PHP Commercial Painting today launched PaintWorks Takeoff, a custom PDF takeoff and estimating system built specifically around the requirements of commercial painting.
The March 19, 2026 launch immediately replaces PHP’s subscription-based takeoff platform for new estimates and connects detailed plan markups directly with each job inside PaintWorks.
Replacing a Rapidly Increasing Subscription
PHP’s previous takeoff software originally cost approximately $1,400 per year for the entire company. A new pricing structure would have increased that cost to approximately $3,000 per estimator or user each year.
At the number of users PHP needs, the company’s annual estimating-software expense was expected to exceed $25,000.
The previous platform was designed to support takeoffs across many construction industries. PaintWorks Takeoff gives PHP a system designed around painting estimates while eliminating per-estimator licensing.
Because PHP owns the software, the company can provide access to as many authorized employees as necessary without paying for another user license. The primary ongoing expense is the server infrastructure required to operate the system, which is expected to cost considerably less than the proposed subscription.
Painting-Specific PDF Takeoffs
PaintWorks Takeoff allows estimators to upload construction-plan PDFs and mark them up directly inside the system.
Estimators can measure areas and linear footage, count individual items, organize plan pages, add notes and calculate quantities needed for painting estimates. The workflow is designed around the information PHP’s estimators need rather than a generic process intended to support every construction trade.
The system was designed and programmed entirely from the ground up by PHP Chief Technology Officer Joshua Herbison.
Every Takeoff Connected to a PaintWorks Job
Each takeoff is tied directly to its corresponding job in PaintWorks.
PHP’s previous platform did not provide API access that would allow the company to connect detailed estimating information with its own systems. Employees often had to rely on what an estimator communicated or transferred into a proposal.
PaintWorks Takeoff allows authorized employees to review the marked-up plans, measurements, counts and estimator notes without requiring access to a separate third-party service.
Multiple authorized employees can also work with the same takeoff. They can add notes, make changes or watch the estimate live while the estimator marks up the plans.
Recovering Estimates From the Previous System
Although PaintWorks Takeoff replaces the subscription platform immediately for new work, PHP still needs temporary access to the previous system for older estimates.
A commercial painting estimate may be completed months before a general contractor awards the project. PHP therefore needs to preserve takeoffs for jobs that are still awaiting a decision.
The former platform does not provide an easy way to retrieve all of that information. Even printing a takeoff as a PDF does not include every detail PHP may need later.
PHP plans to keep access long enough to recover as much historical estimating information as possible. Any takeoff that cannot be transferred completely may need to be recreated inside PaintWorks.
An Immediate Change for Estimators
Estimator reaction to the new system is mixed on launch day. Some employees already find the painting-specific workflow easier, while others are adjusting to a different way of completing work they previously handled in the subscription platform.
With today’s launch, PHP owns the system responsible for one of the most important parts of its business. PaintWorks Takeoff gives the company control over its estimating workflow, its detailed takeoff data, employee access and the future development of the software.