Bobyard 2.0 arrives with faster takeoff workflow and unified AI for estimators
Construction is one of the industries that suffers the most from slow manual processes riddled with room for error.
Anyone who works as an estimator — the professional responsible for calculating project budgets — knows exactly what that means: hours spent redoing measurements, rebuilding data between stages, and trying to close out a bid without missing a single detail along the way.
This is precisely the scenario that Bobyard 2.0 is here to change.
The Bobyard artificial intelligence platform just unveiled its most complete version yet, designed for contractors in the construction and landscaping space. The update brings together artificial intelligence tools into a single workspace and rethinks the entire workflow from start to finish, from initial measurement to finalized proposal.
The promise is straightforward: less wasted time, fewer mistakes, and more bids submitted with far greater confidence.
Here is what changes with this update and why it has been turning so many heads in the construction technology market. 👇
What is Bobyard 2.0 and why it matters right now
Bobyard 2.0 is not just a UI refresh or a new feature tacked on here and there. It is a complete overhaul of how the platform works, designed to solve real problems that estimators face every single day. The previous version already had an interesting proposition, but the new one delivers something different: an integrated experience where each part of the estimating process connects seamlessly with the next, without the professional having to copy data manually or switch between different systems to complete a simple task.
The main focus of this update is on takeoffs — the stage where blueprints and project documents are analyzed to identify the materials and quantities needed for a job. Speeding up this stage means reducing the risk of errors that come with manual measurements. Ultimately, faster and more accurate takeoffs lead to fewer costly surprises during construction.
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The construction industry operates at a pace that does not forgive. Bids need to go out fast, measurements need to be accurate, and any mistake in the estimate can eat into the profit margin of an entire project. For a long time, the tools available on the market treated these stages in isolation, creating bottlenecks that only the people in the trenches could truly see. Bobyard 2.0 was developed with exactly that perspective: understanding where time is wasted and where technology can step in intelligently to actually fix things.
The launch comes at a time when artificial intelligence has gone from novelty to expectation. Professionals across different fields have already realized that well-applied AI tools save hours of work per week. In construction, where margins are tight and the volume of data per project is massive, those savings translate directly into competitiveness. More bids sent, more contracts won, less rework. That is the central argument behind Bobyard 2.0, and the features released in this version back that claim up nicely.
The key features of Bobyard 2.0
Bobyard 2.0 integrates materials and their costs following a measure first, price later model. This approach was designed to save time and reduce errors from takeoff all the way to the finalized proposal. The idea is that the estimator focuses on capturing the right measurements without worrying prematurely about costs, which avoids that classic situation of having to redo everything when a price changes midway through.
Multi-Measure: draw once, get every measurement
One of the standout features is Multi-Measure. It allows the estimator to draw just once on the blueprint and automatically get area, perimeter, and total volume, without needing to create separate lines or shapes for each calculation. All related measurements are generated simultaneously, eliminating repetitive work. For anyone doing dozens of takeoffs per week, this represents a significant time savings on every project.
AI Workbench: all AI tools in one place
The platform also connected all of its artificial intelligence tools into a unified space called the AI Workbench. Within that environment, there is an option called Review Workflow, which lets the estimator check and decide whether to trust or adjust specific results generated by the AI before including them in the takeoff. In other words, the AI does not operate in the dark — the professional maintains full control over what makes it into the final estimate.
This balance between automation and human oversight is a critical point. In industries like construction, where a measurement error can cost thousands of dollars, having fast AI is not enough. It needs to be reliable and transparent, and the Review Workflow addresses exactly that need.
Legend Manager and Text Count
The Legend Manager feature received an update that offers more flexibility. It works as a dedicated space to create and run legends for symbols and patterns found in blueprints. Meanwhile, Text Count is another noteworthy feature: it turns words or labels present in technical drawings into count-based measurements. If a blueprint has tags indicating, for example, the type of light fixture in each room, Text Count can interpret those texts and automatically convert them into quantified data.
Estimate table without rework
According to the company, once the takeoff is done, the professional should not have to rebuild anything to arrive at a finalized estimate. Importing prices and assemblies into the Bobyard 2.0 Estimate Table is now simpler and more straightforward. This means the estimator can go from takeoff to a production-ready estimate without needing to export anything to external spreadsheets or redo any step just to view the data in a budget context. 📊
Navigation and cross-page search
Navigation improvements are also part of the package. Bobyard 2.0 introduced a cross-page search that makes it easy to find information in large projects with dozens of blueprint sheets. The workflow, from takeoff to the final ready-to-use estimate, has been streamlined so everything happens inside the platform, with no need to switch tools or leave the environment.
Artificial intelligence genuinely applied to the estimator workflow
One of the biggest bets in Bobyard 2.0 is the use of artificial intelligence to speed up reading and interpreting blueprints and technical documents. The system can automatically identify elements in projects, classify materials, and generate initial estimates based on recognized data, drastically cutting the time an estimator would spend doing this work from scratch. This does not mean the professional loses control of the process — quite the opposite: they shift to reviewing and adjusting instead of building everything manually, which is far more efficient and far less prone to errors.
Beyond document recognition, the workflow inside the platform was redesigned so that information moves from one stage to the next without friction. When a measurement is completed, it automatically feeds into the budget. When the budget is adjusted, the proposal updates in real time. This chain of information sounds simple, but in practice it eliminates one of the biggest villains in the estimator’s routine: the task of reconciling data across spreadsheets and different systems at the end of the day, when any error has already passed through multiple hands.
The company states that its platform currently automates up to 70% of the quantity and material takeoff process. Contractors using Bobyard report an average 65% reduction in takeoff time. On top of that, estimators are managing to submit three to five times more bids, with more accurate results, better margins, and higher win rates. These are numbers that show how AI, when applied well, stops being a theoretical resource and becomes a real competitive advantage. 🤖
What changed in the user experience for construction teams
Bobyard 2.0 also brought significant improvements to how teams collaborate within the platform. Previously, it was common for different team members to work on different versions of the same document, creating conflicts and rework when it came time to consolidate information. Now, with simplified navigation and smoother integration between stages, the platform offers more reliability for larger teams that need to keep everyone aligned during the estimating process.
The interface also went through an important redesign. The layout was simplified so that the functions most used in the daily routine of estimators are accessible without having to navigate through complex menus. This matters more than it might seem: in technical tools, the learning curve is often a real barrier to adoption. When the platform is intuitive, the team reaches productivity faster and the return on investment shows up much sooner. Bobyard clearly had this in mind when overhauling the user experience in this version.
The consolidation of all AI tools in the AI Workbench, combined with the measure-first-price-later model, creates a flow that makes sense for anyone working under deadline pressure. The estimator does not need to toggle between separate modules or try to piece together a puzzle. Everything is in one place, designed to work together from the very first click.
What the founders and the market are saying
Michael Ding, founder and CEO of Bobyard, explained that every change made in this version was driven by direct customer feedback. According to him, users needed to move faster, maintain control over the process, and spend less time on tasks the software should be handling for them. Bobyard 2.0 is the company’s answer to those demands, and Ding made it clear that this is just the beginning.
Marty Grunder, founder of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping, was even more blunt in his assessment. In his view, the AI tools in Bobyard 2.0 are on another level, cutting takeoff time in half on real projects. Grunder stated that for anyone looking to elevate their estimating game this season, there is nothing comparable on the market.
It is worth noting that Bobyard raised $35 million in a Series A round last year, led by 8VC with participation from Pear VC and Caffeinated Capital. This investment demonstrates the venture capital market’s confidence in the company’s vision and gives it the runway to keep advancing platform development at a rapid pace. 💰
Availability and next steps
Bobyard 2.0 was launched on April 8, initially for landscaping contractors. The company plans to make the platform available to other construction segments by the end of April. This phased rollout strategy allows the team to collect initial feedback from a focused group before expanding to a broader audience, which typically results in a more polished product when it reaches other markets.
For construction and landscaping companies still relying on manual spreadsheets or disconnected tools, Bobyard 2.0 represents a very tangible step up. The platform delivers what the market has been asking for: a solution that understands the business, speaks the estimator’s language, and uses technology to solve real problems — not create new ones.
Why estimators are paying attention to this update
The construction technology market has grown significantly in recent years, but not every tool that promises to transform the industry actually delivers something practical for the people on the front lines. What sets Bobyard 2.0 apart in this landscape is that it was built with a direct focus on the problems estimators face, not on generic features that look impressive but do not fit well into the reality of day-to-day work. Every feature released in this version has a specific problem that justifies its existence, and that is reflected in how professionals in the field have been receiving the launch.
The combination of artificial intelligence with a well-structured workflow is exactly what was missing from most solutions available until now. Many systems had one or the other, but rarely both working in an integrated way. Bobyard 2.0 positions AI not as a showcase feature, but as the backbone of the estimating process, ensuring the professional saves time at every stage and not just in one or two isolated parts of the workflow.
The numbers presented by the company reinforce this positioning. Automating 70% of the takeoff process, combined with a 65% reduction in total time and a three-to-five-fold increase in bid volume, are metrics that catch the attention of any manager who needs to scale operations without compromising quality. This alignment between technology and practical need is what has placed Bobyard 2.0 at the center of conversations about innovation in the construction industry. 🏗️
