Bobyard Electrical is a new custom suite of AI for electrical takeoffs and estimates to count devices, read panel schedules, and route home runs in minutes.
Landscaping was only the beginning of our AI construction takeoff offering
Bobyard started in landscaping, but we’ve always been building toward something bigger: a custom and comprehensive AI model suite for every trade in construction. Today, Bobyard Electrical is live. It’s our first trade beyond landscaping, and another big step in achieving our larger vision.
Why we built Bobyard Electrical
A commercial electrical takeoff can run 8 to 20 hours, with most of that time spent cross-referencing—an electrical estimator’s biggest pain point. With fixture schedules on different sheets from panel schedules and device information scattered, taking off one circuit correctly means tracing a strong throughline across tons of details.
It’s time consuming, and also ripe for errors that eat into your margins as change orders later on, with no current tools able to tackle this problem.
How Bobyard Electrical works
Most takeoff tools Tools like PlanSwift, Bluebeam, and Togal all stop at the symbol, which is the easy part. The hard part is understanding what each symbol means and where it belongs. That’s why we built Bobyard Electrical to read the drawing the way an estimator does.
It looks at the symbol legend, the panel schedule, and the plan at the same time, and pieces them together to determine “this is a GFCI receptacle, it’s on circuit 12, fed from panel LP-2.” Where a person reads one sheet at a time, our models read all of them at once, in minutes.
"Our models read your drawing like a human would, piecing together information from multiple different places. They look at multiple datasets, multiple locations, and drawings at the same time to give you the best information."
— Sean Tay, Head of Product @ Bobyard
Features and benefits of Bobyard Electrical
Here’s are some key highlights of what you get with Bobyard Electrical for takeoffs and estimates:
Automated electrical device and symbol detection
Bobyard auto-counts receptacles, switches, dimmers, disconnects, panels, transformers, junction boxes, pull boxes, and lighting fixtures, and classifies them by type, from GFCI and AFCI to weatherproof and USB. Every detection carries a confidence score, so you know exactly where to focus your review.
Panel schedule reading and circuit association
Bobyard pulls frame size, mounting type, total circuit count, wire size, and breaker size. Then it ties every detected device back to its circuit, and every circuit back to its panel. The associations you’d normally build by hand, sheet by sheet, are done before you open the set to review.
Home run routing and conduit length calculating
With many plans leaving home run routing out, lots of estimators have to guesstimate it. Bobyard finds the panel, finds the home run devices, and routes them according to your preferred and avoid zones, then gives you linear feet of wire per circuit, broken out by circuit number. The footage you bid is the footage you pull.
Riser diagram and equipment counting
Your highest-dollar items live on the riser and single-line, not the floor plans. Bobyard counts equipment where it actually appears across transformers, switchboards, panelboards, generators, transfer switches, and even reads assemblies like meter banks down to the number of meters inside.
From takeoff to finished bid, in one place
Takeoff quantities flow straight into the estimate table with material and labor, backed by a built-in cost database, along with final touch-ups to add taxes, adjust margins, and find alternate materials for better pricing. Upload to bid, without leaving Bobyard.
What’s next for the Bobyard Electrical AI roadmap
Auto-routing is live today, and it’s only going to get sharper as our models learn to understand the entire electrical system end to end. It’s also the foundation for what comes next:
- Design-level intelligence like wire sizing and voltage drops
- Conduit sizing
- NEC compliance checks
We’re building toward AI that doesn’t just take off your drawings, but understands the system behind them.
What electrical contractors are already saying
We built Electrical Takeoff alongside working electrical contractors, who’ve been in the product since the beta, and their feedback and results have helped us build exactly what we’re launching today.
“We leave a lot of jobs on the table because we don’t have time to bid them. That’s exactly what Bobyard is going to help us fix.”
— Randi Clark, Wells Electrical
“We’ve been doing takeoffs the same way for a long time. Partnering with Bobyard during the beta felt like the right moment to get ahead of where the industry is heading.”
— Zach Pauline, Banister Electrical
See Bobyard Electrical on your own drawings
If you’re an electrical estimator, book a demo and run your own drawings through it live with our team. Contractors using Bobyard report an average 50-90% reduction in takeoff time and the ability to send 3–5x more bids per estimator.
Electrical is the first of more new trades to come
Electrical marks the first trade in a much bigger expansion. Mechanical, plumbing, and the finishes and floor-plan trades are next. Follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to stay in the know about our new trade launches.
If you’re a landscaper: expanding into electrical doesn’t mean landscaping takes a back seat. The same investments that power a new trade—a faster AI engine, a smarter review flow, a deeper estimate table—make every trade we serve better, landscaping included.
When every trade has AI that actually understands its drawings, contractors stop competing on bidding capacity to start winning on their true craft.
FAQ about Bobyard Electrical
How long does an electrical takeoff take with Bobyard?
Most takeoffs that previously took 8–20 hours are completed in minutes.
What electrical drawings does Bobyard support?
We support all drawings with our tools, and our AI models handle E-series plans, panel schedules, riser diagrams, single-line diagrams, and reflected ceiling plans.
How does Bobyard compare to Accubid or PlanSwift?
Unlike those tools, Bobyard uses AI trained specifically on electrical drawings to automate counting, routing, and schedule reading, rather than requiring manual input.