The Fresco Blog
Notes on Division 8 estimating
Doors, frames, and hardware — how the takeoff actually gets done, and how AI is changing it.
Why Your Division 8 Bid Spread Widens on Incomplete Drawings
The architect didn’t finish the drawings, but the bid clock started anyway. A wide bid spread usually isn’t a sub problem — it’s a document problem. Here’s why, and how to qualify tight instead of guessing wide.
How Division 8 Estimators Review AI Takeoffs and Keep the Sign-Off
You still sign the bid — the AI just gets you there faster. Past trust, the next question is accountability. Here’s how the review works when the AI does the production and you keep the judgment.
Why Most Estimators Don’t Trust AI Takeoffs — And Why Division 8 Is Different
Most estimators who’ve tried AI takeoffs walked away unconvinced — and they were right to. Here’s why general-purpose AI fails on Division 8, and what a specialist tool does differently.
The $50,000 Scope Confusion: Who Actually Owns the Electrified Hardware?
Fifty thousand dollars of electrified hardware, ordered twice. Here’s how Division 8 scope ownership falls through the cracks between divisions — and how to catch it before award.
How to Get Hardware Sets Into Comsense Faster: What Division 8 Estimators Are Using in 2026
For many estimators, hardware entry takes as long as the takeoff itself. Here is how the five-step Comsense and eMullion workflow is collapsing into two.
The Fake Door Schedule Problem: Why Division 8 Takeoffs Are Harder Than They Should Be
A door schedule is supposed to be the single source of truth. In practice, it lies — referencing doors that aren’t there, omitting ones that are, and contradicting the hardware spec.
About Fresco: AI Built Exclusively for Division 8
We’re the only AI takeoff tool built exclusively for Division 8 — doors, frames, and hardware. Here’s how we got here and what we believe.