted plan interpretation, tile surfaces, materials, patterns, prep, and installation labor — connected in one tile estimating workflow.
ROOM TAKEOFF
Vega reads room geometry and wet-area scope from the plan, organizes tile surfaces, applies material pricing, calculates prep and crew labor, and produces a reviewable estimate.
Upload the plans
Start with the plan set — floor plans carry rooms, areas, and wet-area scope; finish schedules and notes add material and pattern callouts where present.
Read the scope
Vega reads room geometry, wet areas, and finish notes from the plan — the surfaces to be tiled, the rooms that carry them, and the shower surrounds the job calls for.
Organize tile surfaces
Each tiled surface is resolved to a scope — floor tile, shower walls, backsplash, full-height wet walls — and grouped by the room and wet area it belongs to.
Apply material pricing
Vega matches each surface to a finish tile material — ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, or glass mosaic — with setting materials, grout, and trim priced alongside.
Calculate prep scope
Backer board, waterproofing membrane, grout sealing, self-leveler, and mud bed are measured off the tiled surfaces — added only when the job calls for them.
Calculate crew labor
Installation labor is driven by tiled surface area, material, format, pattern, and shower complexity — priced at the crew's actual hourly rate, not a flat per-SF dollar.
Produce the estimate
Reviewed quantities carry into a material and labor estimate and a client proposal — editable line by line, with overrides saved and defaults preserved.
AI-assisted extraction — the estimator reviews and edits every tile surface on the canvas before pricing. Not a one-click automatic takeoff.
The plan carries the surfaces to be tiled — room geometry, wet areas, and finish notes. Vega reads what the plan provides and flags what it does not. Not every field exists on every plan.
Rooms flagged for tile flooring — measured from room area, with the finish material resolved from notes or the survey.
Shower and tub surrounds — wall surface area measured from the wet-area geometry the plan provides.
Kitchen and wet-bar backsplashes — perimeter-driven surface area where the plan identifies the counter run.
Bathroom wall tile running floor-to-ceiling — perimeter × ceiling height, added only when the scope calls for it.
Niches, benches, curbs, and shelves — explicit counts the estimator enters, never inferred from geometry.
Material, pattern, and grout callouts in the finish schedule or plan notes — read where present, surveyed where not.
Vega uses what the plan provides. Missing fields are flagged — not guessed. The estimator reviews and fills the gaps on the canvas.
Vega estimates the tile surfaces a residential job calls for — each measured from the geometry it belongs to, not a single building-area multiplier.
Floor tile
Tile floors in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry, and entryways — measured from room area, gated to tile-owned rooms.
Shower walls
Shower and tub surround walls — wall surface area from the wet-area geometry, with niches, benches, curbs, and shelves.
Backsplash
Kitchen and wet-bar backsplashes — perimeter-driven 18" surface area where the counter run is identified.
Full-height wet walls
Bathroom wall tile running floor-to-ceiling — perimeter × ceiling height, added only when the scope calls for it.
Shower ceiling
A tiled shower ceiling — the shower footprint area, added as its own surface to avoid double-counting the surround walls.
Shower floor
The shower pan footprint — the basis for mud bed and pan-system prep, measured from the wet-area geometry.
Each surface is gated by the scope the job calls for — a bathroom floored in LVP does not get tile floor material, and a surrounds-only shower does not price full-height walls.
Vega supports four finish tile materials and five layout patterns — each priced as its own line, with a tile waste factor applied to the finish tile quantity.
Finish tile materials
Ceramic
The common baseline — standard glaze, budget to standard tiers.
Porcelain
Denser than ceramic, rectified edges — standard to premium tiers.
Natural stone
Travertine, marble, slate — heavier, fragile, requires sealing.
Glass mosaic
Sheet-mounted glass — pre-spaced, faster to set, used for accents and feature walls.
Layout patterns
Pattern affects installation labor only — it does not increase material waste in the estimate.
Straight
The baseline grid — 1.00× labor. No offset, no cuts beyond the perimeter.
Brick
Running bond — 1.08× labor. Offset courses, more cuts at edges.
Diagonal
45° layout — 1.15× labor. More cuts at every wall and opening.
Basketweave
Alternating orientation — 1.20× labor. More layout work.
Herringbone
Chevron / herringbone — 1.30× labor. The most layout-intensive pattern.
Material prices come from the estimator's item master — not live manufacturer pricing, real-time supplier feeds, or ZIP-code dealer quotes. Confirm prices in the estimate before relying on them.
Vega estimates the consumables that turn a tiled surface into an installation — thinset, leveling clips, grout, trim, and sealer — measured off the actual tiled area, not an assumed per-SF allowance.
Thinset mortar
Standard or large-format thinset — measured off the tiled surface area, switched by the tile format the job calls for.
Leveling clips
Tile leveling clips for large-format installations — added when the format is large, to keep the surface flat across lippage.
Grout
Sanded, unsanded, or epoxy grout — selected by the joint width and the material, measured off the tiled surface area.
Tile trim
Schluter-style edge profiles and transition strips — linear footage at tile terminations, added where the scope calls for them.
Grout sealer
Grout sealing application — always included, measured off the total tiled surface area.
Tile spacers
Tile spacers for joint width control — packs measured off the tiled surface area.
Vega estimates the prep scope a tile job calls for — each line added only when the job calls for it, with mutually exclusive pairs enforced so two preps do not bill for the same surface.
Cement backer board (wet)
Cement backer on shower walls — 0.03 hrs/SF, added by default and suppressed when a waterproof board system is used instead.
Cement backer board (floor)
Backer under tile floors — 0.03 hrs/SF, added only when the job calls for a backer substrate.
Waterproofing membrane
Surface waterproofing membrane on shower walls — 0.04 hrs/SF, added by default and suppressed when a waterproof board system is used.
Waterproof board system
A waterproof board system (e.g. Kerdi-Board) replaces backer + membrane — toggled on, it suppresses both and prices its own substrate.
Self-leveler
Self-leveling underlayment — 0.05 hrs/SF, added only when the floor requires it, and mutually exclusive with a floor patch.
Floor patch
A floor patch / skim coat — mutually exclusive with self-leveler. The estimator picks the substrate prep the floor needs.
Mud bed / pre-slope
A shower mud bed or pre-slope — 0.15 hrs/SF of shower floor, the most labor-intensive prep, mutually exclusive with a pan system.
Shower pan system
A manufactured shower pan system (e.g. Kerdi-Shower) — replaces the mud bed, mutually exclusive with it.
Vega estimates tile-scope prep inside the Tile trade. Below-grade waterproofing and whole-building envelope waterproofing belong to the Waterproofing trade.
Shower features are added from explicit counts the estimator enters — never inferred from the geometry. Each feature carries its own per-each labor hours.
Niches
Waterproof, build, and tile a shower niche — 0.50 hrs each, driven by an explicit count the estimator enters.
Benches
Frame, waterproof, and tile a shower bench — 1.00 hrs each, driven by an explicit count.
Curbs
Build, waterproof, and tile a shower curb — 0.30 hrs each, driven by an explicit count.
Shelves
Install and tile a shower shelf — 0.20 hrs each, driven by an explicit count.
Counts are the estimator's — Vega does not guess a niche or a bench from the shower shape. Every shower feature is an explicit, editable count.
Tile installation labor responds to the actual tiled surface area, the material, the format, the pattern, the shower complexity, and the crew's actual hourly rate — not a flat per-SF dollar.
Labor scales with the actual tiled surface — floor, shower walls, backsplash, and full-height walls — not the building floor area.
Ceramic and porcelain are the 1.00× baseline; natural stone is 1.15× (heavier, fragile); glass mosaic is 0.85× (sheet-mounted, faster).
Mosaic to panel — larger and heavier formats take more handling. Plank and large-format tiles carry a higher factor than standard.
Straight is the 1.00× baseline; brick, diagonal, basketweave, and herringbone add layout labor. Pattern affects labor only — not material waste.
Niches, benches, curbs, and shelves add per-each hours — driven by explicit counts, never inferred from the geometry.
Labor is priced at the crew's actual hourly rate — the wages you assign — not a flat per-SF dollar. Every labor assumption is editable.
Labor is priced at the crew's actual hourly rate — the wages you assign. Every labor assumption is editable.
When the customer supplies the finish tile, Vega removes the finish tile purchase while retaining the setting materials, grout, trim, prep, and all installation labor.
Retained on the estimate
Suppressed on the estimate
The installation scope is unaffected — only the finish tile purchase is gated off. Labor hours are identical for supply-and-install and client-supplied.
A tile estimate is only as good as the tile scope behind it. Vega shows every tiled surface on the canvas — and every quantity, price, and material is editable.
See tile surfaces on the plan
Every tiled surface is visible on the canvas — floor, shower walls, backsplash, and full-height walls — ready for review before pricing.
Edit tile scope
Change the material, pattern, grout, wet-area scope, or shower feature counts. The estimate recomputes with every edit.
Set the supply scope
Supply-and-install or client-supplied — when the customer supplies the tile, the finish tile purchase is removed while setting materials, prep, and labor are retained.
Edit every quantity and price
Override unit costs, labor rates, and quantities. Include or exclude any line. Add custom items. Reset to defaults anytime.
Toggle prep scope
Backer, membrane, self-leveler, mud bed, pan system — add or remove each prep line. Mutually exclusive pairs are enforced.
Set the wet-area scope
Surrounds only, full-height wet walls, or none — the gate controls which shower and wall surfaces the estimate prices.
Tiled Surface
—
SF
Material
—
Ceramic / stone
Crew Rate
—
Per hour
Illustrative breakdown — quantities and prices shown as placeholders, not actual Vega output.
Vega separates scope between trades to reduce duplicate estimating. Tile owns the finish, the setting materials, and the installation; the surrounding scope belongs to the trade that builds it.
Tile removal and tear-out belong to the Demolition trade — so the Tile estimate covers new installation scope only, not demo.
Vega is built for the people who price residential tile — not for commercial tile contracting or automatic code-compliance certification.
Residential builders
Price the tile on the plan set alongside every other trade.
Custom home builders
Carry floor, shower, and backsplash tile in one estimate.
General contractors
Bring tile alongside flooring, drywall, and plumbing in one proposal.
Tile installers
Estimate installation labor, prep, and shower complexity for tile jobs.
Remodelers
Handle bathroom and kitchen tile scope with editable materials and patterns.
Estimators
Review, edit, and override every quantity and price before the estimate goes out.
Not positioned for commercial tile contracting or automatic code-compliance certification. Confirm waterproofing and code compliance with your local building code.
A generic square-foot allowance treats every tile surface the same. But a shower wall takes more labor than a floor, a herringbone pattern takes more than straight, and a natural stone takes more than ceramic. Vega uses the plan's scope — not a single multiplier.
Generic SF calculator
One number for everything
A single square-foot price treats a shower wall the same as a floor, a herringbone the same as straight, and a niche the same as a flat field. The scope that actually drives the cost is invisible.
Vega plan-driven estimate
Scope from the plan
Vega reads the surfaces to be tiled, resolves the material and pattern, adds the prep the job calls for, and prices labor by surface — so the scope that drives the cost is visible and editable.
Tile estimating software helps contractors turn construction plans into tile surface quantities — floors, shower walls, backsplashes, and full-height wet walls — with materials, setting materials, grout, prep, and installation labor, and then into a priced estimate and a client proposal. Vega is built around that workflow for tile contractors, general contractors, and estimators.
Yes. Vega reads room geometry, wet areas, and finish notes from PDF plans to identify the surfaces to be tiled — floor tile, shower walls, backsplashes, and full-height wet walls. The estimator reviews the resolved tile scope on the canvas and edits before pricing. This is an AI-assisted, estimator-controlled workflow — not a one-click automatic takeoff.
Yes. Floor tile is measured from room area for rooms flagged as tile floors. A bathroom floored in LVP by the Flooring trade does not get tile floor material — the ownership is explicit. Ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, and glass mosaic are all supported, with a tile waste factor applied to the finish tile quantity.
Yes. Shower and tub surround walls are measured from the wet-area geometry the plan provides. Shower complexity — niches, benches, curbs, and shelves — is added from explicit counts the estimator enters, never inferred from the geometry. A tiled shower ceiling and a mud bed or pan system are added when the scope calls for them.
Yes. Kitchen and wet-bar backsplashes are measured from the counter perimeter where the plan identifies the counter run — an 18" backsplash height. Backsplash scope is gated by a backsplash ownership setting: when Countertops owns the full-height backsplash, Tile does not price it, to avoid double-counting.
Yes. Full-height bathroom wall tile — running floor-to-ceiling — is measured from the bathroom perimeter × ceiling height. It is added only when the wet-area scope is set to full-height wet walls; with surrounds-only scope, only the shower walls are priced, not the whole bathroom.
Yes. Tile installation labor is driven by the actual tiled surface area, the material (ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, glass mosaic), the format, the pattern, and the shower complexity — priced at the crew's actual hourly rate. It is not a flat per-SF dollar. Straight is the 1.00× baseline; herringbone is 1.30×. Every labor assumption is editable.
Yes. Vega estimates cement backer board (wet and floor), surface waterproofing membrane, grout sealing, self-leveler, floor patch, mud bed, and shower pan systems. A waterproof board system (e.g. Kerdi-Board) suppresses backer + membrane and prices its own substrate. Mutually exclusive pairs — self-leveler vs. floor patch, mud bed vs. pan system — are enforced.
Yes. Vega supports straight, brick, diagonal, basketweave, and herringbone patterns. Pattern affects installation labor only — it does not increase material waste in the estimate. Straight is the 1.00× labor baseline; herringbone is 1.30×. The estimator picks the pattern from the plan notes or the survey.
Yes. When the customer supplies the finish tile, Vega removes the finish tile purchase while retaining the setting materials, grout, trim, prep, and all installation labor. The tiled surface area and the crew labor are unaffected — only the finish tile purchase is suppressed.
No. Tile removal, tear-out, and haul-off are handled in Vega's Demolition trade rather than duplicated inside the Tile estimate. Keeping removal in Demolition prevents the same tear-out from being billed in two trades. The Tile trade estimates new tile installation scope.
No. Tile material prices come from the estimator's item master — editable unit costs the estimator maintains — not live manufacturer pricing, real-time supplier feeds, or ZIP-code dealer quotes. Confirm prices in the estimate before relying on them.
Related resources
See how Vega turns PDF plans into tile surfaces, materials, patterns, prep, shower complexity, crew labor, and a reviewable estimate.