Multifamily takeoffs
Unit-by-unit and floor-by-floor quantities for apartment and townhome buildings, including corridor, balcony and core conditions.
SF · EA · LFArlington, TX
Construction estimating services in Arlington, TX
Scope Precision Estimate provides quantity takeoffs and construction estimates for Arlington contractors, developers and owners. We price your plans with ZIP-code-adjusted material and labor data, organized by CSI MasterFormat division in Excel and PDF with marked-up plan sets.
24–48 hours for most projectsTypical turnaround
Every CSI divisionSitework through MEP
Arlington ZIP pricingLocal material and labor
Price confirmed firstBefore any work starts
Census BPS · Arlington · 2025Real permit data
Arlington new housing permits2025
New housing units1,576Change vs. 2024−7%Permitted construction value$229MAverage value per unit$145,000Rank among covered Texas cities#11
Single-family: 532 (34%)Multifamily: 1,044 (66%)
U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025. Residential only.
What makes construction estimating in Arlington, TX different?
Arlington's bid market is driven by a multifamily-heavy permit mix, expansive clay soils across Tarrant County, large slab-on-grade foundations, summer heat that affects concrete curing and roofing schedules, and a competitive North Texas subcontractor pool. Each factor changes quantities, waste factors and unit pricing in your takeoff.
- Arlington permitted 1,576 new housing units in 2025, #11 among the Texas cities we cover.
- About 66% were in multifamily buildings; 34% were single-family.
- Permit volume was down 7% compared with 2024.
Arlington sits between Dallas and Fort Worth, and its permit activity reflects that position. In 2025 the city issued permits for 1,576 new privately-owned residential units, down about 7% from 1,703 in 2024. Multifamily accounted for 1,044 of those units, or 66% of the total, while single-family accounted for 532. The permitted value was $229M, an average of $145,000 per unit. That mix matters when you bid: apartment and townhome work carries different division-level scope, unit counts and waste factors than a subdivision of single-family homes.
We prepare takeoffs for that work from your drawings and specifications, using Bluebeam Revu, PlanSwift and RSMeans data adjusted to Arlington ZIP codes. Deliverables come in Excel and PDF, organized by CSI MasterFormat division, with marked-up plan sets so your team can trace every quantity back to the sheet. Turnaround is 24–48 hours for most projects, with rush available. If you are comparing pricing across the Metroplex, our Texas construction estimating page covers how we handle the state's major markets, and our Fort Worth construction estimating page covers the neighboring bid climate.
- Coverage
- Arlington and nearby Texas communities
- Deliverable
- Excel estimate + marked-up PDF plans
- Pricing basis
- Arlington 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 break out concrete, framing, roofing, MEP and sitework by division so you can see where your number is exposed before you submit.
02
For builders. You need a budget that survives buyout. We price Arlington material and labor with ZIP-code adjustment, flag scope gaps and give you a takeoff your superintendent can check against the plans.
03
For owners. You need a cost basis before you commit capital. We estimate from concept or permit sets and show the assumptions behind every line, so your pro forma reflects real quantities.
Arlington by the numbers
Arlington's residential construction pipeline
Select a bar to compare Arlington with the largest Texas markets we cover.
1,576New housing units, 2025
2.2%Of all units in the Texas cities we cover
$229MPermitted residential value
66%In multifamily buildings
New housing units permitted in 2025. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
This city
Arlington
1,576 new housing units in 2025 (-7.5% vs 2024).
532 single-family · 1,044 multifamily (66%).
Multifamily leads Arlington's residential permit volume
The 2025 permit data shows where the estimating demand is. Multifamily units were 66% of new residential permits, and the average permitted value per unit was $145,000. For a bidder, that means your pipeline is more likely to include apartment buildings, townhomes and mixed-use residential than a large single-family subdivision. Those projects carry repetitive unit takeoffs, but the repetition can hide variation: unit types, balcony and corridor conditions, elevator and stair cores, and roof drainage all change quantities between floors. We build takeoffs by unit type and floor, then extend to the building total, so your concrete, framing and MEP quantities hold up when the scope is negotiated. The city ranked 11th of 25 covered Texas cities by residential units and represented 2.2% of the state's 72,008 units, so Arlington is a steady market rather than a spike. For the statewide picture, see our Texas construction estimating page.
What the year-over-year change means for your bid
Permits fell about 7% from 2024 to 2025, from 1,703 units to 1,576. A softer permit year usually means more contractors chasing the same projects, and that shows up in bid leveling. When competition tightens, the estimate that wins is the one with the fewest unquantified assumptions. We help you separate what the drawings require from what you hope will not be needed: rock excavation in expansive clay, temporary shoring, offsite utility extensions, and the difference between a code-minimum and an enhanced envelope. If you are also tracking work in neighboring markets, our Plano construction estimating and Austin construction estimating pages describe how we adjust for those bid climates.
Services
Construction estimating services in Arlington, TX
We prepare takeoffs and estimates for the project types that drive Arlington's permit volume, from multifamily and commercial to residential and sitework.
Commercial estimating
Divisions 1–33 takeoffs for retail, office and light industrial projects, priced to Arlington ZIP codes with clear assumptions.
SF · EA · LSResidential estimating
Single-family and custom home takeoffs with slab, framing, roofing and finish quantities extended from the plan set.
SF · LF · EASitework estimating
Cut and fill, grading, paving, utilities and retaining quantities for sites with expansive clay and flat North Texas topography.
CY · SY · LFConcrete estimating
Slab-on-grade, foundations, elevated decks and paving, with formwork, reinforcement and finish schedules.
CY · SF · TONFoundation estimating
Post-tension slabs, drilled piers and grade beams sized for Tarrant County soil conditions and local engineering details.
CY · LF · EAMEP estimating
Plumbing, HVAC and electrical quantities by system and fixture count, coordinated with the architectural plan set.
LF · EA · TONRoofing estimating
Low-slope and steep-slope roof areas, flashing, insulation and drainage quantities for commercial and residential buildings.
SQ · LF · EAWho we provide estimates for
Who we prepare Arlington estimates for
General contractors
You are bidding multifamily and single-family work across Tarrant County against Dallas and Fort Worth competition, and you need division-level quantities you can defend in a bid review.
Multifamily developers
With 1,044 multifamily units permitted in Arlington in 2025, your pro forma depends on accurate unit counts, typical floor repetition and parking ratios before you close on land.
Subcontractors
You need takeoff quantities for concrete, framing, roofing or MEP scope so you can price your portion of a larger Arlington bid without carrying another trade's risk.
Homebuilders
Arlington issued 532 single-family permits in 2025, and your margins depend on accurate per-plan quantities for slab, framing, trusses and finishes repeated across lots.
Architects and engineers
You need a quantity check against your drawings before they go out to bid, and a marked-up plan set that shows exactly where each line item was measured.
Owners and facility managers
You need a cost basis for a renovation, addition or tenant improvement in Arlington before you commit capital, with assumptions documented line by line.
Where we provide estimates
Arlington areas and nearby communities we cover
We estimate projects throughout Arlington and the surrounding Metroplex, from infill sites near the entertainment district to subdivisions and industrial tracts along the city's edges. If your project is in Tarrant County or a neighboring city, we can price it.
Central and north Arlington
- Downtown Arlington
- Entertainment District
- Viridian
- Interlochen
- Dalworthington Gardens
South and east Arlington
- Southeast Arlington
- Kennedale
- Mansfield
- Grand Prairie
- Cedar Hill
Nearby cities we cover
Property types
Types of Arlington properties we estimate
Arlington's 2025 permit mix was 66% multifamily, so our takeoffs lean toward apartment and townhome work, but we also estimate the single-family, commercial and industrial projects that move through the city.
Multifamily apartments
Garden-style and podium apartments, typically three to five stories, with repeat unit plans. We take off per-unit and per-floor quantities for concrete, framing, MEP rough-in, drywall and finishes, and we separate common areas from rentable units.
Watch for: Unit mix changes, balcony and corridor scope, parking garage quantities.
Townhomes and rowhouses
Attached product with shared party walls and repetitive framing. We count shear wall lengths, truss or joist runs, and fire-rated assemblies per unit, then extend quantities across the building footprint.
Watch for: Party wall fire ratings, stair framing, per-unit MEP count.
Single-family homes
Production and custom homes on Arlington lots. We estimate slab or pier-and-beam foundations, wall and roof framing, and finish schedules from the plan set, with waste factors applied by material.
Watch for: Slab thickness, roof pitch, window and door schedules.
Retail and restaurant shells
Tenant-ready shells and build-outs along major corridors. We take off storefront glazing, structural steel or masonry walls, roof systems and MEP distribution, and we note what the landlord versus tenant scope includes.
Watch for: Landlord vs. tenant split, grease interceptor, hood and make-up air.
Light industrial and warehouse
Distribution and shop buildings with tilt-wall or metal panel envelopes. We measure slab area, panel square footage, steel tonnage and dock equipment counts, then organize the takeoff by CSI division.
Watch for: Slab flatness, dock counts, fire protection for high-piled storage.
Institutional and civic
Schools, churches and municipal buildings that require detailed finish schedules and MEP coordination. We break out specialty systems and verify quantities against the specification sections.
Watch for: Acoustical assemblies, specialty MEP, code-driven egress widths.
Local factors
What changes a construction estimate in Arlington
Arlington sits in a competitive Metroplex market where labor, soils and code requirements all move your number. These are the drivers we adjust for on every takeoff.
Permitting and code review
Arlington enforces the adopted editions of the International Building Code, International Residential Code and International Energy Code, along with local amendments. Plan review comments can change wall assemblies, egress widths and energy compliance paths after your bid. We estimate to the drawings you provide, then note where a code-driven allowance may be needed. Confirm the adopted code edition and any local amendments with the City of Arlington building department before you finalize your number.
IBC · IRC · IECC · City of Arlington building departmentSoils and foundation design
Much of Arlington sits on expansive clay soils that shrink and swell with moisture changes. Geotechnical reports often drive pier-and-beam or post-tensioned slab design, and the pier depth and spacing can swing concrete and rebar quantities significantly. We take off foundation quantities from the structural sheets and flag where a geotech recommendation may add scope. If the report is not available at bid time, we price a stated assumption and note it.
Expansive clay · post-tensioned slab · geotechnical report · pier depthClimate and storm exposure
North Texas sees high summer heat, hail and occasional high-wind events. Roof coverings, attic ventilation and HVAC sizing all respond to those conditions, and insurance requirements may push you toward impact-rated shingles or standing-seam metal. We take off roof area, underlayment and flashing by system, and we note where a hail-rated assembly changes the material cost. Wind uplift requirements can also affect framing connections and sheathing nailing.
Hail · high wind · impact-rated roofing · attic ventilationLabor market and wage pressure
Arlington competes for craft labor with Dallas, Fort Worth and the rest of the Metroplex, and wage rates move with the volume of multifamily and industrial work in the region. We price labor using RSMeans data adjusted to Arlington ZIP codes, then review the crew mix against your schedule. If your project needs overtime or a compressed schedule, that premium has to be added outside the base takeoff. Open-shop versus union labor also changes the burden.
RSMeans data · ZIP-code adjustment · crew mix · burdenSitework and drainage
Flat lots and clay soils mean grading, fill and storm drainage quantities are easy to underestimate. We take off cut and fill from the grading plan, measure storm pipe and inlets by linear foot and each, and separate erosion control from permanent improvements. Detention requirements can add pond excavation and outlet structures that are not obvious on the architectural sheets. Confirm the current drainage and detention criteria with the city before you lock the sitework number.
Cut and fill · storm pipe · detention pond · erosion controlMaterials and logistics
Arlington's location between Dallas and Fort Worth gives you good access to suppliers, but material pricing still moves with national demand and freight. We price material at current market levels and note where a commodity item like ready-mix or rebar may need a quote at buyout. Texas does not levy a state property tax on inventory, but sales tax treatment varies by contract type, so confirm the tax basis with your accountant. Freight and crane access on tight infill sites can add cost.
Ready-mix · rebar · sales tax · crane accessArlington estimating guide
How Arlington conditions show up in a takeoff, trade by trade
Arlington sits in Tarrant County on expansive clay soils, with a mix of infill commercial work, multifamily, and single-family subdivisions. Each trade carries its own quantity traps here.
Sitework and earthwork
Arlington's blackland clay shrinks and swells with moisture, so a sitework takeoff has to separate stripping, cut, fill, and unsuitable material. On a typical pad, you are pricing 6 to 8 inches of topsoil strip, then lime-stabilized subgrade at 6 to 8 percent by dry weight, then select fill in 8-inch lifts. Trench excavation for storm laterals and utility runs gets measured by linear foot with a depth band, not a lump sum. Mass grading quantities swing hard when the geotech report calls for over-excavation below footings. We measure from the grading plan and cross-check against the earthwork balance sheet. See our sitework estimating services for how we break these out.
Framing and structural
Wood-framed multifamily and single-family dominate Arlington's residential permits, and framing takeoffs live or die on wall height, plate count, and opening schedules. We measure wall area by linear foot times height, deduct openings over 10 square feet, and add for headers, blocking, and shear panels. Engineered floor systems get counted by joist, rim, and hanger. Wind bracing and continuous load path hardware are easy to miss on a first pass. For light commercial, you are pricing bar joists, metal deck, and structural steel by weight. Our framing estimating services break these into material and labor lines.
MEP systems
Texas mechanical code and local amendments drive equipment sizing, and Arlington's hot summers push HVAC tonnage and duct insulation values up. A mechanical takeoff counts diffusers, returns, flex and hard duct by linear foot and size, and equipment by tonnage and SEER. Plumbing gets counted by fixture, then by pipe size and material for supply, drain, waste, and vent. Electrical is measured by device, fixture, panel, and homerun, with conduit and wire by linear foot. Fire sprinkler work follows NFPA 13 and is priced by head count and pipe size. Our MEP estimating services page lists the input we need to start.
Concrete and foundations
Post-tension slabs are the default on Arlington residential and light commercial work because of the clay. A takeoff needs the slab area, beam depth and spacing, edge forms, and the number of piers where the design calls for them. You also price vapor barrier, sand cushion, and reinforcement by weight, not by sheet count. Flatwork — driveways, sidewalks, dumpster pads — is measured by square foot with thickness called out separately, since 4-inch and 6-inch flatwork price differently. We carry formwork by contact area and concrete by cubic yard with a typical 5 to 10 percent waste factor. Our concrete estimating services page shows the line-item structure we use.
Roofing and envelope
Arlington gets hail, high wind, and summer heat, so roofing scopes need to state the wind uplift class and underlayment, not just the shingle. We measure roof area by slope plane, add ridge, hip, valley, and eave lengths, and price starter, drip edge, and ridge vent by linear foot. On commercial low-slope, you are counting squares of membrane, insulation thickness, cover board, and flashing details at curbs and penetrations. Roof drains, scuppers, and overflow scuppers are separate line items. Our roofing estimating services page covers both steep-slope and low-slope formats.
Scope gaps we see on Arlington bids
- Lime stabilization and over-excavation shown on the geotech report but not carried in the sitework or foundation bid.
- Post-tension slab reinforcing priced by sheet count instead of by weight and tendon length.
- Wind uplift rating and underlayment specified on the roof plan but omitted from the roofing scope.
- Fire sprinkler heads and pipe sized to NFPA 13 but no allowance for the riser room or backflow assembly.
- Final grading, sod, and erosion control left out because they appear on the civil plan, not the architectural set.
- Temporary power, dewatering, and dust control assumed to be someone else's line item.
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 Arlington project
- Read the full setArchitectural, structural, civil and MEP drawings, the geotechnical report and every addendum.
- Check Arlington 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 ArlingtonMaterial 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: Arlington multifamily podium slab and foundations
| Section | Line item | Qty | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 30 00 | Cast-in-place concrete, slab on grade | 1,850 | CY |
| 03 20 00 | Reinforcing steel, grade 60 | 168,000 | LB |
| 03 10 00 | Formwork, edge and beam sides | 4,200 | SF |
| 31 23 16 | Trench excavation for footings | 2,640 | LF |
| 31 23 23 | Select fill, 8-inch lifts | 920 | CY |
| 31 23 23 | Lime stabilization, 6 percent | 18,500 | SF |
| 07 26 00 | Vapor barrier, 10 mil | 22,400 | SF |
| 03 35 00 | Concrete finish, trowel and cure | 22,400 | SF |
Worked example: post-tension slab for an Arlington multifamily building
This example uses illustrative dimensions for a single-story, 80-foot by 120-foot building pad. The goal is to show how a slab takeoff moves from plan dimensions to priced quantities. Confirm the actual slab thickness, beam depth, and reinforcing design with the structural drawings and the geotech report before you bid.
Start with the slab area. An 80-foot by 120-foot rectangle is 9,600 square feet. Add a 2-foot perimeter overhang for formwork and edge conditions, which brings the gross area to about 9,984 square feet. At a 5-inch slab thickness, the concrete volume is 9,984 square feet times 0.4167 feet, or about 4,160 cubic feet. Divide by 27 to get cubic yards: about 154 CY for the field slab alone.
Next, the beams. Assume a 16-inch wide by 24-inch deep interior beam grid at 20 feet on center in both directions. That gives four beams in one direction and six in the other. Total beam length is roughly 4 times 120 feet plus 6 times 80 feet, or 960 linear feet. Beam volume is 960 feet times 1.333 feet times 2 feet, or 2,560 cubic feet, about 95 CY.
Add the edge beam. The perimeter is 400 feet. At 12 inches wide by 24 inches deep, that is 400 times 1 times 2, or 800 cubic feet, about 30 CY.
Total concrete is 154 plus 95 plus 30, or 279 CY. Apply a typical 5 percent waste factor for slab work: 279 times 1.05 equals about 293 CY to order.
| Step | Calculation | Result | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slab area | 80 ft x 120 ft | 9,600 | SF |
| Gross area with overhang | 9,600 + perimeter overhang | 9,984 | SF |
| Field slab volume | 9,984 SF x 0.4167 ft | 4,160 | CF |
| Field slab in CY | 4,160 / 27 | 154 | CY |
| Interior beam volume | 960 LF x 1.333 ft x 2 ft | 2,560 | CF |
| Interior beams in CY | 2,560 / 27 | 95 | CY |
| Edge beam volume | 400 LF x 1 ft x 2 ft | 800 | CF |
| Edge beam in CY | 800 / 27 | 30 | CY |
| Total with 5 percent waste | (154 + 95 + 30) x 1.05 | 293 | CY |
Reinforcing and post-tension tendons are counted separately by weight and by tendon length, and vapor barrier is taken off at the gross area under the slab. If the geotech report calls for over-excavation, that volume gets added to the earthwork section, not buried in the concrete line.
FAQ
Arlington construction estimating questions
What does Arlington's permit data say about current construction volume?
The U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey reports 1,576 new privately-owned residential units permitted in Arlington in 2025, down about 7 percent from 1,703 in 2024. Single-family units totaled 532, and multifamily totaled 1,044, or 66 percent of the total. Permitted value was $229 million, averaging $145,000 per unit. That mix matters for takeoff: multifamily work carries more repetitive unit-by-unit quantities, while single-family work is more sensitive to site-specific foundation and flatwork scope.
How do Arlington's clay soils change a foundation takeoff?
Expansive clay moves with moisture, so most Arlington foundations are post-tension slabs or drilled piers rather than simple spread footings. A takeoff has to include beam depth and spacing, tendon count and length, edge forms, and vapor barrier. If the geotech report calls for lime stabilization or over-excavation, that volume belongs in the earthwork section. We measure these items separately so you can see the cost driver instead of one blended number.
Do you price Arlington work with local labor and material rates?
Yes. We use ZIP-code-adjusted material and labor pricing with RSMeans data as the base, then check against current supplier quotes and subcontractor feedback for the Tarrant County market. That matters on concrete, framing lumber, and mechanical equipment, where DFW pricing can differ from national averages. If you have recent quotes from your own suppliers, send them and we will use them as the basis for the estimate.
What turnaround do you offer for an Arlington bid?
Most Arlington projects are returned in 24 to 48 hours, with rush turnaround available when your bid date is close. Turnaround depends on the completeness of the plan set, the number of sheets, and whether we need to wait on a geotech report or structural addendum. Send the full set including civil, architectural, structural, and MEP so we can price the whole scope in one pass.
What formats do you deliver takeoffs in?
We deliver Excel and PDF, organized by CSI MasterFormat division, with marked-up plan sets showing what we measured and where. The Excel file carries line items, quantities, units, and unit costs so you can adjust waste factors or swap pricing. The marked-up PDF lets your project manager or superintendent see the same measurements we used. Both are included in the same delivery.
How do you handle Arlington multifamily projects with repetitive units?
We build a typical unit takeoff once, then multiply by unit count and add the common areas, corridor, lobby, and amenity spaces separately. That keeps the unit pricing clean and makes it easy to see how a change in one unit type affects the total. For a 66 percent multifamily market like Arlington, this approach also helps you compare bids across buildings on the same site. See our multi-family estimating services for the full scope list.
Can you estimate the sitework and drainage scope for an Arlington project?
Yes. We take off stripping, cut, fill, lime stabilization, trench excavation, storm pipe by size and material, inlets, headwalls, and erosion control by linear foot or each. Drainage design in Arlington is reviewed by the city and often by the county, so the approved civil set is the basis. If the geotech report changes the over-excavation depth, we revise the earthwork quantities and show the delta.
Do you cover nearby cities for Arlington-area contractors?
Yes. We cover Fort Worth, Plano, Austin, El Paso, Corpus Christi, and Laredo, along with the rest of Texas. Many Arlington contractors bid work across the DFW metroplex, so we keep the same delivery format and pricing basis from city to city. If your project is in a suburb not listed, send the address and we will confirm coverage before we start.
What do you need from me to start an Arlington estimate?
Send the complete plan set, specifications, geotech report if available, and your bid date. If you have a scope sheet or a subcontractor list you are working from, include that too. We will confirm receipt, flag any missing sheets, and give you a delivery date. The more complete the set, the fewer assumptions we have to carry in the estimate.
Where does the Arlington permit data on this page come from?
The permit figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey for 2025. The survey counts permits issued by the city itself for new privately-owned residential units only. It does not include commercial, industrial, or renovation permits, and it does not capture unpermitted work. Use it as a directional signal for residential volume, and confirm current activity with the city's planning and development office for your specific project.
Other Texas cities we cover
Popular services in Arlington
Send your Arlington project plans for a quote
Email your plan set and bid date, and we will return a division-organized takeoff 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.