Division 07 · Waterproofing & Dampproofing
Waterproofing estimates built from the foundation sections, not the floor plan
The membrane is the smallest part of a waterproofing bid. The money is in what sits around it: substrate preparation, termination bars, drainage composite, protection board, waterstops at every cold joint and the detailing at penetrations, footings and transitions. Our waterproofing estimators measure every square foot of wall and slab from the foundation plans and wall sections, every linear foot of joint and termination, and every penetration and corner that needs a reinforced detail, then price sheet, fluid-applied, bentonite and hot rubberized systems against the ASTM standards the specification cites.
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Scope of takeoff
Waterproofing quantities we take off
Measured from foundation plans, wall sections and plaza details, with each area tagged by system, side of application and substrate.
Sheet membrane waterproofing
Self-adhered rubberized asphalt and HDPE sheets at 60 mil, with laps, end seams and primer
Fluid-applied membranes
Polyurethane, polyurea and modified asphalt by specified dry mil thickness, with primer and reinforcing fabric
Bentonite and blindside systems
Bentonite panels and geotextile mats, pre-applied HDPE sheets on shoring and mud slabs
Hot-applied rubberized asphalt
Two-coat 215-mil systems with reinforcing fabric, protection course and flashing on plaza and split-slab decks
Dampproofing
Asphalt emulsion and acrylic dampproofing on foundation walls where true waterproofing is not specified
Drainage composite and protection board
Dimpled drain mat, geocomposite drain board, asphaltic protection board and insulation drainage panels
Waterstops
PVC ribbed, hydrophilic strip and injection hose at construction joints, keyways and penetrations
Terminations, reglets and cant strips
Termination bars, reglets, counterflashing, cant strips and reinforcing strips at corners
Penetrations and detail work
Pipe, conduit and tieback penetrations, pile heads, sump pits and elevator pits detailed with reinforcement
Deck and traffic coatings
Pedestrian and vehicular polyurethane deck coatings by mil build, with crack fill, cove and aggregate
Crystalline admixtures and injection
Integral crystalline admixture by concrete volume, crack injection with polyurethane or epoxy
Substrate prep and labor
Surface grinding, honeycomb patching, form tie treatment, mock-ups and flood testing hours
Overview
How we quantify a waterproofing scope
Below-grade waterproofing is measured in square feet of membrane from the top of footing to the termination height shown on the wall sections, with slab-under waterproofing taken from the foundation plan where a blindside or mud-slab condition is drawn. Each area is tagged with its system: self-adhered sheet, fluid-applied polyurethane or polyurea in mils of dry film, bentonite panels or geotextile mats for blindside walls, or two-part hot rubberized asphalt on plaza decks. Dampproofing is kept as a separate line because its unit cost is a fraction of true waterproofing and specifications often mix the two on the same building.
Linear-foot items drive the labor. Waterstops are measured along every construction joint, keyway and pipe penetration in the concrete drawings, by type: PVC ribbed, hydrophilic strip or injection hose. Termination bars, reglets and counterflashing are measured at the top of each membrane run, and cant strips and reinforcing strips at every inside corner and footing transition. Drainage composite and protection board are taken as square feet matching the membrane area, but with their own waste factors, since a dimpled drain mat is cut around footings very differently from a roll of membrane. Penetrations are counted each from the structural and MEP sheets.
Above grade, the same discipline applies to plaza decks, planters, balconies and parking structures. Hot-applied rubberized asphalt is priced by the square foot at the specified 215-mil two-coat thickness with reinforcing fabric, followed by protection course, drainage, insulation and pavers or topping. Traffic-bearing deck coatings are priced by system and mil build, with crack treatment and cove detailing measured in linear feet. Crystalline admixtures are quantified against the concrete volume in the structural schedule when the specification calls for them. Every quantity carries its sheet reference so your foreman can walk the foundation and check the number against the wall in front of them.
What type of waterproofing estimating can you get?
Match the estimate to where your project is. Every option is priced as a flat fee before work begins.
Below-grade waterproofing bid
±5%48 hours
Foundation wall and slab-under membrane, drainage, protection, waterstops and detailing priced from structural and architectural sections for plan-and-spec bids.
Best for: Waterproofing subcontractors
Plaza and deck waterproofing estimate
±6%48 hours
Hot-applied, cold fluid-applied and traffic coating systems with upturns, drains, protection, insulation and overburden interfaces priced by assembly.
Best for: Podium, plaza and parking structure work
Division 07 waterproofing budget for GCs
±8–10%24–48 hours
A scoping-level number with dampproofing and waterproofing separated, so you can level sub quotes and catch the ones that priced emulsion where the spec says membrane.
Best for: General contractors leveling bids
Waterproofing takeoff only
24 hours
Square feet by system and side, linear feet of waterstop and termination, and penetration counts with no pricing, for applicators who carry manufacturer pricing directly.
Best for: Applicators with direct manufacturer pricing
Remedial and negative-side repair pricing
±8%24 hours
Crack injection, crystalline coatings, interior drainage and negative-side cementitious systems for existing basements, with access and demolition allowances.
Best for: Restoration and foundation repair contractors
Process
How our estimating process works
Four steps from upload to a bid-ready estimate, with a senior estimator signing off before anything leaves our desk.
- 01
Upload plans and scope
Send your drawings, specifications and bid invitation through the secure upload form. We confirm scope, deadline and a fixed price within two business hours.
- 02
Digital quantity takeoff
Estimators measure every item from calibrated plans in Bluebeam and PlanSwift, color-coding each layer so quantities can be traced back to the drawing.
- 03
Pricing and labor
Quantities are priced with location-adjusted material costs, crew productivity rates and equipment, then marked up to your overhead and profit targets.
- 04
Senior review and delivery
A second estimator audits quantities and pricing, documents assumptions and exclusions, and delivers your Excel workbook, PDF summary and marked-up plans.
Why LEEDS
Why contractors switch to LEEDS
An estimating desk that behaves like an extension of your team, not a software subscription.
- 01
Membrane area measured from wall sections and footing elevations, never from a floor plan perimeter times a guessed height.
- 02
Dampproofing and waterproofing kept on separate, lines so a spec that mixes both is priced correctly, not averaged.
- 03
Waterstops traced along every construction, joint and penetration on the concrete drawings, by type and profile.
- 04
Drainage composite and protection board carried, with their own waste factors, not copied from the membrane quantity.
- 05
Penetrations, pile heads, pits and tiebacks, counted each, because reinforced details consume more labor than open wall.
- 06
Manufacturer coverage rates and ASTM-referenced, system specs used to convert mils and square feet into pails and rolls.
- 07
Substrate prep, mock-ups and flood testing, carried as hours when the specification calls for them.
- 08
48-hour turnaround on most below-grade and plaza waterproofing sets, with same-day change-order pricing.
Deliverables
What's included in your estimate package
Every deliverable is formatted so it can go straight into a proposal, a purchase order or an owner report.
Estimate workbookXLSX
Quantities, unit costs, labor hours and totals organized by CSI division, with subtotals, markups and a bid summary tab.
Marked-up plansPDF
Color-coded takeoff drawings showing exactly where every measured quantity came from.
Material procurement listXLSX
Consolidated material quantities with waste factors applied, ready to send to suppliers for quotes.
Labor hours by taskXLSX
Crew-based labor hours and productivity rates so you can check the schedule against the estimate.
Assumptions and exclusions logPDF
Every clarification, allowance and exclusion documented so your proposal scope is defensible.
Bid summary sheetPDF
A proposal-ready one-page summary with overhead, profit, bonds and contingency applied.
Reviews
What contractors say after their first bid with us
What general contractors, subcontractors and developers say after bidding with our numbers.
“Cubic yards, rebar tonnage, formwork contact area and block counts by size. Exactly how I think about a job. We have won four of the last five bids they priced.”
Jamal Reed
Owner, Reed Concrete & Masonry · Birmingham, AL
“We were turning down bids because our two in-house estimators were buried. LEEDS gave us division-by-division numbers in 48 hours that leveled cleanly against our sub quotes. We bid 40% more work last quarter and our hit rate went up, not down.”
Marcus Whitfield
Chief Estimator, Whitfield Commercial Builders · Charlotte, NC
“Having a design-development estimate before we finished CDs let us value-engineer the envelope while it still mattered. Clear, fast, and the estimators speak our language.”
Aisha Bello
Principal, Bello Architecture Studio · Atlanta, GA
Nationwide coverage
Local pricing in every US market
We adjust labor, material and equipment to the project zip code and account for the code, climate and logistics that drive cost in each region.
Union labor markets, dense urban logistics and strict code review priced in.
CTMEMANHNJNYPA+2Weather-dependent schedules and regional material supply reflected in every line.
ILINIAKSMIMNMO+5Fast-growth metros where subcontractor capacity, not material, drives price.
ALARDEFLGAKYLA+9Seismic detailing, energy codes and the highest labor rates in the country.
AKAZCACOHIIDMT+6FAQ
Waterproofing Estimating FAQs
Straight answers on scope, turnaround, pricing and deliverables.
How do you tell dampproofing from waterproofing on the drawings?
We read the wall sections and the Division 07 specification together, not just the plan notes. Asphalt emulsion or acrylic dampproofing is usually called out on walls without hydrostatic exposure, while a 60-mil sheet or fluid-applied membrane with drainage board is shown where water is expected. Each wall is tagged by what the section shows, and conflicts between plan notes and specs are flagged for an RFI.
Do you measure waterstops, or carry them as a percentage?
Waterstops are measured in linear feet along every construction joint, keyway and penetration shown on the concrete plans, pour sequence drawings and sections. We separate PVC ribbed waterstop from hydrophilic strip and injection hose because the material cost and the install method differ, and we count splices, intersections and factory fittings so the bill of materials matches what the supplier will ship.
How is fluid-applied membrane converted from mils to gallons?
We take the specified dry film thickness from the specification, apply the manufacturer's published coverage rate per gallon at that thickness, and add a loss factor for substrate texture and vertical application. The workbook shows square feet, mils, theoretical gallons and ordered pails side by side so you can substitute your own product data if you bid an approved equal.
Can you price blindside waterproofing against a shoring wall?
Yes. Blindside systems are measured from the shoring elevation and the slab-under area, with the membrane tagged as pre-applied HDPE sheet or bentonite per the specification. We carry the extra labor for attaching to lagging or soldier piles, the detailing at tiebacks and pile heads, and the sequencing with the concrete contractor, and we flag any area where the shoring drawings and architectural sections disagree.
What about plaza decks with pavers, planters and drains?
Plaza waterproofing is priced as a layered assembly: hot-applied or cold fluid-applied membrane with upturns at every wall and curb, protection course, drainage mat, insulation and the overburden interface. Drains, planter liners and expansion joint transitions are counted each from the plaza plan and details, and we identify where the roofing, landscaping and paving scopes begin so the bid does not overlap or leave a gap.
How long does a waterproofing estimate take?
A single-building below-grade scope with one or two membrane systems is typically returned within 48 hours. Podium projects with plaza decks, parking traffic coatings and multiple foundation conditions take two to three working days, and remedial crack injection or basement repair pricing is usually same day. We confirm the delivery date before we start measuring.
Related
Related estimating services
Most projects need more than one trade. Bundle them into a single upload and we price the whole scope together.
Ready for a waterproofing estimating quote?
Upload your plans and get a fixed quote within 2 business hours. Most estimates are delivered in 24–48 hours.