Feature · 5 min · 27 August 2026
From photo or floor plan to quote
The boring part of a quote is rarely the prices. It is the measuring: standing there with a tape measure and calculator, typing in square metres, checking whether you forgot a wall. With Calco you start somewhere else entirely - with a photo of the room or the floor plan from the customer.
Start with what you already have in your pocket
You do not need a finished measurement sheet to get going. Take a picture of the room, or upload the floor plan the customer sent you. Calco reads the job from what you give it and finds the surfaces and lines that need calculating. You do not describe every wall in words - you show the room, and the work starts from there.
The scale comes from the drawing or from a measurement you know
A floor plan is only worth its numbers if the scale is right. Calco reads the scale from the drawing when it is stated. If it is not, you give one known measurement - for example the width of a door or the length of a wall - and the rest is calibrated from that. Then every other measurement rests on a fixed reference point, not on a loose guess.
Quantities that follow the lines - not a guess
Once the scale is set, Calco turns the drawn work into the quantities you actually need in the quote: square metres for floors and tiling, linear metres for skirting and grout, units for what gets counted. The calculation is deterministic - it works on what has been drawn and measured, and gives the same result every time. There is no random number at the other end.
- Square metres for floors, wall tiling, roofs and facades
- Linear metres for skirting, grout, edge profiles and paving edges
- Units for fixtures, drains, special-format tiles and single elements
- A full line-by-line breakdown you can read through item by item
You see and edit every line before anything is sent
Nothing leaves the house without your seeing it first. Every quantity and every line is laid open, and you can edit them directly: a wall that should not be counted, a ceiling area to subtract, an allowance for waste. You only send when the numbers match what you see on site.
Honest about what it is - and what it is not
What Calco gives you is a qualified draft, not a definitive answer. A photo can hide a recess, a drawing can be imprecise, and a room has details that are not always on paper. The professional check is still yours. What Calco moves is the time: you no longer spend the hour measuring and typing, you spend a few minutes verifying what has already been calculated.
Best for the jobs that otherwise take longest to measure
The method fits best where there are surfaces and lines to calculate: bathrooms with floor, wall tiling and grout, floors across several rooms, roof surfaces, facades and outdoor paving. These are exactly the jobs where manual measuring normally eats the most time - and where a fast, transparent draft makes the biggest difference.
Getting started
Open a new job in Calco, take a photo of the room or upload the floor plan, and set the scale or one known measurement. Review the quantities and lines Calco puts forward, edit what needs editing, and send the quote. The first time it takes a couple of minutes to get used to - after that it is the fast route from room to quote.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the floor plan need to be to scale for Calco to work with it?
- No. If the scale is stated on the drawing, Calco reads it directly. If it is not, you give one known measurement - for example a door width or a wall length - and the rest is calibrated from that reference point.
- Can I trust the quantities blindly?
- You should review them. Calco delivers a qualified draft based on what has been drawn and measured, but a photo or drawing can miss details from the real room. The professional check is yours, and you edit every line before you send.
- Which jobs does the method suit best?
- Jobs with surfaces and lines to calculate: bathrooms, floors, roofs, facades and paving. That is where manual measuring normally takes longest, and where a transparent draft saves the most time.
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