John McLean’s article with estimating worksheets are great from the Summer 05 Houses annual issue, but it left me with some questions on how to use it. Maybe John watches this forum…
Generally, I’m not quite sure if each item row represents something that I would be building/doing or if it was what is currently there. For example, under Roof Shape and Construction – “Gable hip, shed, and/or flat”? What if I’m doing a repair on just part of the roof?
1. How does it take into account the number of windows/doors you might be replacing? Do I need to ‘highlight’ the appropriate window/door level for each window/door I’d be replacing? Count level 3, six times for six windows?
2. For interior finish and fixtures, am I selecting what it is or what it’s going to be? For example, do I select medium-grade carpet because that’s what’s there or solid-wood strip flooring because that’s what I’m installing?
3. I didn’t see anything for estimating painting costs
Of course, because this is a ball-park estimator, maybe my questions/concerns are irrelevant! If I can figure this out a bit more, I’m thinking of making an MS Excel spreadsheet that you can just select each item and have it automatically calculate.
