Civil engineering
Quantity Surveying and Building Estimation
Measure a building from its drawings, price a bill of quantities and follow it to the final account.
- Free
- Beginner
- 20.6 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Measure substructure, frame, walls and finishes from drawings
- Build a bar bending schedule and weigh reinforcement
- Lay out a bill of quantities with clear item descriptions
- Build unit rates from material, labour, plant and overheads
- Value variations, interim payments and the final account
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Civil and architecture students, site engineers moving into estimating, and new quantity surveyors and estimators at contractors and consultancies worldwide.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. For civil and architecture students, site engineers moving into estimating, and new quantity surveyors. You should read a floor plan and use a spreadsheet; no estimating experience is needed.
What you need
Software: A spreadsheet: Excel, Excel for the web or LibreOffice Calc (free). A PDF viewer that can measure on a drawing is useful for digital take-off. The take-off sheet, bar bending schedule and bill are described in the notes so you can build them yourself..
Hardware: None. A scale rule and highlighters help with paper take-off, but everything can be done on screen.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
13 modules in order, at your own pace. 20.6 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1The quantity surveyor's role and the project stages26m
- 2Measurement rules: NRM, POMI, CESMM4 and the regional alternative1h 9m
- 3Reading drawings and the take-off method1h 15m
- 4Substructure: site clearance, excavation, blinding and footings1h 36m
- 5Concrete frame and formwork1h 27m
- 6Reinforcement and bar bending schedules1h 23m
- 7Masonry and blockwork1h 12m
- 8Finishes, doors, windows and roofing1h 4m
Show the other 5 modules
- 9The bill of quantities: structure, preambles and provisional items27m
- 10Building the rate in cost units1h 29m
- 11Tender pricing, comparison and cost planning1h 15m
- 12Variations, interim valuations and the final account1h 20m
- 13Final Assessment10m
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
A spreadsheet is enough for the take-off sheets, the bar bending schedule, the bill and the valuation. A PDF viewer that can measure on a drawing helps for digital take-off but is optional.
Show what to download (2 tools)
A spreadsheet, one of these
Any one is enough.
- 01Free web version with limits
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft
- Runs on
- Excel for the web in any modern browser; desktop apps for Windows and macOS with a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Account
- A free Microsoft account
Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of cloud storage. The desktop app comes with a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, which offers a free trial. Python in Excel is not available on free licences, and fuller Copilot features need an eligible paid plan.
Steps
- 1.Open the Excel page on microsoft.com and select Sign up for free, or Sign in.
- 2.Create or sign in to your Microsoft account.
- 3.Select Open Excel to start Excel for the web.
- 4.Upload the course workbook to OneDrive and open it.
- 5.If a lesson needs a desktop-only feature, consider the Microsoft 365 free trial.
- Most formulas, tables and charts work in Excel for the web; some advanced tools, such as Power Pivot and many add-ins, need the desktop app.
- Check the Python in Excel availability page before a Python lesson.
Official download pagemicrosoft.comAlternatives
- LibreOffice Calc: Free desktop spreadsheet for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Google Sheets: Free browser spreadsheet with a Google Account.
- 02Free
LibreOffice
The Document Foundation
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11, macOS 11 or newer (Intel or Apple silicon), Linux
- Account
- None needed
- Size
- up to 1.5 GB of disk space on Windows
LibreOffice is free, open-source software under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, for any use including business. Calc is its spreadsheet.
Steps
- 1.Open the LibreOffice download page.
- 2.Check the page has picked your operating system, then select Download.
- 3.Run the installer (administrator rights are needed on Windows).
- 4.Start LibreOffice Calc for spreadsheet work.
- 5.Save as .xlsx if you need to share files with Excel users.
- Choose the latest main version unless your organisation asks for the older, more conservative release.
Official download pagelibreoffice.org
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
What you practise
Course project, about 10 hours
Take-off, bill of quantities and first valuation for a two-classroom school block
Measure a small single-storey school block from its drawing list, lay out a priced bill of quantities in a spreadsheet with rates built in cost units, and prepare a first interim valuation with one variation. You deliver the dimension sheets, the bill, the rate build-ups and the valuation, with every total checked a second way.
- 5documents in the pack
- 6steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 10 hof work, at your pace
- Drawing listDrawing and schedule list, Ashgrove two-classroom block
- ReportTake-off summary, Ashgrove two-classroom block
- RegisterRate build-up register, Ashgrove two-classroom block
- BOMPriced bill of quantities, Ashgrove two-classroom block
- RegisterVariation and valuation register, Ashgrove two-classroom block
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
Project work you can show
Weekly briefs and a work record, online. Pick the internship that fits you. Finish the 4 weeks and get a free Internship Completion Certificate, with a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
Find an internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- PLC programmer
- Controls engineer
- Automation technician
- Commissioning engineer
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Premium internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Cost Engineering Professional, Construction Quantity Surveying Tutoring, QSplorer, DIYQSPRO, Metroun Quantity Surveying, Mudassir Afraz, Naresh Poonia, Saady Chohan, Awarded Bid, WeConstructHub, Easy QS by Neyomi, Contract Management Channel, Evolution5, Civil Engineering Easy, Civil Tutor, Duncan Cartlidge Online, QS SITE DIARY, QUANTITY SURVEYING ACADEMY, Quantity Survey and Estimation, Quantity Surveying Workshop, TECHBiZ Insights, The Quantity Surveying Chronicles. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Cost Engineering Professional · Construction Quantity Surveying Tutoring · QSplorer · DIYQSPRO · Metroun Quantity Surveying · Mudassir Afraz · Naresh Poonia · Saady Chohan · Awarded Bid · WeConstructHub · Easy QS by Neyomi · Contract Management Channel · Evolution5 · Civil Engineering Easy · Civil Tutor · Duncan Cartlidge Online · QS SITE DIARY · QUANTITY SURVEYING ACADEMY · Quantity Survey and Estimation · Quantity Surveying Workshop · TECHBiZ Insights · The Quantity Surveying Chronicles. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
What is the quantity surveying and building estimation course?
It is a free-to-learn course that shows you how to turn building drawings into measured quantities and a priced bill of quantities, then follow the job through tender, variations, interim valuations and the final account. One two-storey clinic is worked through every module.
Who is the Quantity Surveying and Building Estimation course for?
Civil and architecture students, site engineers moving into estimating, and new quantity surveyors or estimators. You should be able to read a floor plan and use a spreadsheet. No estimating experience is needed.
Which measurement standards does it teach?
It teaches the method that carries across standards and names the families: RICS NRM 1 and NRM 2 for building, POMI where Gulf contracts name it, and CESMM4 for civil works. IS 1200 is mentioned as a regional alternative. The RICS NRM page was checked on 1 November 2026. The notes paraphrase the rules, so read the current edition before measuring a real job.
Why are the prices in cost units?
A cost unit (CU) stands in for money so the method is the same whatever currency or price book you use at work. When you price a real job you replace each CU rate with a real rate from your own market.
Will this make me a chartered surveyor?
No. The course teaches methods used in quantity surveying and estimating. Its certificate is a verifiable certificate of completion from EDWartens, not a chartered or accredited qualification, and the course is not affiliated with RICS or any other professional body.
Do I need special software?
No. A spreadsheet is enough for the take-off sheets, the bar bending schedule, the bill and the valuation. A PDF viewer that can measure on a drawing helps but is optional.
How long does it take, and is it free?
About 14 hours of video and around 21 hours in total with the notes, worked problems and the optional project, at your own pace. Every module, the notes, the optional school-block project and the final assessment are free to learn.
What certificate does the Quantity Surveying and Building Estimation course give?
A verifiable certificate of completion, issued when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final at 60 percent. It has a unique certificate number, a QR code and a public verification page that shows the course, the modules covered and your final score.
Start free today
Quantity Surveying and Building Estimation, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.