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Free course · Civil engineering

Quantity Surveying and Building Estimation

This free course teaches you to turn drawings into measured quantities and a priced bill. You take off substructure, frame, reinforcement, masonry, finishes and roofing on one clinic project, then build rates, compare tenders, value variations and agree a final account. NRM 2 is the main rule set, with CESMM4 for civil work. It suits trainee and assistant quantity surveyors, estimators and site engineers moving into cost roles. It supports a career change into surveying, but it cannot promise a job.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
13
Video
21 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain the quantity surveyor's role across the project stages; choose the measurement rule family for a building, a Gulf contract and a civil works package; read drawings and set out a dimension sheet; take off substructure, concrete frame, formwork, reinforcement, masonry, finishes, doors, windows and roofing and check each result by a second route; build a bar bending schedule with weights from bar diameter; lay out a bill of quantities with preambles, preliminaries and provisional sums; build unit rates in cost units from material with waste, labour hours, plant, overheads and profit; compare tenders like for like; prepare an elemental cost plan; and value variations, interim payments and the final account.

  • Say what a quantity surveyor does at each project stage and name the cost document that belongs to it
  • Choose the measurement family for a job: RICS NRM 1 and 2, POMI or CESMM4, with IS 1200 as a regional alternative
  • Read drawings, set out a dimension sheet and find a wall girth by the centre-line method
  • Take off substructure, frame, formwork, reinforcement, blockwork, finishes, doors, windows and a flat roof
  • Build a bar bending schedule and weigh reinforcement from bar diameter and cut length
  • Lay out a bill of quantities with preambles, preliminaries and provisional sums
  • Build unit rates in cost units and compare tenders after correcting errors and omissions
  • Prepare a cost plan, value variations and interim payments, and build a final account

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.

Syllabus

13 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1The quantity surveyor's role and the project stages3 lessons
  2. 2Measurement rules: NRM, POMI, CESMM4 and the regional alternative5 lessons
  3. 3Reading drawings and the take-off method2 lessons
  4. 4Substructure: site clearance, excavation, blinding and footings5 lessons
  5. 5Concrete frame and formwork3 lessons
  6. 6Reinforcement and bar bending schedules4 lessons
  7. 7Masonry and blockwork5 lessons
  8. 8Finishes, doors, windows and roofing5 lessons
  9. 9The bill of quantities: structure, preambles and provisional items4 lessons
  10. 10Building the rate in cost units4 lessons
  11. 11Tender pricing, comparison and cost planning7 lessons
  12. 12Variations, interim valuations and the final account7 lessons
  13. 13Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Quantity Surveying and Building Estimation

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Jobs

Jobs this course can lead to

The skills in this course are used in quality and project engineering work, for example as a quantity surveyor, an assistant quantity surveyor and an estimator. No course can promise a job, and employers also look for experience, so read what live adverts ask for.

Questions

About this course

Last reviewed 1 November 2026.

Does the course follow RICS NRM?
Yes. Building measurement follows the approach of NRM 2 and cost planning follows NRM 1, with CESMM4 for civil engineering work. The course explains the rules in its own words, so keep the RICS documents to hand for live projects.
Will it make me a chartered quantity surveyor?
No. Chartered status comes from RICS through its Assessment of Professional Competence, usually after a degree and structured experience. The course gives you measurement and valuation practice you can use at work and talk about in an interview.
Is the £19 certificate a recognised qualification?
No. It is an optional EDWartens certificate of completion that costs £19 including VAT, with a public verification page. It is not a regulated qualification and is not accredited by RICS or CIOB. All the learning is free without it.
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 this 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.
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 do I get?
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.

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The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

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