Replies

1. 
   Sphere | Jun 09, 2005 03:34am | #1

   I have exp. with "The national Const. est." by Craftsman books (?) It was a good program , BUT, no replacement for commonsense and a pencil.

   It hink ya get the newest book and a CD for less than 50.00 for the yrs. info., Do NOT trust it as the do all, end all...it may give you a point of reference.

   With prices being a rollercoaster, and labor hard to find..it is always a gamble.

   Here...Bid high. Pay well. Trust your work. Cross your eyes and don't skip the tea. It all works out in the end.

     Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Time, time, time look what's become of us..
   Time is all we have, spend it wisely with fervor..dance for no reason, love with out plans and live without worries..we all can.

2. 
   trimguy | Jun 09, 2005 04:44am | #2

   I use an online program that I'm very happy with. Just plug in the quantities of whatever you're building, and it calculates labour and material costs based on your geographical area. You can also create your own "custom items" for things that you do often.

   Here's the link:

   http://www.costestimator.com/

1. 
   Taylorsdad | Jun 12, 2005 02:55pm | #3

   Do you only do trimwork estimating?

1. 
   trimguy | Jun 13, 2005 09:02am | #5

   About 90-95% interior trim on new residential projects. I'll do the occasional addition/reno if it's interesting. That's where I find the cost estimator program really helpful.

3. 
   JasonPharez | Jun 13, 2005 06:02am | #4

   I use Quickbooks Pro Contractor and it has an Item list where you can modify and set up standard prices for everything; i.e. for framing:

   06 Framing Labor    Basic Labor to Frame 1-story Building, up to 2,000 SF, including Walls, Roof, Sheathing, etc.   3.00

   I still add up everything by hand and then enter it into a line item estimate on QB

   Jason Pharez Construction

      Framing & Exterior Remodeling

1. 
   ChrisG1 | Jun 14, 2005 01:37am | #6

   Thanks for the info.