Prices per unit, wastage rates, and other factors can then be applied to take-off results, and by adding other costs such as labor, overhead and other items, a complete estimate of the cost of the work to be performed can be obtained.

In order to generate an accurate bid for construction work, plan drawings must be reviewed and an accurate determination of dimensions, such as the length and height of a wall or the square footage of an area, and of units, such as the number of electrical outlets, must be made.

Takeoff & Estimating Software with Planswift This is just one very simple but amazingly powerful tool that can be used in the Planswift takeoff estimate software platform. With our new Goggle maps plug in you simply use the map to hover over the area your bidding on, click on a button, the map image gets scaled to your measuring properties, then simply draw you lines around the property to get a square foot measurement of the area to be asphalted, all from your desk, one person, one computer and the ability to estimate and submit hundreds of bids a day not 2 or 3. How many places can you visit a day, how many people does that take, how much fuel, time per hour? This is just one instance where Planswift Takeoff software is the most useful tool in your contracting arsenal. Just imagine, your bidding on laying down asphalt for a location, the old method would mean you have to drive to the site, get out a measuring or surveying device, measure the area then calculate all the properties you need to come up with “the bid”. They can then determine where they will appropriate their funds early in the construction process and receive a full accounting disc With the cost-plus basis, the homeowners know their actual costs on an ongoing basis. A cost-plus contract can be advantageous when building larger, custom homes with finish levels and other things changing during the process. With a costplus contract, you’ll pay the actual costs for all labor and material, plus the builder’s fee. A good builder will give you an accurate cost estimate, but it’s exactly that-an estimate-until the final accounting. Of course, neither you nor your builder will know the exact bottom line for the building costs until the final accounting is completed shortly after closing. This fee can be either a lump sum (flat fee) or a percentage of total costs.

A cost-plus contract differs from a fixed-price contract in that it takes the actual cost of building the home and adds a fee for the builder’s overhead and management.

Planswift cost