VG uses a single estimating intelligence system that tracks ~150 variables per property across every work order. A portion of those variables can only be read from your drawings — not from a walkthrough or owner conversation. This guide explains what we need from each plan type and the simplest way to deliver it.
Audience A
IHA / Cabinet Design Team
Delivers kitchen, laundry, vanities, wine bars, closets, pantry, shower elevations, tile plans, and built-in plans. See Section 1.
Audience B
Architect, Structural & MEP Engineers
Delivers floor plans, window/door schedules, structural drawings, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and low-voltage plans. See Section 2.
For Reference
VG Team (Randall / PM)
How to read a delivered stamp box and enter values into the estimating sheet. See Section 3.
Section 1 — IHA / Cabinet Design Team
The ask in one sentence: When you deliver a drawing PDF, add a small filled-in data box to the first sheet — the VG stamp box — with the key measurements and counts we need to estimate the work order. This eliminates the back-and-forth where we ask you to confirm numbers after the fact.
| Plan Type |
Fill in on the stamp box |
Why it matters |
Kitchen |
Upper + lower cab lnft
Island (y/n)
Backsplash sq ft
Countertop sq ft
Sink cutouts
Cooktop cutout (y/n)
Pulls + knobs total
Full-height pantry units
|
Drives cabinet, countertop, backsplash, and hardware WO costs |
Laundry Room |
Cabinet lnft
Backsplash sq ft
Countertop sq ft
Laundry sink (y/n)
W/D config
Pulls + knobs
|
Drives cabinet, plumbing, and appliance WOs |
Vanities |
Vanity unit count
Cabinet lnft (total)
Countertop sq ft
Sink cutouts
Mirrors
Pulls + knobs
|
Drives cabinet, countertop, mirror, and hardware WOs |
Wine Bars |
Bar units w/ plumbing
Cabinet lnft
Backsplash sq ft
Countertop sq ft
Sink cutouts
Wine fridge (y/n)
Pulls + knobs
|
Drives cabinet, plumbing, backsplash, and appliance WOs |
Closets |
Walk-in count
Total closet count
Cabinet lnft
Hardware count
|
Drives closet system WO |
Pantry |
Full-height units
Cabinet lnft
Countertop sq ft
Pulls + knobs
|
Drives cabinet and countertop WOs |
Shower Elevations |
Shower wall tile sq ft
Floor tile sq ft
Frameless enclosures
Steam rough-in (y/n)
Niches
|
Drives tile, shower glass, and plumbing WOs |
Tile Plan |
Total tile sq ft
Shower wall sq ft
Tile size
Orientation
Floor pattern
Takeoff w/ waste sq ft
|
Drives tile WO and material order |
Built-Ins |
Bookshelves (y/n → lnft)
Bench units (count)
Mudroom (y/n → sq ft)
Cabinet lnft
|
Drives specialty trim and cabinet WOs |
Where to put the stamp box: Add it to the first sheet (or title sheet) of each PDF delivery, in the lower right corner — the same area where you'd normally put a revision block. The stamp box template is included in the Plans Cheat Sheet document. It takes about 30 seconds to fill in once you have the drawing in front of you.
What if the owner hasn't confirmed a selection yet? Leave that field blank and note "pending owner selection" in the adjacent cell or a comment. We can fill it in once selections are confirmed — we just need the dimensional measurements (sq ft, lnft) right away.
Section 2 — Architect, Structural & MEP Engineers
The ask: Each plan set you deliver contains specific measurements and counts that we manually extract and enter into our estimating system. We're asking you to add a small pre-filled data block — the VG stamp box — to each delivery so we can read those values directly instead of measuring them ourselves. The stamp box lives on the cover sheet or title block area.
| Plan Type |
Fill in on the stamp box |
Provided by |
Floor Plan & Elevations |
Above-grade sq ft
Footprint sq ft
Ceiling area sq ft
Specialty ceiling sq ft
Ceiling height
Finish level (L4/L5)
Base trim lnft
Casing lnft
Crown lnft
Interior railing lnft
Stair tread count
Walk-in closet count
|
Architect / draftsperson |
Window & Door Schedule |
Window count
Custom windows
Interior door count
Door height
Knobs / levers total
Ext doors (excl. garage)
Garage doors (count / size)
|
Architect / draftsperson |
Siding Elevations |
Exterior wall sq ft
Trim profile style
Stone / brick accent (y/n)
Gutter lnft
Dormer count
|
Architect |
Structural Engineering |
Beams (LVL / steel, count)
Trusses (roof / floor / both)
New structural openings
Waterproofing type
Drainage lnft
Retaining wall lnft
Rim joist lnft
Foundation wall height
|
Structural engineer |
Electrical Plans |
Circuit count
Light fixture count
Service size (100/200/400A)
Panel upgrade (y/n)
EV charger (y/n)
|
Electrical engineer / electrician |
HVAC Plans |
Zone count
Equipment tonnage
Duct type
Supply / return grille count
Conditioned sq ft (confirmed)
|
HVAC contractor / MEP engineer |
Plumbing / MEP |
Total plumbing fixtures
Hose bib count
Full bath count
Half bath count
|
Plumber / MEP engineer |
Low Voltage / Security |
Cat6 / ethernet drops
Speaker zones
Camera count
Scope level (basic / structured)
|
Low-voltage contractor |
Landscape / Site Plan |
Driveway sq ft
Fence lnft
Sod sq ft
Planting count
Driveway drainage type
Curb cut required (y/n)
|
Landscape architect / civil engineer |
Format: The stamp box is a simple table — label in the left column, value in the right. No specific software required; a text note on the cover sheet works if adding a formatted block is difficult. The key requirement is that the values are clearly associated with the plan type being delivered.
Section 3 — VG Team: Receiving & Entering Plans
1
When a plan PDF arrives
Open the PDF and locate the stamp box on the first or title sheet. If the design team has not yet adopted the stamp box format, scan the drawing for the key variables listed in the Plans Cheat Sheet for that plan type.
Plans Cheat Sheet → vg/published/guides/2026-05-11_plans-cheat-sheet.html
2
Open Form 06 for IHA plans (or the relevant capture form for other plan types)
For IHA plan deliveries, use Form 06 — Cabinet Drawings to record the values. The form is now organized by plan type (Kitchen, Laundry, Vanities, Wine Bars, etc.) matching exactly what IHA delivers. For architectural, structural, MEP, and landscape plans, use Forms 03, 02, 04, and 07 respectively.
Form 06 → vg/published/forms/
3
Enter values in the INPUTS tab of the Estimating Intelligence Sheet
Once values are captured on the form, enter them in the matching row under the property's column in the Google Sheet INPUTS tab. Variables are grouped by timing event — "Cabinet Drawings & Kitchen Elevations" for IHA plans, "Architectural Plans" for floor plan / siding / window variables, etc.
Google Sheet → Construction Cost Intelligence - Live
4
Check the WO MAP tab for completeness
After entering values, switch to the WO MAP tab to see which work orders are now fully populated vs. still missing inputs. Any WO showing incomplete likely has a value that hasn't been filled in yet — trace it back to the plan type that should provide it using the Plans Cheat Sheet.
5
If values are missing from the delivered drawing
Send a short message to the design team referencing the specific variable name and the plan type — e.g., "Kitchen V4 — still need backsplash sq ft and pull count for the stamp box." Once adopted, the stamp box on future deliveries prevents these follow-ups.
Conversation Starters — How to Introduce the Stamp Box
"Hey Jao — quick process request. We're building an estimating system that pulls key measurements from your drawings (cabinet lnft, backsplash sq ft, countertop sq ft, pull counts, etc.). Would you be able to add a small filled-in data block to the first page of each PDF delivery going forward? I'll send you a template — it takes about 30 seconds once you have the drawing open. This way we don't have to follow up for the numbers after the fact."
"It's just a simple table — two columns, label on the left, value on the right. Can be a text block, a table in the PDF, or even a note on the title sheet. I'll share a PDF example of what we're looking for. The key ones are: linear feet of cabinets, backsplash area, countertop area, sink cutout count, and total pull/knob count. Everything else is a bonus."
"As part of our estimating process, we extract specific quantities from your drawings — things like sq ft of exterior wall surface, linear feet of gutters, circuit counts, beam counts, etc. We'd like to add a small pre-filled data table to each drawing delivery (on the cover sheet or title block area) so our PM can read those values directly. I'll send you the list of fields for each plan type. It's a one-time setup to your template and then it's just a matter of filling in the values with each delivery."
"The values we need are already on your drawings — we're just asking you to call them out in a summary block so we don't have to scale them off the sheets ourselves. The key ones are: beam count, truss specification, new structural openings, and any drainage or waterproofing linear footage. If you can add those to your standard notes section that's all we need."
VG Home Buyers LLC — Estimating Intelligence — Design Team Delivery Guide — Rev 2026-05-11
See also: Plans Cheat Sheet · Non-Plans Cheat Sheet · Form 06