FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions flooring contractors ask before they try Squaro. If yours is not here, email hello@squaroai.com.
About Squaro
What is Squaro?
Squaro is AI takeoff and quoting software for flooring contractors. You upload a builder's working drawings and selections, and Squaro reads every room from the printed dimensions, applies your own rules and rates, and produces a quote that you check line by line before it goes to the builder. It covers hard floors such as hybrid, laminate, vinyl plank and engineered timber, as well as carpet, blinds and floor preparation.
It is built for flooring contractors who quote from builders' plans, from an owner who quotes at night to an estimating team quoting several houses a week. It came out of a Perth flooring contractor that quotes volume builder homes every week, and it follows the method their estimators use.
Plans and reading
Which plans and documents does Squaro read?
PDF working drawings from volume and custom builders, together with the selections, colour schedule or addenda that says which finish goes where. You can upload several files to one quote, the same attachments the builder emailed you. Clean digital PDFs read best. Scanned or photographed plans can be read but take longer to check.
Does it scale the drawing or trace the rooms?
No. Squaro measures each room from the dimension strings printed on the drawing, the same figures you would read off it yourself, and never from the scale or the size of the drawing. Each room shows the page and the dimension text it used. If a dimension is hard to read, Squaro still gives its best reading, marks it as low confidence and tells you what to check, because a missing room costs more than one you have to correct.
Does it work with feet and inches?
Plans dimensioned in metres or millimetres are supported today. Imperial plans, square foot pricing and square yard carpet with seam planning for the US and Canada are on the roadmap.
Checking and accuracy
How do I check a quote before it goes out?
Every line on a Squaro quote shows the rooms behind it, the sheet each figure was read from, the dimension it used and the rule that was applied. You tick each line once you are happy with it, and Squaro records who ticked it. If a line's amount changes after it was ticked, the tick goes stale so it is checked again. You can change any area, opening or rate, and an edited figure keeps a note of what the plan said.
How accurate is it?
We do not publish an accuracy figure. Squaro measures from the dimensions printed on the drawing and shows you which number it used for every room, so you can see exactly where each figure came from. We test it against quotes worked by hand by experienced estimators. It is built on the basis that you check every line before a quote goes out, and you stay responsible for the quotes you send.
Will it quote the way I do?
Yes. You set your own waste, pack sizes, doorway and robe rules, under-cabinet allowance, stair allowance, trim method, carpet roll width, blinds markup, preparation charges, tax and standing extras, and Squaro applies them to every quote. Your rates are your own. The flooring quoting software page lists the rules.
What happens to quotes I have already sent if I change my rates?
Nothing. When a quote is marked as sent, Squaro keeps the rules and rates it was written with, so its price never changes. If you move a quote back to draft, it is priced again with your current rules.
Privacy and data
Who can see my plans and rates?
Only your team. The builder plans you upload and the rates you set stay private to your account. They are used to produce your quotes and are never shown to other customers.
Where are my plans processed and stored?
To read your plans, Squaro sends them to its AI provider, Anthropic, which processes them in the United States. Anthropic holds a copy while the file is on your quote, for 90 days at most. When you delete the file, or the 90 days pass, we remove that copy and Anthropic deletes it under its data retention policy. Your account and files are stored with Cloudflare. The privacy page has the details.
Are my plans used to train AI models?
No. Under Anthropic's commercial terms, your plans are not used to train its models.
Countries and access
Which countries does Squaro work in?
Squaro is launching in Australia and is open to flooring contractors in New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, the US and Canada. Each company has its own currency and tax setting, such as GST, VAT or sales tax, with prices entered inclusive or exclusive of tax. Plans need to be metric for now.
How do I get access?
Squaro is in early access and opening to a small group of flooring contractors first. Fill in the early access form with a little about how you quote, and we will be in touch to set up your rules and run your first plan with you. There is no public sign-up yet.
What does it cost?
Pricing is being confirmed during early access. Unless we have agreed a price with you in writing, Squaro is free during early access, and before we start charging we will email you the price at least 30 days ahead, so you can stop using it before then without paying anything.
Can my whole team use it?
Yes. You invite the people in your business and choose what each of them can do. Everyone signs in with a code sent to their email, so there are no passwords to manage. Squaro runs in a web browser, so there is nothing to install.
Related reading
- Flooring takeoff software that reads the builder's plansHow Squaro reads plans and selections and measures every space from the printed dimensions.
- Flooring quoting software that prices the way you doPricing builder plans with your own rules and rates, and checking every line before it is sent.
- How to quote flooring from builder plansThe full method, from the builder's pack to a priced quote, with a worked hybrid example.
Quote your next plan set with Squaro
Squaro is open to a small group of flooring contractors first. Tell us how you quote and we will set up your rules with you and run your first plan.
Request early access