Togal.AI + Zebel: From Takeoff to Estimating in Minutes

Your takeoff is done; now you need to get those numbers into the estimate. On most preconstruction teams, that still means one of two things: You either type each quantity into the estimate by hand, or you export to Excel, reformat the columns, and copy-paste your way through it. Thirty or forty quantities later, you've burned an hour!

Even more concerning is that somewhere in the process, a “14,800” may have turned into an “18,400” — and nobody can say for sure where a number came from or when it was entered. Yikes!

Thankfully, Togal.AI and Zebel offer an integration between takeoffs and estimating to fix exactly that. Quantities from your Togal.AI takeoff go directly into your Zebel estimate, mapped to the right inputs and logged as they arrive.

On our joint Togal20 webinar, Hamid Hajian (Zebel, Founder & CEO) and Johnny Maghzal (Togal.AI, Head of Growth) summed it up: Drawings to dollars in minutes!

Here's what the Togal.AI and Zebel integration does, why it matters now, and the questions preconstruction teams asked us most.

Why Preconstruction Speed Matters More Than Ever

Preconstruction is crucial to any construction project. That’s always been the case. What’s changed, however, is how little room for error is allowable.

Consider this: Projects keep getting bigger and more complex, and they come with more regulatory constraints. Higher capital costs have squeezed margins, so not every project is guaranteed to make money.

"Precon is the phase of the project life cycle where you de-risk the project," says Hamid.

If cost certainty doesn't happen during precon, it doesn't happen at all. Unfortunately, not enough time goes into de-risking projects. Why? Because so much time is spent on takeoffs and estimating, that time for strategic thinking and problem-solving is eaten away.

Paradigm Shift in Construction Estimating: The 90/10 Flip

When Hamid ran preconstruction at a large multifamily general contractor in California, his team audited their own process. They found they spent about 90% of their time looking up data and compiling spreadsheets, and only about 10% actually analyzing the budget.

If you've worked in precon, you know where that 90% goes:

• Finding the comp: Which past project is this one most like? Which folder is it in?
• Finding the person: "Ask Dave." Dave retired last year.
• Finding the right file: There's "Final," "Final Final Rev 2," and "Hamid file, do not delete." Which one is real?
• Finding the number: Once you open it, it's an ocean of tabs and cells to swim through.
• Moving the number: Takeoff quantities get re-keyed into the estimate, one cell at a time.

What a headache! And for what? None of that work makes the estimate better. It just makes it possible.

Hamid's point is that the right tools flip the ratio: About 10% of your time on gathering and moving data, and about 90% on analyzing, pressure-testing, and de-risking the budget.

The Togal.AI and Zebel integration goes after one of the most repetitive pieces of that 90%: getting quantities from the drawings into the estimate.

Takeoff Software + Estimating Software: Why Two Specialized Tools Are Better Than One

When building specialized construction software, there are actually two distinct workflows:

• Takeoff means reading drawings, tracing geometry, and measuring accurately across hundreds of sheets.
• Estimating means cost databases, historical comps, and slicing a budget a dozen different ways.

Rather than trying to do everything moderately well, each company focuses hard on what it does best. 

Togal.AI builds AI-assisted construction takeoff software. Zebel builds cost estimating on your own historical data. The integration connects the two, so you get a stronger takeoff and a stronger estimate without moving numbers by hand. Both products grew out of real-world experience of preconstruction professionals.

How the Togal.AI + Zebel Integration Works

In the webinar demo, Hamid ran a warehouse project from takeoff to estimate. And it’s a good example of how Togal.AI and Zebel work together to smoothly move from takeoff to estimating.

Here's the workflow:

1. Takeoff the project in Togal.AI. Run the AI-assisted takeoff, measure manually, or combine manual and automatic workflows. It’s up to you!
2. Open your estimate in Zebel and click the Togal.AI button. It signs you into your Togal account from inside Zebel.
3. Choose the Togal project. Pick the project you want to pull quantities from.
4. Review the mapping. Zebel automatically matches Togal classifications to your estimate inputs by name. You can change any match or tell Zebel to skip a classification. You stay in control of what comes in.
5. Import. The quantities land in your estimate inputs, and the line items calculate from them. For example, you can break out roofing from roof square footage, caulking from building area, and so on. Zebel prices those line items with unit costs from your own past projects.
6. Send the report. You get a client-ready report showing every input from Togal and the estimate Zebel built from them. 

That’s how smooth the Togal-Zebel process is. And the real magic is what you don’t see here: No exporting, no reformatting, no copy-paste. This time-saving compounds on larger projects. In other words, the more numbers you'd otherwise re-key, the more time you get back.

Beyond Speed: Every Quantity and Estimate Has a Paper Trail

Speed is the obvious win, but Hamid made a point on the webinar that's easy to miss: the Togal-Zebel integration also makes your estimate more disciplined.

When someone types a quantity in by hand, two things get lost — when it was entered and where it came from. Six weeks and three drawing revisions later, nobody can say whether that roof area reflects the current set.

With the integration, every imported value is logged. In Hamid's words, the estimate shows that "this lot size acreage came from Togal at this time by this user." When drawings change, you can trace which numbers came from where and when. Because nobody re-types anything, transposition errors drop out of the process.

Both Togal.AI and Zebel are fully cloud-based construction software, which is immensely helpful for multi-office teams or communicating with on-site contractors. Your whole precon team, and the leadership above it, can open the same takeoff and the same estimate from any internet-connected device.

How UrbanCore Benefits From the Togal.AI-Zebel Integration

The Togal-Zebel integration wasn’t dreamt up in a conference room. It grew from a real customer interaction.

‍UrbanCore Construction is a fast-growing multifamily general contractor in Richmond, Virginia. They were already using both Togal.AI and Zebel. On a check-in call, the Zebel team asked how they got their takeoff numbers into Zebel. UrbanCore walked them through a process they'd built themselves to sync the two tools manually.

That workaround became the spec! Zebel asked whether UrbanCore would like it to be one click instead. They said yes, and they've used the integration ever since.

The UrbanCore preconstruction team describes the impact this way:

"We can generate pricing and design feedback almost instantaneously, which was unthinkable before this integration. It's changed the way we interact with our clients." — Chris Barnhardt, Preconstruction Manager, UrbanCore Construction

"The time we save on tedious takeoffs allows us to focus on higher-impact work, like design workshops and early-stage planning. That's a clear differentiator for our clients." — Jon Reid, Director of Preconstruction, UrbanCore Construction

With Togal.AI and Zebel working together, UrbanCore now:

• Produces pricing feedback during live client meetings instead of days later
• Runs everyone on the same naming conventions, formulas, and libraries
• Takes on more projects without adding headcount
• Gets new interns producing estimate-ready takeoffs within weeks

See the full UrbanCore case study.

See it on your own drawings. Request a custom demo of Togal.AI, and we'll show you the takeoff side on a project you're bidding now.

‍

Togal-Zebel Integration: Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Togal.AI + Zebel integration do?

It sends takeoff quantities from a Togal.AI project straight into a Zebel estimate. Quantities map to your estimate inputs automatically, so nobody has to copy, paste, or re-type them.

Do I need both a Togal.AI and a Zebel account?

Yes. You sign into your Togal account from inside Zebel, then choose which Togal project to pull quantities from.

Can I control how my takeoffs map to my estimate?

Yes. Zebel matches Togal classifications to estimate inputs by name. Before you import, you can change any match or skip a classification entirely.

What happens when the drawings change?

Every imported value is logged with its source, the time, and the user who brought it in. When drawings are revised, you can see where each number came from and when it was entered.

Where does Zebel's pricing come from?

Mainly from your own company's historical projects, or comps. Once the estimate is built, you can benchmark it against market data and filter by project type and region so the comparison stays relevant.

How do you handle the same item at different heights or specs?

In Togal.AI, you set heights and properties for each classification and can adjust anything the AI predicts. You're the captain of the ship. In Zebel, a single budget line like tile can break into detail rows for each type, which then roll up into the line total.

Does Togal.AI work for my trade?

Togal.AI handles takeoffs across trades, including areas, linear runs, and counts for MEP devices and fixtures, as well as civil site work. Some features fit certain trades and drawing sets better than others. The best way to know is a custom demo on your own drawings.

Why not use one tool that does both takeoff and estimating?

Takeoff and estimating are different technical problems. All-in-one tools usually compromise on one or both. Two specialized tools that talk to each other give you a stronger takeoff and a stronger estimate, with no manual handoff in between.