AutoMate AI for Takeoffs

With Houzz Pro Takeoffs, you can now use our AI assistant to quickly measure area, lengths, counts and more. By automating the takeoff creation process, you can eliminate manual errors, save time, and keep projects moving forward.

How it Works

When you upload a set of plans to Houzz Pro, our system will scan the pages and, when possible, offer you the ability to use AutoMate to speed up the takeoff process. While not all plans qualify for AutoMate (simplified floor plans and elevations only at this time), you can turn on the AutoMate toggle at the top of your takeoff to see which pages are eligible.

Eligible pages will be highlighted with a purple outline and icon in the left rail, as shown below. To see all AI-eligible pages at once, click on the AutoMate filter icon under the search bar in the left rail.

Use AutoMate AI for Area

AutoMate AI for Area can be used for both floor plans and elevations.

For Floor Plans: Click on the polygon icon in your toolbar, then select which group you want to add the measurements to. Hover over the area you want to measure on your plan — AutoMate will automatically detect the space. Click once to confirm and add it to the Measurements Drawer.

If you want to make changes to the automated area measurement, select the Move icon in the toolbar, then click on the area you wish to manually adjust. This will show you all of the points used to plot the measurement, which you can click on and move.

For Elevations: If you would like to use AutoMate AI for an elevation, the process is the same. Click on the polygon icon in your toolbar, then select which group you want to add the measurements to. Hover over the area you want to measure on your plan — AutoMate will automatically detect the space. Click once to confirm and add it to the Measurements Drawer.

If you want to make changes to the automated area measurement, select the Move icon in the toolbar, then click on the area you wish to manually adjust. This will show you all of the points used to plot the measurement, which you can click on and move.

Use AutoMate AI for Length

Click on the length icon in your toolbar, then select which group you want to add the measurements to. In the Separation Type dropdown, you can define how you want to handle window, door, or junction (wall) separations. Options include:

• No Separation: Measure the entire wall length without any separations
• Door Centerline: Measure door openings
• Window Centerline: Measure window openings
• Door & Window Separation: Measure the entire wall length with door and window separations
• Door & Junction Separation: Measure the entire wall length with door and junction separations
• Door, Window & Junction Separation: Measure the entire wall length with door, window and junction separations

Click the checkbox next to Plot All Automatically if you would like to measure everything in a single click instead of plotting each line individually. Please Note: To use Plot Automatically, you will need to select a separation type from the dropdown.

Once you are ready to measure, hover over the length you want measure, and click to create the length and add it to the Measurements Drawer.

If you want to make changes to an automated length measurement, select the move icon in the toolbar, then click on the measurement you wish to manually adjust. This will show you all of the points used to plot the measurement, which you can click on and move.

Use AutoMate AI for Count

AutoMate Count lets you quickly count specific objects on architectural floor plans, including windows, doors, closets, toilets, sinks and bathtubs. It is only available on pages where AutoMate is available.

To start, click on the count icon in your toolbar, then select a group in the dropdown. To measure with AI, hover over the item (for example, a sink) on the floor plan. If the AutoMate AI detects it, all matching items will be highlighted. Click the item, and AI will tally all of them at once.

With all measurement types, you will always have the ability to measure anything on the canvas with the manual tools. If you need to add a specific measurement, you can turn off the AutoMate toggle and use the tools as normal. 

Use AI for Symbol Recognition

AI Symbol Recognition lets you quickly count a wide variety of icons on electrical or MEP plans, including outlets, switches, light fixtures, and other technical symbols. It is available on all pages, even those where AutoMate is unavailable.

With this feature, you can circle an icon directly on your plan, and our system will automatically detect all similar symbols across the drawing. You can then review the matches, confirm they are correct, and AI will identify and count them on your drawing automatically.

To start, select the Count icon, then select Search from the dropdown menu.

For symbol recognition to work, you will need to select from an existing count group, or you will need to create a new count.

Next, draw a close-fitting box directly on the canvas around the symbol you would like to count. For best results, be sure to:

• Circle the symbol as tightly as possible
• Avoid including surrounding text, dimensions or annotations
• Avoid circling multiple symbols at once
• Select a clean, isolated example

A new screen will appear that shows the symbol matches, which will include direct matches and possible matches. If the matches are not accurate, try to select a cleaner symbol example, use a tighter selection, or zoom in before selecting.

By default, all direct matches will be selected. Click Clear All to de-select all the symbols in the group. Select the checkbox next to the symbol(s) you would like to include, or de-select the checkbox if you like to exclude.

Select Create Count to save.

You will now be able to see the icons identified on your canvas, and the group count for that specific symbol will appear in your Measurements Drawer.