AI-powered quantity takeoff tools promise to eliminate the tedious manual work of counting objects in PDF drawings. Most deliver garbage results wrapped in ML hype. Kreo is different—after testing across 15 projects (residential, commercial, infrastructure), we found it actually works for straightforward drawings while failing predictably on complex ones.
The Core Promise
Upload PDF drawings. Kreo’s AI identifies objects (walls, doors, windows, equipment) and generates quantity takeoff schedules automatically. What would take 8-12 hours manually happens in 15-30 minutes.
If accuracy was 100%, this would revolutionize estimating. Reality: accuracy ranges from 90% (simple residential) to 65% (complex commercial) depending on drawing quality and object types.
Testing Methodology
We fed Kreo 15 projects across complexity levels:
Simple (5 projects):
- Single-family residential (1,500-3,000 SF)
- 2-3 pages of plans
- Standard symbols, consistent line weights
- Expected: High accuracy
Medium (7 projects):
- Multi-family residential, light commercial
- 10-20 pages of plans
- Some custom details, mostly standard symbols
- Expected: Moderate accuracy
Complex (3 projects):
- Commercial office, hospital infrastructure
- 50+ pages of plans
- Custom symbols, detailed MEP, non-standard annotations
- Expected: Lower accuracy
Each project’s AI-generated takeoff was compared against manual takeoff by experienced estimators. We measured:
- Object detection accuracy (did it find all doors/windows/walls?)
- Classification accuracy (did it identify object types correctly?)
- Measurement accuracy (are quantities correct within ±5%?)
Results: Simple Residential (90-95% Accuracy)
On a 2,400 SF single-family home:
- Walls: 94% accurate (missed 2 small interior walls)
- Doors: 100% accurate (found all 12 doors, classified correctly)
- Windows: 92% accurate (confused one bay window for two separate windows)
- Electrical fixtures: 88% accurate (missed downlights in closets, misclassified some pendant fixtures)
- Plumbing fixtures: 95% accurate (found all fixtures, some size estimates off by 10%)
Time savings: Manual takeoff would take 6 hours. Kreo processing took 18 minutes + 2 hours of human review/correction = 2.3 hours total. 62% time savings.
For residential contractors doing 50+ estimates per year, this is transformative. At $199/month, Kreo pays for itself if it saves 3-4 hours per month.
Results: Medium Commercial (75-85% Accuracy)
On a 12,000 SF multi-family residential building:
- Walls: 82% accurate (confused some fire-rated walls with standard partitions)
- Doors: 88% accurate (missed several closet doors drawn at small scale)
- Windows: 79% accurate (struggled with window types—fixed, sliding, awning misclassified)
- Electrical: 71% accurate (many fixtures not detected, some counted twice)
- HVAC: 68% accurate (struggled with ductwork symbols, confused supply/return)
Time savings: Manual would take 14 hours. Kreo took 35 minutes + 6 hours review/correction = 6.6 hours total. 53% time savings.
Still valuable, but more human oversight required. AI identified objects we might’ve missed (hidden in wall cavities, behind other elements) but also created false positives requiring careful review.
Results: Complex Commercial (60-70% Accuracy)
On a 45,000 SF hospital renovation:
- Walls: 68% accurate (medical gas outlets confused with electrical, radiation shielding not detected)
- Doors: 65% accurate (hardware sets misclassified, fire ratings missed)
- Medical Equipment: 48% accurate (custom symbols not in training data)
- Electrical: 58% accurate (power distribution confused with lighting)
- MEP Systems: 52% accurate (complex ductwork routing not understood)
Time savings: Manual would take 40 hours. Kreo took 90 minutes + 22 hours review/correction = 23.5 hours total. 41% time savings.
For complex projects, Kreo is still faster than manual but requires expert review to catch AI errors. Not a game-changer, but a useful productivity boost.
Where AI Works
Kreo excels when:
- Standard symbols: Residential door/window symbols from CAD libraries
- Clear line work: Bold lines, good contrast, minimal overlapping objects
- Consistent scale: All sheets at same scale (1/4″ = 1′-0″)
- Simple geometry: Rectangular rooms, orthogonal walls
- Common objects: Standard fixtures in AI training data
Where AI Fails
Kreo struggles with:
- Custom symbols: Specialty equipment, unique fixtures
- Complex line work: Overlapping elements, faint lines, cluttered drawings
- Mixed scales: Detail sheets at different scales than plans
- Curved geometry: Radial walls, circular rooms
- Hand-drawn markups: Redlines, field sketches, napkin drawings
- Non-standard annotations: Custom abbreviations, firm-specific notes
The False Confidence Problem
Kreo’s biggest danger: It presents results with high confidence even when wrong. The UI shows counts like “47 doors detected” with no indication that 8 are false positives and 3 were missed.
Without expert review, estimators might trust AI output and submit bids with 15-20% quantity errors—catastrophic for margins.
Example: On the hospital project, Kreo detected 82 electrical outlets. Manual count: 71 outlets. The AI double-counted 11 outlets shown on both power and lighting plans. An inexperienced estimator might trust “82” and overbid electrical by $8K.
Integration Workflow
Kreo doesn’t replace your estimating software—it feeds data into it:
- Upload PDFs to Kreo web interface
- Wait 15-45 minutes for AI processing (depending on drawing complexity)
- Review detected objects, correct errors, add missed items
- Export to Excel, Bluebeam, or directly to estimating software (PlanSwift, On-Screen Takeoff)
The export formats are clean—organized by CSI division, quantities with units, linked to sheet locations. This structure works with most estimating workflows.
Pricing Reality
Individual: $199/month
- 50 projects/month limit
- All AI features
- Export to Excel, PDF
- Email support
Team: $349/month (up to 5 users)
- 200 projects/month
- Shared project library
- Integration with estimating software
- Priority support
For small firms doing 10-20 estimates monthly, Individual tier works. For larger estimating teams, Team pricing is better value ($70/user/month for 5 users).
ROI Calculation
Assumptions:
- Estimator bill rate: $85/hour
- Residential takeoff time saved: 4 hours/project
- Projects per month: 5
Monthly savings: 4 hours × 5 projects × $85/hour = $1,700 Monthly cost: $199 ROI: 750%
Even with conservative assumptions (3 hours saved, 3 projects/month), ROI is 300%+. The tool pays for itself easily if accuracy is managed.
Competitive Landscape
vs. Manual Takeoff (Bluebeam):
- Kreo is 50-60% faster
- Bluebeam gives 100% accuracy (if human is careful)
- Kreo requires expert review (AI makes mistakes)
vs. PlanSwift/On-Screen Takeoff:
- Kreo has AI auto-detection (PlanSwift is manual)
- PlanSwift has better measurement tools (Kreo is basic)
- Kreo is cloud-based (PlanSwift is desktop software)
vs. Other AI Takeoff Tools (Togal.AI, SmartBid):
- Kreo has better accuracy (based on side-by-side testing)
- Togal is faster (5-10 minutes vs. Kreo’s 15-30)
- SmartBid has better integrations (connects to more estimating platforms)
Kreo isn’t the only option, but it’s the most accurate AI takeoff we’ve tested.
Who Should Use This
Ideal Users:
- Residential contractors (high accuracy on simple plans)
- Estimators doing 10+ takeoffs monthly (ROI is clear)
- Firms with experienced reviewers (can catch AI errors)
- Teams wanting to reduce tedious manual counting
Wrong Users:
- Firms expecting 100% accuracy (AI will make mistakes)
- Complex industrial/infrastructure estimating (accuracy too low)
- Estimators without PDF drawing skills (tool requires some takeoff knowledge)
- Firms with custom symbols not in AI training data
Bottom Line: 79/100
Kreo delivers real productivity gains for straightforward residential and light commercial takeoffs. 50-60% time savings on projects that would otherwise require 6-12 hours of manual work.
But it’s not autopilot estimating. Human review is mandatory to catch AI errors, especially on complex projects with custom symbols or non-standard drawings.
At $199/month, it’s worth trying for any estimating team doing 5+ projects monthly. Just don’t eliminate the human review step—AI is a productivity multiplier, not a replacement for expertise.
Score Breakdown:
- Simple Residential Accuracy: 92/100 (excellent)
- Complex Commercial Accuracy: 65/100 (requires heavy review)
- Time Savings: 85/100 (50-60% faster than manual)
- Ease of Use: 80/100 (intuitive interface)
- Export Quality: 85/100 (clean, usable formats)
- Pricing/Value: 90/100 (ROI is strong)
- Overall: 79/100