• 3 min read

From drawing to priced BOQ:
an engine that never fakes a number

HM

written by

Harsh Mandanka

ENHC Tech

Published 6 Oct 2026
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Early cost estimates are often a single confident number built on guesses nobody can see. We wanted the opposite: an estimate where every line can be traced back to the drawing, and every guess says so.

Our BOQ engine reads a 2D plan (DXF or DWG) or a 3D IFC model and produces an itemised, priced bill of quantities across more than 200 material lines.

Show the read before the price

Before any rate is applied, the engine shows what it read: built-up area, plot area, walls, openings, rooms and scale. If the built-up area or the room count looks wrong, the drawing wasn't understood, and no rate will fix that.

Step 2: what the engine read from the drawing
Step 2: what the engine read from the drawing

Every quantity carries a tag

Anything estimated rather than measured says so on the report, including on the one-page quote the client sees.

Each BOQ line is tagged as one of:

  • Measured: taken directly from the drawing geometry
  • Declared: stated on the drawing, such as a declared built-up area
  • Thumb rule: a standard factor where geometry is missing, clearly labelled
  • Unverified: could not be measured, with a manual-entry form generated to fill the gap

A range, not a false mid-point

The estimate is presented as a range with a cost per square foot, not a single figure. The width of the range comes from what was measured and where the rates came from, so a better drawing or better rates narrow it honestly. When the drawing changes, the BOQ re-costs immediately.

Step 4: the expected cost range and cost per sq ft
Step 4: the expected cost range and cost per sq ft
The BOQ estimator dashboard
The BOQ estimator dashboard

What comes out

Every run produces the same set of files.

  • A one-page client quote with a trade summary and grand total
  • An itemised BOQ in Excel, HTML and Word
  • A machine-readable JSON file with every quantity, input and warning

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From drawing to priced BOQ: an engine that never fakes a number