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How to do a countertop takeoff from architectural drawings
A countertop takeoff from architectural drawings is done in four passes: identify every countertop run on the plan, read the depth of each run separately, subtract appliance and tall-unit breaks, then convert each run into a piece with a square footage and a finished-edge perimeter. The most common error is assuming every run is the same depth — seated peninsulas and islands are usually deeper, and a single wrong depth can move a job total by about 20%.
Step 1 — Find the runs
Work off the plan, not the elevation, for length. Elevations tell you cabinet codes and heights; the plan tells you the wall dimensions.
Step 2 — Read depth per run
In most residential work, base cabinet runs are typically 24" deep with about a 1.5" overhang, giving roughly 25.5"–26" of stone. Seated islands and peninsulas commonly run 36"–38". A buffet or serving run may be 18"–26". Never apply one depth to a whole kitchen.
Step 3 — Handle corners
Where two runs meet at an L, one run's length absorbs the other's depth. A 98" wall meeting a 26"-deep run yields 72" of countertop on the second leg, not 98".
Step 4 — Subtract breaks
A slide-in range typically breaks the run. A cooktop usually does not — it drops into continuous stone. A tall pantry or fridge cabinet ends the run entirely. Shops differ on range treatment; set the convention per shop.
Step 5 — Finished edge
Finished edge is the exposed perimeter of the piece, not the run length. For an L-shaped piece with legs a and b and depth d, the outline perimeter is 2(a + b + d) when the corner is merged into one piece.
Step 6 — Backsplash
Backsplash is quoted as its own line item — one continuous strip per wall, length equal to the wall minus tall units, running unbroken behind the range. Common heights in many markets are 4" loose splash and full-height to the wall cabinets.
Counterly reads the same architectural and kitchen layout drawings and performs these passes automatically — extracting runs, depths, islands, backsplash, and fixture breaks, then returning square footage, finished-edge footage, a slab nest, and a priced quote. Estimators still review the output; the software removes the re-measurement of every repeating unit type.
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