Multifamily takeoff
Unit-type breakdowns, podium and garage quantities, and fire-rated assembly counts for Long Beach infill projects.
SF · EA · LFLong Beach, CA
Construction estimating services in Long Beach, CA
We produce quantity takeoffs and construction estimates for Long Beach projects — multifamily, commercial, industrial and residential. Pricing is ZIP-code-adjusted for the local market, and most estimates return in 24–48 hours as CSI-organized Excel and PDF with marked-up plan sets.
24–48 hours for most projectsTypical turnaround
Every CSI divisionSitework through MEP
Long Beach ZIP pricingLocal material and labor
Price confirmed firstBefore any work starts
Census BPS · Long Beach · 2025Real permit data
Long Beach new housing permits2025
New housing units513Change vs. 2024+8%Permitted construction value$72MAverage value per unit$141,000Rank among covered California cities#12
Single-family: 167 (33%)Multifamily: 346 (67%)
U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025. Residential only.
What makes construction estimating in Long Beach, CA different?
Long Beach pricing is driven by port-adjacent logistics and industrial work, dense multifamily infill, coastal marine air and high groundwater near the harbor, Caltrans and port authority staging requirements, and Los Angeles County permitting review. Each one changes labor, material, and equipment costs, so a takeoff priced off a generic state average will miss the real number.
- Long Beach permitted 513 new housing units in 2025, #12 among the California cities we cover.
- About 67% were in multifamily buildings; 33% were single-family.
- Permit volume was up 8% compared with 2024.
Long Beach sits in Los Angeles County at the south end of the Harbor Freeway, with the Port of Long Beach, the Alamitos Bay and Naples canals, and dense corridors along Long Beach Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. That mix produces three recurring estimate types: multifamily infill on tight lots, commercial tenant improvements and shell work, and industrial and logistics projects tied to the port. Each has its own scope gaps, and each prices differently than the same square footage in the Inland Empire.
We build takeoffs from the documents you send, organized by CSI MasterFormat division, with quantities you can check line by line. Material and labor pricing is adjusted by ZIP code, so Long Beach rates are not the same as a statewide average. If you are bidding a project in the region, start with our California construction estimating services overview, then send the plan set through the estimate request page. We also cover Anaheim and San Francisco when your bid package spans multiple markets.
- Coverage
- Long Beach and nearby California communities
- Deliverable
- Excel estimate + marked-up PDF plans
- Pricing basis
- Long Beach ZIP-code material and labor costs
- Turnaround
- 24–48 hours for most projects
- Software
- Bluebeam Revu, PlanSwift, RSMeans data
01
For bidders. You need quantities you can defend in a bid review. We return CSI-organized takeoffs with marked-up plan sets so your chief estimator can trace every line back to the sheet it came from before the bid goes in.
02
For builders. You need a budget that holds through buyout. We break scope by division and trade, flag alternates and unit-price items, and price material and labor with ZIP-adjusted rates for the Long Beach area rather than a national average.
03
For owners. You need a cost baseline before design is frozen. We provide order-of-magnitude and schematic-level estimates with clear assumptions, so you can compare schemes and see which scope items move the number most.
Long Beach by the numbers
Long Beach's residential construction pipeline
Select a bar to compare Long Beach with the largest California markets we cover.
513New housing units, 2025
1.4%Of all units in the California cities we cover
$72MPermitted residential value
67%In multifamily buildings
New housing units permitted in 2025. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
This city
Long Beach
513 new housing units in 2025 (+7.5% vs 2024).
167 single-family · 346 multifamily (67%).
What the 2025 permit numbers say about Long Beach bid volume
Long Beach issued 513 new privately-owned residential units in 2025, up 8% from 477 in 2024, with 346 of those units multifamily — 67% of the total. Permitted value came to $72M, or $141,000 per unit on average. For a bidder, that mix matters more than the total: two-thirds of the volume is attached housing, which means repetitive unit takeoffs, shared podiums and garages, and a scope that lives or dies on framing, MEP rough-in, and fire-rated assemblies. The city ranked 12th of 25 covered state cities by units and accounted for 1.4% of the 36,591 units permitted across those cities. If your backlog is multifamily, the takeoff discipline that pays here is unit-type breakdown rather than a single gross square foot number.
Where the rest of the work comes from
Single-family permits were 167 units, so custom and infill residential work continues alongside the attached housing. The larger dollar volume in Long Beach, though, sits in commercial, industrial, and port-adjacent projects that do not show up in residential permit counts at all — warehouse and logistics improvements, tenant fit-outs, marine and waterfront structures, and public infrastructure. Those scopes bring their own estimating problems: pile and shoring quantities near the harbor, corrosion-resistant coatings for marine air, and staging constraints that add equipment hours. If your work is on that side, our commercial estimating services and industrial estimating services pages describe the divisions and deliverables we cover. For regional context, see the California construction estimating services page.
Services
Construction estimating services in Long Beach
These are the takeoff and estimating packages we build most often for Long Beach and Los Angeles County projects. Send the plan set and we will confirm the divisions and deliverables before we start.
Commercial estimating
Shell, core, and tenant improvement estimates for retail, office, and hospitality along the Long Beach corridors.
SF · EAIndustrial and port
Warehouse, yard, and logistics scopes with marine-grade coatings and staging assumptions priced in.
SF · TON · LFSitework estimating
Grading, excavation, haul-off, and utility trenching quantities for tight urban lots and harbor-adjacent sites.
CY · LF · TONConcrete estimating
Formwork, rebar, and concrete volumes for foundations, slabs, and podium decks, including high-groundwater conditions.
CY · TON · SFFraming estimating
Wood and light-gauge framing counts by floor and unit type, with waste factors typical for the trade.
LF · EA · SFMEP estimating
Plumbing, HVAC, and electrical rough-in quantities for multifamily and commercial scopes, by system and floor.
LF · EA · TONRoofing estimating
Roof area, membrane, flashing, and insulation quantities for flat and low-slope Long Beach roofs.
SF · LF · EAWho we provide estimates for
Who we estimate for in Long Beach
General contractors
You are bidding multifamily infill and port-area shell work against contractors who already know the local trade pricing. We give you division-by-division quantities and ZIP-adjusted rates so your bid holds through buyout.
Subcontractors
You need your scope isolated from everyone else's before you sign a bid. We take off your division only, mark the sheets, and flag the items other trades usually assume you are carrying.
Developers
You are comparing schemes on tight Long Beach lots where parking, podium structure and utility relocation swing the number. We price each option at the same level so the comparison is real.
Architects
Your drawings go out for bid and come back with wildly different numbers. A quantity check before bid day shows which scope items are driving the spread and where the details are thin.
Owners and asset managers
You are budgeting tenant improvements and capital repairs on older Long Beach buildings. We break the work by division so you can phase it and see which items can wait a budget cycle.
Property and facility managers
Roof, mechanical and site repairs on occupied buildings need a defensible scope before you solicit quotes. We quantify the work from your drawings and photos so every bidder prices the same thing.
Where we provide estimates
Long Beach areas and nearby communities we cover
We estimate projects across Long Beach and the surrounding Los Angeles County and Orange County markets. If your project is in one of these areas, send the plan set and we will price it with the right ZIP-adjusted rates.
Downtown and central Long Beach
- Downtown Long Beach
- East Village
- Willmore City
- Alamitos Beach
- Bluff Heights
- Cambodia Town
- Traffic Circle
Waterfront, port and industrial
- Port of Long Beach
- Pier H
- West Long Beach
- Wrigley
- Long Beach Airport area
- Douglas Park
East side and coastal
- Belmont Shore
- Naples
- Alamitos Bay
- Marina Pacifica
- College Park Estates
- Los Altos
Nearby cities we cover
Property types
Types of Long Beach properties we estimate
Long Beach permitted 513 new privately-owned residential units in 2025, with 346 of them multifamily and 167 single family. That mix shows up in our work: podium apartments on tight infill lots, small-lot single family, and the commercial and industrial space that serves the port.
Multifamily infill
Podium and wrap apartments on small lots near Downtown and Alamitos Beach, usually Type III or Type V over one or two levels of parking. We take off the full structure, envelope and MEP scope and separate the parking levels so you can see where the cost sits.
Watch for: Podium transfer slabs, unit-mix repetition, balcony waterproofing
Single-family and ADUs
New houses and accessory dwelling units on narrow lots in College Park Estates, Los Altos and Wrigley. Detached ADUs behind existing houses bring their own utility runs, and we quantify trenching, panel upgrades and meter work as separate line items.
Watch for: Panel capacity, sewer lateral size, alley access for concrete
Commercial tenant improvements
Restaurant, retail and office build-outs along Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach Boulevard and in Downtown. We price demising walls, storefront, kitchen exhaust and grease interceptor work, and separate landlord shell items from tenant scope.
Watch for: Exhaust shaft routing, ADA restroom upgrades, sprinkler relocation
Industrial and logistics
Warehouse, cold storage and yard work tied to the port and Douglas Park. High clear heights, heavy slab-on-grade, dock equipment and truck courts drive the estimate, and we take off site concrete separately from building scope.
Watch for: Slab flatness, dock levelers, truck court pavement section
Hospitality and mixed use
Hotels and ground-floor retail with residential above near the convention center and waterfront. Vertical separation between uses changes the structural and MEP scope, so we break the takeoff by floor and by use type.
Watch for: Sound transmission details, rooftop equipment screening, grease risers
Seismic and capital repairs
Soft-story retrofits, facade repair and mechanical replacement on older masonry and wood-frame buildings. The scope is small but the access and shoring costs are not, so we quantify them explicitly instead of burying them in general conditions.
Watch for: Shoring, tenant relocation, hazardous material testing
Local factors
What changes a construction estimate in Long Beach
Long Beach pricing is not a statewide average with a multiplier applied. These are the six items that move a number here, and each one shows up as a separate line in our takeoffs.
Permitting and plan check
The city runs its own plan check and inspection process, and coastal and port-area projects can trigger additional review. Fees and review cycles affect your carrying cost and general conditions more than they affect hard construction cost, so we carry them as a separate line rather than spreading them across the trades. Confirm the adopted code edition and current fee schedule with the Long Beach building department before you finalize a bid.
City of Long Beach building department · California Building Standards Code · Coastal development reviewSoils and foundations
Parts of the city sit on former marsh, filled ground and old oil-field areas, and the water table is shallow near the bay and canals. That pushes foundations toward deep piles, mat slabs or over-excavation with engineered fill, and it changes the concrete and sitework quantities substantially. We take off foundation scope from the geotechnical report and structural drawings together, not from the architectural sheets alone.
Geotechnical report · Deep pile foundations · Dewatering · Concrete Estimating ServicesCoastal climate and salt air
Marine air accelerates corrosion on exposed steel, fasteners and rooftop equipment, and the coastal zone adds wind and moisture detailing that inland projects do not carry. We specify and price the coating systems, stainless fasteners and membrane details the drawings call for, and flag where the specifications are silent. Roofing scope near the water often needs a heavier assembly than the same building in the Inland Empire.
Coastal zone · Corrosion-resistant coatings · Roofing Estimating ServicesLabor market and trade availability
Los Angeles County labor rates sit above national averages, and the trades that matter most here, concrete, structural steel and mechanical, are the ones with the tightest crews. Overtime, shift work and small-crew mobilization on occupied or tight sites all add cost. We price labor by ZIP code and note where the scope implies premium time.
Los Angeles County wage rates · Trade crew availability · RSMeans dataTight sites, parking and drainage
Infill lots in Downtown, Alamitos Beach and Belmont Shore leave little room for staging, spoil or crane access, and low-lying parcels need on-site retention or pump systems. These constraints show up as shoring, haul-off, temporary power and stormwater quantities, and they are easy to miss when you price from square footage. We quantify them from the site plan and the civil sheets.
Sitework Estimating Services · Stormwater retention · Shoring · Haul-offMaterial logistics and port-area delivery
Most material reaches Long Beach by truck, and port-area congestion, street closures and limited laydown time affect delivery windows and handling. Long-lead items like switchgear, elevators and rooftop units can shift the schedule and the general conditions. We list long-lead items in the takeoff so your buyout schedule reflects them.
Port of Long Beach · Long-lead equipment · MEP Estimating Services · Delivery windowsLong Beach estimating guide
How Long Beach conditions show up in a takeoff, trade by trade
Long Beach sits on the Los Angeles County coastal plain, where harbor-area soils, salt-laden air, and dense infill lots change what a takeoff has to carry. Below are the line items that move most when we price work here.
Sitework and demolition
Most Long Beach jobs start with demolition of a pre-1950s structure and haul-off through narrow residential streets. We take off asbestos and lead abatement as a separate line item with its own disposal, because older bungalows and craft-style homes near Bluff Park and Belmont Shore rarely clear without it. Export quantities are computed from cut depths against existing grade, then adjusted for the high groundwater table in the harbor flats. Shoring, dust control, and street-use permits are carried as allowances. For a full breakout, see our sitework estimating services.
Framing and structural steel
Wood-frame over podium is the dominant multifamily type along Long Beach Boulevard and in the East Village, and it drives a mixed takeoff: dimensional lumber by board foot, engineered joists by piece, plywood by sheet, and cold-formed steel by gauge and linear foot. We separate shear-wall hold-downs and anchor bolt templates, which are commonly missed when the structural sheets are issued as addenda. Framing estimating services lists the standard line items we carry, and multi-family estimating services covers the podium and unit-mix side.
MEP and vertical systems
Long Beach projects under the state energy code carry heat pump systems, high-efficacy lighting, and tighter envelope values, which changes equipment counts and duct sizing on the mechanical side. We take off plumbing fixtures by count, domestic and fire lines by linear foot and diameter, and electrical devices by count with conduit and conductor by run. Title 24 documentation and the local fire authority review for sprinkler and standpipe work are noted as separate submittal items. MEP estimating services shows how we organize divisions 21 through 28.
Concrete and foundations
Long Beach has pockets of expansive clay and undocumented fill, and the harbor district has shallow groundwater. We take off spread footings, mat slabs, and post-tensioned slabs on grade by cubic yard, with rebar by ton and vapor barrier by square foot. Where a geotech report calls for over-excavation and recompaction, that import/export cycle is its own line. Concrete estimating services covers the full division 03 breakout, including formwork by contact area and pump charges for pours that cannot reach from the street.
Roofing and waterproofing
Salt air and marine layer humidity shorten the service life of fasteners and flashings within a few miles of the water, so we spec hot-dipped galvanized or stainless where the drawings allow. Takeoffs run flat modified bitumen and TPO by square, tile and low-slope shingle by square, with underlayment, battens, and ridge vent by linear foot. Balcony and deck waterproofing is a separate assembly with its own membrane, drain, and flashing line items. Roofing estimating services has the division 07 format we deliver.
Scope gaps we see on Long Beach bids
- Asbestos and lead abatement on pre-1950s structures, including disposal fees and air monitoring, left out of the demolition line.
- Over-excavation and recompaction triggered by the geotech report but not shown on the civil sheets, carried by nobody.
- Balcony and deck waterproofing membranes, drains, and flashings split between the roofer and the waterproofing sub.
- Shear-wall hold-downs, anchor bolt templates, and post-installed anchors missing when structural addenda are issued late.
- Street-use, lane-closure, and construction parking permits on tight infill lots, treated as an owner cost instead of a line item.
- Temporary power, dewatering, and dust control on harbor-area sites with shallow groundwater, omitted from general conditions.
Free tool
Concrete volume calculator
Quick check for a single element. For a full drawing set, send the plans and we measure everything, including the items calculators miss.
Typical waste: 3–5% for slabs, 5–10% for footings and walls. Truck count assumes 10 CY loads; confirm load size with your ready-mix supplier.
Result
19.4CY
Net volume18.5 CY
Cubic feet500 CF
Ready-mix trucks (10 CY)2
80 lb bags (premix)875
Need the full takeoff with pricing? Upload your plans.
How it works
How we estimate a Long Beach project
- Read the full setArchitectural, structural, civil and MEP drawings, the geotechnical report and every addendum.
- Check Long Beach conditionsLocal code edition, site and drainage requirements, soils and any hazard rules are confirmed before the takeoff starts.
- Take off by CSI sectionQuantities measured and color-coded on the plans, so every number traces to a sheet.
- Price to Long BeachMaterial and labor costs adjusted to the project ZIP code, or to your own supplier quotes and crew rates.
- Check and deliverA second estimator checks quantities before the estimate goes out.
Sample output
Sample takeoff: wood-frame over podium multifamily, Long Beach
| Section | Line item | Qty | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 30 00 | Podium slab, 8 in. PT, 3500 psi | 148 | CY |
| 03 20 00 | Rebar, #4 through #7, incl. 5% lap | 21.4 | TON |
| 05 12 00 | Structural steel, podium columns | 6.8 | TON |
| 06 10 00 | Dimensional lumber, 2x framing | 18,400 | BF |
| 06 17 00 | Engineered floor joists, I-joist | 412 | PC |
| 07 54 00 | TPO roof membrane, 60 mil | 186 | SQ |
| 09 30 00 | Unit tile, kitchen and bath | 3,240 | SF |
| 22 10 00 | Plumbing fixtures, per unit | 96 | EA |
Worked example: podium slab concrete for a Long Beach multifamily
This example sizes a post-tensioned podium slab for a wood-frame apartment building over a concrete base, the type common along Long Beach Boulevard and in the East Village. Dimensions are illustrative.
The podium footprint is 120 ft by 90 ft, and the slab is 8 in. thick. Net area after deducting two stair openings of 120 sq ft each:
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Gross area | 120 ft × 90 ft | 10,800 SF |
| Deduct stair openings | 10,800 SF − (2 × 120 SF) | 10,560 SF |
| Volume at 8 in. | 10,560 SF × (8 ÷ 12) ft | 7,040 CF |
| Convert to cubic yards | 7,040 CF ÷ 27 | 260.7 CY |
| Add 5% waste and pump loss | 260.7 CY × 1.05 | 273.7 CY |
Rebar and PT strand are taken off separately. Assume #5 at 12 in. each way for the mild steel mat, top and bottom. Bar length per direction: 10,560 SF ÷ 1 ft spacing ≈ 10,560 LF per layer, doubled for two mats, then multiplied by 1.03 for laps and 1.041 lb/LF for #5 bar:
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Bar length, one layer | 10,560 SF ÷ 1 ft | 10,560 LF |
| Two mats | 10,560 LF × 2 | 21,120 LF |
| With 3% laps | 21,120 LF × 1.03 | 21,754 LF |
| Weight at 1.041 lb/LF | 21,754 LF × 1.041 | 22,646 LB |
| Convert to tons | 22,646 LB ÷ 2,000 | 11.3 TON |
Formwork is measured by contact area on the slab edge and any stepped edges, not by slab area. Pump and boom charges depend on whether a truck can reach the pour from the street, which is often the deciding constraint on tight Long Beach lots. Vapor barrier runs at the full 10,560 SF plus 10% lap. All quantities here are illustrative; take the actual thickness, bar size, and spacing from the structural sheets before you price.
FAQ
Long Beach construction estimating questions
Where does the permit data on this page come from?
The figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, which counts new privately-owned residential units permitted by the City of Long Beach. In 2025 the city issued 513 units, up from 477 in 2024, with 167 single-family and 346 multifamily units. The survey does not capture commercial, industrial, or tenant-improvement permits, so treat it as a residential activity indicator rather than a full picture of Long Beach construction.
How does Long Beach's multifamily share affect an estimate?
At 67% of permitted residential units, multifamily drives the takeoff. That means more podium and Type III over Type I construction, more unit-mix repetition, and more shared MEP risers. We organize the estimate by building type and by typical unit plan, then extend quantities across the unit count. Repetition lowers the per-unit labor, but the podium, elevator, and common-area work still carries full cost.
Do you price work in the harbor and port-area industrial buildings?
Yes. Warehouse, transload, and light industrial work near the Port of Long Beach is priced through our industrial estimating services. Those takeoffs lean on slab-on-grade square footage, tilt-up or CMU wall area, dock equipment, and fire protection. Confirm the adopted code edition and any port-specific requirements with the local building department and the harbor department before you lock the scope.
What soil conditions should I flag before pricing foundations?
Long Beach has areas of expansive clay, undocumented fill, and shallow groundwater near the harbor. A geotech report may require over-excavation, recompaction, or a deep foundation system, and none of that appears on the architectural sheets. Send the soils report with the plans so we can carry the earthwork and foundation line items correctly. Foundation estimating services covers the division 31 and 03 breakout.
How does the coastal climate change material pricing?
Salt air and marine humidity accelerate corrosion on fasteners, flashings, and exterior metals within a few miles of the water. Where the drawings allow, we price hot-dipped galvanized or stainless anchors, clips, and roof accessories. We also carry elastomeric or fluid-applied membranes at balconies and decks, since those assemblies take more weather here. The specific product is set by the specification, so read the finish schedule before you substitute.
Can you estimate a residential remodel or addition?
Yes. Additions, ADUs, and gut remodels in established neighborhoods are priced through residential estimating services. The takeoff usually includes selective demolition, new framing tied into existing structure, upgraded electrical service, and Title 24 envelope measures. Older homes may need abatement and structural upgrades once walls open, so we carry those as allowances and note them clearly in the estimate.
What do you need from me to start a Long Beach takeoff?
Send the full plan set, including architectural, structural, civil, and MEP sheets, plus the geotech report and any addenda. A specification book and finish schedule help us price the correct assemblies. If you only have a partial set, tell us the scope you want priced and we will note the exclusions. Use the get an estimate page to upload files and tell us your bid date.
How fast is turnaround, and what format do I get?
Most Long Beach projects return in 24 to 48 hours, with rush available when your bid date is tight. Deliverables are Excel and PDF organized by CSI MasterFormat division, with marked-up plan sets showing what we measured. Our pricing uses ZIP-code-adjusted material and labor data, so Long Beach labor and material rates are reflected rather than a national average.
Do you cover projects in nearby cities?
Yes. We cover Long Beach and the surrounding Los Angeles County and Southern California markets, including Anaheim and the broader region. We also price work in Northern California cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Fresno, and Bakersfield. The California construction estimating page lists the full coverage area and how we adjust pricing by ZIP code.
How do you handle prevailing wage or public work in Long Beach?
Public and prevailing-wage projects need a separate labor build-up, because the wage determination replaces the open-shop rate in our standard database. Tell us the project type and the applicable determination at the start. We also carry certified payroll, apprenticeship, and DBE participation as general conditions line items when the contract requires them. Confirm the current determination with the awarding agency.
Other California cities we cover
Popular services in Long Beach
Send your Long Beach project plans for a quote
Upload your plan set and geotech report, and we will return a division-organized takeoff with marked-up drawings in 24 to 48 hours.
- We review the set and check for missing sheets or addenda.
- You get a quote with a price and a delivery date.
- You approve and we start the takeoff.
- You receive the Excel estimate and marked-up plans.