I have two possible projects lined up. The clients are asking for estimates. Being new to the cabinetry building process I am in need of some type of estimating software. I would like something that can break the project down to individual cabinets and or parts within the cabinets. Also a section detailing the labor cost as well. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Software Program For Estimates
- Thread starter TomGadwa1
- Start date
Chuck Kiser
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- Jul 29, 2007
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- 150
This is the program I've used for years. http://cutlistplus.com/?go2d&gclid=CJCc246Vp7cCFQdgMgodQ0QAdw
Take a look and choose the version that best fits your needs. The other option is to create your own spreadsheet solution.
Take a look and choose the version that best fits your needs. The other option is to create your own spreadsheet solution.
simple answer is there are several, but none of them will magically tell you how much to charge. the few i have seen are geared toward kitchen/bath or closets. i use a spreadsheet, some people price cabinets by the foot
shop rates differ by a wide amount, clients and local economy can have a massive impact also
figure out materials cost including delivery to your shop, or going to pick them up yourself.
Do a full size drawing. computer or hand drawn this teaches you to think through the joinery so your building it on paper first. build a cut list from that.
type up a process of how you are going to build the project,
include set up times, for example if a project has 24 mortise and tenons exactly the same. its going to take less time than 6 unique sets of 4 mortise and tenon joints
Dont forget overhead plus shop consumables sandpaper glue etc
Find out what local cabinet makers shop rates are. None of us like bidding against someone that under charges.
recently I bid on job that had 140$ in materials and a minimum of 2 days labor. the person that got the job charged bid 250$
shop rates differ by a wide amount, clients and local economy can have a massive impact also
figure out materials cost including delivery to your shop, or going to pick them up yourself.
Do a full size drawing. computer or hand drawn this teaches you to think through the joinery so your building it on paper first. build a cut list from that.
type up a process of how you are going to build the project,
include set up times, for example if a project has 24 mortise and tenons exactly the same. its going to take less time than 6 unique sets of 4 mortise and tenon joints
Dont forget overhead plus shop consumables sandpaper glue etc
Find out what local cabinet makers shop rates are. None of us like bidding against someone that under charges.
recently I bid on job that had 140$ in materials and a minimum of 2 days labor. the person that got the job charged bid 250$
farms100 said:
Pretty quick. For me it was intuitive and easy to get a handle on (more so than Sketchup and other cad programs). There are a ton of videos at the website that give instruction. The newest is a video showing Dave drawing a desk area that closes up and he covers most of the features of the program. Any other questions fire away.
Jack
NERemodeling
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- Mar 17, 2013
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- 608
farms100 said:
i have to agree 100% with farms, estimating programs (remodeling/building) havent been that great for me. the scope of my jobs change so much from one to another that ive found the best way is to do it the old fashoned way.
i break things down into time from the first thing i will do for that job including time for ordering/acquiring materials through the daily functions of the job including setup/breakdown/cleanup being able to visualize the process of the job helps this
if doing an install of the cabinets or building them on site make sure to plan for things like limited access during the day, extra cleanups during the job, shuffling materials and any demo/repair that you might have to do
dont short yourself on your materials and again like farms mentioned dont forget to include all the little things, fasteners, sandpaper, glue, and any joinery or finishing materials/supplies
another little thing that can add up depending on the project is fuel and travel time so take that into cosideration
Good luck with the projects!
John
NERemodeling said:
its tough to include in travel time to an estimate, unless a job requires paying for parking and or long drives. While it would be nice to get my shop rate for driving down to the lumber yard 9 time out of 10, I consider that non billable hours.
