AI estimating for plumbing contractors
Plumbing estimating software that prices on your numbers
Plumbing estimating software counts fixtures from the schedules, measures pipe runs by size and material, and prices the whole system against your own labor and material rates. Ruh works as plumbing takeoff software and pricing engine in one: it reads the plans and fixture schedules, builds rough in and trim assemblies per fixture, and delivers a line item draft your estimator reviews and signs off.
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Book a walkthroughThe plumbing estimating problems this solves
Fixture schedules that fight the plans
The fixture schedule says 46 lavatories, the floor plans show 44, and addendum 2 moved a restroom. Reconciling counts across schedules, plans, and addenda is where plumbing bids silently lose fixtures, and every miss carries its rough in, trim, and labor with it.
Pipe measured by size, material, and system
A takeoff is not 2,000 lf of pipe. It is 4 in cast iron sanitary, 2 in PVC vent, 1 in copper domestic hot, and PEX branches, each at its own material and labor rate, often on different floors. Lumping sizes together makes the bid unpriceable and the buyout a surprise.
Underground versus above ground splits
The same pipe costs differently below the slab (trenching, bedding, inspections, sequencing with concrete) than overhead. Estimates that do not split underground scope get squeezed between the sitework sub and the slab schedule.
What a plumbing takeoff counts and measures
| Item | Unit | How it is measured and priced |
|---|---|---|
| Fixtures | ea | Counted from the fixture schedule, reconciled against plans; each carries a rough in + trim assembly. |
| Sanitary waste pipe | lf by size | Measured per size and material (PVC, cast iron), underground and above ground split. |
| Vent piping | lf by size | Risers and branch vents from the riser diagrams, not just the floor plans. |
| Domestic water | lf by size | Hot, cold, and recirc runs by size and material (copper type L, PEX), insulation carried with it. |
| Valves and specialties | ea | Shutoffs, backflow preventers, cleanouts, water hammer arrestors, counted per the specs. |
| Water heaters / equipment | ea | Scheduled equipment with connections, pads, venting, and seismic strapping as assemblies. |
| Excavation and backfill | cy or lf | Underground runs carry trench, bedding, and backfill, sequenced before slab on grade. |
| Insulation | lf | Pipe insulation by size from the mechanical insulation spec, hot and recirc lines first. |
A worked plumbing example
Price a small tenant restroom pair: 6 lavatories, 6 water closets, 2 urinals, 1 mop sink, 15 fixtures total. Rough in assemblies at an illustrative $1,150 per fixture: 15 x $1,150 = $17,250. Trim packages at an illustrative $420 per fixture: 15 x $420 = $6,300. Distribution: 180 lf of 4 in PVC sanitary at $28 per lf installed = $5,040, plus 220 lf of copper and PEX domestic at $19 per lf = $4,180. Backflow preventer and valves: $2,650. The plumbing package totals $17,250 + $6,300 + $5,040 + $4,180 + $2,650 = $35,420 before markup, roughly $2,361 per fixture, a sanity check number an experienced plumbing estimator will recognize.
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How Ruh runs your plumbing estimates
Ruh reads the plumbing plans, riser diagrams, and fixture schedules together, reconciles fixture counts across them, and measures pipe by size, material, and system with the underground scope split out. It prices from your own price book, your fixture assemblies, your lf rates, your labor, and flags conflicts like schedule versus plan count mismatches for review. Your estimator resolves the flags, adjusts assemblies, and signs off.
Plumbing estimating software FAQs
Does it count fixtures from the schedule or the plans?+
Both, and it reconciles them. Mismatches between the fixture schedule, the floor plans, and addenda are flagged instead of silently picking one source, because that reconciliation is where plumbing bids usually leak fixtures.
Can it price my fixture assemblies instead of line by line material?+
Yes. Rough in and trim assemblies per fixture type are the native way it prices, using your assembly costs. You can still drill into any assembly to see the lines underneath.
How does it handle pipe sizes and materials?+
Every run is carried by size, material, and system (sanitary, vent, domestic hot and cold), with underground separated from above ground. Nothing is averaged into a single lf number.
Does it replace my plumbing estimator?+
No. It does the counting, measuring, and first pass pricing with every quantity traceable to a sheet. Your estimator reviews the flagged items, sets the assemblies and rates, and signs off on what goes out.
Bidding plumbing work? Ruh prices it on YOUR price book, not a database.
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Figures on this page are illustrative. Construction estimates depend on project-specific conditions, source documents, market pricing, and professional judgment. Ruh's AI assists the estimator and does not replace professional review: your team reviews, validates, and approves every estimate, bid, and pricing decision.