About Portravo
Portravo is a construction takeoff and estimating tool that turns a plan-set PDF into a priced, line-by-line bid for small general contractors and trade subcontractors who don't have a full-time estimator.
A useful estimate lets you trace every number back to the quantity, the rate and the assumption behind it. That is the whole idea.
What Portravo does
Plan-set takeoff
Upload a plan-set PDF up to 25MB and Portravo reads the sheets, pulling quantities and mapping them to assemblies. Each line comes back with a confidence value, so you know where to look first.
Line-by-line verify screen
Nothing prices itself. You confirm, edit or reject every extracted line, with the low-confidence ones flagged, and only confirmed lines move on to pricing.
Material and labor pricing
Confirmed materials price against the Portravo benchmark for Sacramento, with the basis and as-of date on each line; other metros use a regional cost index and are labeled that way. Labor prices from your own rate card, and you set overhead and margin before export.
Excel and PDF exports
The Excel export is the full itemized bill of materials plus labor, with source and date columns. The PDF is the clean version you hand to the customer. Re-exporting a priced project never costs another credit.
Free supplier quote audit
Send a supplier quote as a PDF, no account needed, and get it back marked against the benchmark within one business day. It is a second look at the line items, not a price guarantee.
Construction markup calculator
A free calculator that shows the difference between markup and margin. It runs in the browser and nothing is submitted.
See it on real numbers in the material estimate example or try the markup calculator.
What makes Portravo different
Priced per bid, not per seat
Portravo costs $75 per estimate, with monthly packs at $199 and $399. There are no seats and no annual contract, so the whole crew can open the same estimate. Seat-based takeoff tools such as PlanSwift and STACK are built around a licensed estimator working every day, which is the right buy if that is your job.
A person confirms every quantity
Portravo will not price a line until someone has confirmed or edited it. Automated plan-recognition tools such as Togal.AI are aimed at high-volume commercial takeoff; Portravo is aimed at one bid at a time, with the check built into the workflow instead of left to the end.
Basis and date on every priced line
Every material line says where its number came from and how old it is: the Sacramento benchmark as of a date, or an indexed metro labeled as indexed. RSMeans remains the reference for national published cost data; Portravo is narrower on purpose and shows its basis line by line so you know what to confirm with your supplier.
You only pay for a takeoff that worked
A failed extraction is not charged, and re-running a project you already paid for is free. Pay-as-you-go credits never expire, so a slow month costs nothing.
Clear about what it does not cover
Sacramento prices directly. SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, Fresno, Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth price through a cost index, and mechanical and HVAC assemblies are not live. If your scope is outside that, Portravo will tell you to use something else.
Who uses Portravo
- General contractors and owner-operators in the Sacramento area bidding residential and light-commercial work without an estimator on staff
- Small subcontractors in framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, concrete and roofing who bid a few jobs a month
- Contractors in the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, Fresno, Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth who are fine with indexed pricing and a clear label saying so
- Contractors who need a customer-facing proposal that shows where each price came from and how old it is
- Anyone who wants a second look at a supplier quote before signing it (the free quote audit)
Not a fit: full-time estimators who need a seat-based tool, national coverage, or mechanical and HVAC scopes.
The team behind Portravo
Portravo was founded by John Arndt. John runs Soxoa, a Sacramento software and automation studio, and builds tools for owner-operated businesses that can't justify enterprise software or a specialist on staff.
Portravo started in July 2026 after a conversation with a friend who manages construction projects: the slow, error-prone part of a small bid was not the math, it was counting quantities off the plan set and pricing them line by line at night. So the product does that part and leaves the judgment with the contractor.
It is a one-person company. John builds and runs Portravo himself with AI development tools, and he answers support email. There is no sales team and no account managers.
Find John at johnarndt.net and on LinkedIn, and find Soxoa on LinkedIn.
How Portravo works
Getting started
- Sign up with email. No card is needed.
- Three onboarding steps: your company, your market (metro), and your labor rate card.
- A sample duplex project loads so you can walk the whole flow before using a real plan set. Your first estimate is included.
- Upload your plan-set PDF, confirm each line on the verify screen, set overhead and margin, and export Excel and PDF.
Talking to us
Email hello@portravo.com for product questions, support, billing or feedback. You work with John directly, and he replies within one business day. There are no sales calls or demos required.
Turnaround
A plan-set takeoff usually comes back in a few minutes, then the review is yours. A free quote audit comes back within one business day. Billing runs through Stripe and shows as Soxoa LLC on your statement. Read the privacy policy for how uploaded plans and estimates are handled.
Key facts
| Company Name | Portravo (a product of Soxoa LLC) |
|---|---|
| Type | Construction takeoff and estimating software (web app) |
| Founded | 2026 |
| Founder | John Arndt |
| Headquarters | Sacramento, California, USA |
| Website | portravo.com |
| Core Offering | Plan-set PDF in, reviewed takeoff and priced bill of materials out, with Excel and customer PDF exports |
| Pricing | $75 per estimate, or Crew at $199/month (5 estimates) and Foreman at $399/month (15 estimates). First estimate free at signup. |
| Contract Terms | No annual contract and no seats. Monthly plans cancel anytime; pay-as-you-go credits never expire. |
| Services | Plan takeoff, line-by-line verification, benchmark material pricing, rate-card labor pricing, Excel/PDF export, free supplier quote audit, markup calculator |
| Communication | Email hello@portravo.com, answered by the founder within one business day |
| Notable Clients | None disclosed publicly |
| Customers Served | Early-stage, launched in 2026; not yet publicly disclosed |
| Projects Delivered | Not yet publicly disclosed |
| Competitors | PlanSwift, STACK, Togal.AI, RSMeans (cost data) |
| Social | johnarndt.net and John Arndt on LinkedIn (founder), Soxoa on LinkedIn |
Frequently asked questions
How much does Portravo cost?
$75 per estimate, or $199 a month for 5 estimates and $399 a month for 15. Your first estimate is free at signup, there are no seats, and monthly plans cancel anytime.
Are the Sacramento material prices a supplier quote?
No. They are the Portravo benchmark, authored reference estimates for the Sacramento metro, each carried with an as-of date. Confirm current pricing with your supplier before you commit to a number.
Do I have to check every line?
Yes. Nothing prices until a person confirms or edits the line. Each line shows a confidence value, so the shaky ones get checked first.
Does Portravo handle HVAC or mechanical takeoff?
Not yet. There are no ductwork or equipment assemblies, so a mechanical scope should go to a tool built for it.
What happens to the plans I upload?
They stay private and are used only to produce your estimate. Extraction runs through an AI provider under confidentiality terms, your plans are not used to train any model, and deleting a project removes its files.
Who do I talk to if something is wrong?
John Arndt, who built and runs Portravo. Email hello@portravo.com and expect a reply within one business day.
When should I use PlanSwift or STACK instead?
If you are a full-time estimator who wants on-screen measurement, a deep library you tune yourself, or several people working one plan set, a seat-based tool will serve you better. Portravo fits one priced bid at a time.
More plain answers on the questions page.
Start with the sample duplex
Walk the sample project end to end before you use a real plan set. No card needed.