Got Questions?

Preconstruction
On every job, there is an initial planning phase known in the construction industry as “preconstruction”. This phase of the project serves to lay out the entire scope and timeline of a project for the construction team and the client.

Cloud-based
A term that refers to applications, services, or resources made available to users on demand via the Internet from a cloud computing provider’s servers.

Takeoff
A “takeoff” is the act of measuring construction plans to determine the material quantities needed for a job.

Estimate
An “estimate” comes together when you take the material quantities from your takeoff and add in pricing as well as other costs such as labor, overhead, and profit margin to finalize your bid.

Items
Items refer to individual materials with predefined measurement details (such as height, width, depth, etc.).

Assemblies
Assemblies refer to a collection of items, grouped together for a common purpose

Collaboration
    • STACK Invite – Invite can be used to distribute projects and their corresponding plan sheets for the purpose of allowing these 3rd parties to perform their own markups and measurements.
    • STACK Share – Sharing can be used to send read-only projects for the purpose of distributing already completed work for review or reference.
    • Markup Tools – Add markups such as text, highlights, clouds, plan legends, callouts, and more to your documents to provide clarity and communicate project needs.

API
An API, which stands for Application Programming Interface, is a set of requirements that govern how one application can communicate and interact with another. In other words, an API is a messenger that delivers your request to the provider that you’re requesting it from and then delivers the response back to you.

Bid Calendar
The bid calendar provides an easy way to navigate and organize all your projects in one place.

Autoname
A tool that names your plan sheets based on the naming mechanics in the bottom right corner of each page.

Autocount
A tool used to automatically count the quantity of a specific symbol on a plan sheet.

Text & Keyword Search
A tool that makes any plan page and file type uploaded into STACK, fully text-searchable! This is accomplished using OCR technology that enables us to convert different types of documents, such as scanned paper documents, PDF files, or images captured by a digital camera into editable and searchable data.

Takeoff Summary Reporting
A report showing the primary measurements, along with any secondary measurements.

Measurement by Takeoff Report
A report that shows each individual measurement for each takeoff.

Hyperlink
A link from a hypertext file or document to another location or file, typically activated by clicking on a highlighted word or image on the screen.

Planroom
A planroom is a “library” where construction professionals may view bidding documents (blueprints and specifications) for projects seeking price estimates for specific construction products or services.

Report Sync
To make it easier to get quantities out of STACK and into your own Excel workbook, there is a ‘Sync’ button to update your Excel sheet with the latest quantities.

Project Management
Project Management encompasses a set of objectives which may be accomplished by implementing a series of operations subject to resource constraints.

ROI
ROI, which stands for Return on Investment, is a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments.

Construction Professional
    • GC – A GC, or General Contractor, is a person or business entity that contracts to be in charge of a building project usually involving the use of subcontractors
    • Project Manager – Project Managers oversee all aspects of the building process, working closely with engineers and architects to develop plans, establish timetables, and determine labor and material costs. They are responsible for ensuring the project is completed on budget and within scope.
    • Estimator – An Estimator is an individual that quantifies the materials, labor, and equipment needed to complete a construction project.
    • Subcontractor – A Subcontractor is a person who is awarded a portion of an existing contract by a principal or general contractor. Subcontractor performs work under a contract with a general contractor, rather than the employer who hired the general contractor.
    • Supplier – A Supplier is an entity that supplies goods and services to another organization. A supplier is usually a manufacturer or a distributor.

Measurement Types
When creating a new takeoff, a measurement type must be selected from the drop-down menu. Measurement types indicate the unit of measure output (i.e. linear footage, square footage, cubic yardage, etc.)

On STACK’s blog, you can learn about upcoming events STACK will be attending, watch on-demand webinars, get details on software updates, read relevant construction industry articles, see how STACK compares to competitors, and learn about the latest company news and happenings.

Register for upcoming STACK webinars and watch on-demand recordings of past webinars.

Choosing the right takeoff & estimating software can be a difficult decision. There are numerous options to evaluate and each has their own unique features and benefits. Check out How We STACK Up to see how STACK compares to other popular software options.

Find the best takeoff & estimating software for your construction business. Get the Software Buyer Guide today!

Read recent STACK software release notes to learn about new features & improvements and bug fixes.