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| | | 2009 National Construction Estimator CDw/Book |  | 2009 National Construction Estimator,
Current building costs for residential, commercial, and industrial construction. Estimated prices for every common building material. Provides manhours, recommended crew, and gives the labor cost for installation. Includes a CD-ROM with an electronic version of the book with National Estimator, a stand-alone Windows estimating program, plus an interactive multimedia video that shows how to use the disk to compile construction cost estimates. Revised annually. 616 pages, 8-1/2 x 11
Includes Job Cost Wizard – turns estimates into invoices and exports both in QuickBooks.
|  | | | You May Also Like | | | Also In This Section | | | Review a Chapter of this Book | This Book Is an Encyclopedia of 2003 Building Costs
The 2003 National Construction Estimator lists estimated construction costs to general contractors performing the work with their own crews, as of mid-2003. Overhead & profit are not included.
This Manual Has Two Parts; the Residential Construction Division begins on page 17. Use the figures in this division when estimating the cost of homes and apartments with a wood, steel or masonry frame. The Industrial and Commercial Division begins on page 286 and can be used to estimate costs for nearly all construction not covered by the Residential Division.
The Residential Construction Division is arranged in alphabetical order by construction trade and type of material. The Industrial and Commercial Division follows the 16 section Construction Specification Format. A complete index begins on page 587.
National Estimator (inside the back cover) is an electronic version of this book. A video guide to National Estimator will begin in a few seconds after you insert the CD in your CD-ROM drive.
Material Costs
Material Costs for each item are listed in the column headed “Material.” These are neither retail nor wholesale prices. They are estimates of what most contractors who buy in moderate volume will pay suppliers as of mid-2002. Discounts may be available for purchases in larger volume.
Add Delivery Expense to the material cost for other than local delivery of reasonably large quantities. Cost of delivery varies with the distance from source of supply, method of transportation, and quantity to be delivered. But most material dealers absorb the delivery cost on local delivery (5 to 15 miles) of larger quantities to good customers. Add the expense of job site delivery when it is a significant part of the material cost.
Add Sales Tax when sales tax will be charged to the contractor buying the materials.
Waste and Coverage loss is included in the installed material cost. The cost of many materials per unit after installation is greater than the purchase price for the same unit because of waste, shrinkage or coverage loss during installation. For example, about 120 square feet of nominal 1" x 4" square edge boards will be needed to cover 100 square feet of floor or wall. There is no coverage loss with plywood sheathing, but waste due to cutting and fitting will average about 6%.
Costs in the “Material” column of this book assume normal waste and coverage loss. Small and irregular jobs may require a greater waste allowance. Materials priced without installation (with no labor cost) do not include an allowance for waste and coverage except as noted.
Labor Costs
Labor Costs for installing the material or doing the work described are listed in the column headed “Labor.” The labor cost per unit is the labor cost per hour multiplied by the manhours per unit shown after the @ sign in the “Craft@Hours” column. Labor cost includes the basic wage, the employer’s contribution to welfare, pension, vacation and apprentice funds and all tax and insurance charges based on wages. Hourly labor costs for the various crafts are listed on page 10 (for the Residential Division) and page 285 (for the Industrial and Commercial Division).
Hourly labor costs used in the Industrial and Commercial Division are higher than those used in the Residential Division, reflecting the fact that craftsmen on industrial and commercial jobs are often paid more than craftsmen on residential jobs.
Supervision Expense to the general contractor is not included in the labor cost. The cost of supervision and non-productive labor varies widely from job to job. Calculate the cost of supervision and non-productive labor and add this to the estimate.
Payroll Taxes and Insurance included in the labor cost are itemized in the sections beginning on pages 163 and 261.
Manhours per Unit and the Craft performing the work are listed in the “Craft@Hrs” column. Pages 7 through 9 explain the “Craft@Hrs” column. To find the units of work done per man in an 8-hour day, divide 8 by the manhours per unit. To find the units done by a crew in an 8-hour day, multiply the units per man per 8-hour day by the number of crew members.
Manhours Include all productive labor normally associated with installing the materials described. This will usually include tasks such as:
Unloading and storing construction materials, tools and equipment on site.
Moving tools and equipment from a storage area or truck on site at the beginning of the day.
Returning tools and equipment to a storage area or truck on site at the end of the day.
Normal time lost for work breaks.
Planning and discussing the work to be performed.
Normal handling, measuring, cutting and fitting.
Keeping a record of the time spent and work done.
Regular cleanup of construction debris.
Infrequent correction or repairs required because of faulty installation.
Adjust the Labor Cost to the job you are figuring when your actual hourly labor cost is known or can be estimated. The labor costs listed on pages 10 and 285 will apply within a few percent on many jobs. But labor costs may be much higher or much lower on the job you are estimating.
If the hourly wage rates listed on page 10 or page 285 are not accurate, divide your known or estimated cost per hour by the listed cost per hour. The result is your adjustment for any figure in the “Labor” column for that craft. See page 11 for more information on adjusting labor costs.
Adjust for Unusual Labor Productivity. Costs in the labor column are for normal conditions: experienced craftsmen working on reasonably well planned and managed new construction with fair to good productivity. Labor estimates assume that materials are standard grade, appropriate tools are on hand, work done by other crafts is adequate, layout and installation are relatively uncomplicated, and working conditions don’t slow progress.
Working conditions at the job site have a major effect on labor cost. Estimating experience and careful analysis can help you predict the effect of most changes in working conditions. Obviously, no single adjustment will apply on all jobs. But the adjustments that follow should help you produce more accurate labor estimates. More than one condition may apply on a job.
Add 10% to 15% when working temperatures are below 40 degrees or above 95 degrees.
Add 15% to 25% for work on a ladder or a scaffold, in a crawl space, in a congested area or remote from the material storage point.
Deduct 10% when the work is in a large open area with excellent access and good light.
Add 1% for each 10 feet materials must be lifted above ground level.
Add 5% to 50% for tradesmen with below average skills. Deduct 5% to 25% for highly motivated, highly skilled tradesmen.
Deduct 10% to 20% when an identical task is repeated many times for several days at the same site.
Add 30% to 50% on small jobs where fitting and matching of materials is required, adjacent surfaces have to be protected and the job site is occupied during construction.
Add 25% to 50% for work done following a major flood, fire, earthquake, hurricane or tornado while skilled tradesmen are not readily available. Material costs may also be higher after a major disaster.
Add 10% to 35% for demanding specs, rigid inspections, unreliable suppliers, a difficult owner or an inexperienced architect.
Use an Area Modification Factor from pages 12 through 15 if your material, hourly labor or equipment costs are unknown and can’t be estimated.
Here’s how: Use the labor and material costs in this manual without modification. Then add or deduct the percentage shown on pages 12 through 15 to estimated costs to find your local estimated cost.
Equipment Costs
Equipment Costs for major equipment (such as cranes and tractors) are listed in the column headed “Equipment.” Costs for small tools and expendable supplies (such as saws and tape) are usually considered overhead expense and do not appear in the Equipment cost column.
Equipment costs are based on rental rates listed in the section beginning on page 296 and assume that the equipment can be used productively for an entire 8-hour day. Add the cost of moving equipment on and off the site. Allow for unproductive time when equipment can’t be used for the full rental period. For example, the equipment costs per unit of work completed will be higher when a tractor is used for 4 hours during a day and sits idle for the remaining 4 hours. Generally, an 8-hour day is the minimum rental period for most heavy equipment. Many sections describe the equipment being used, the cost per hour and a suggested minimum job charge.
Subcontracted Work
Subcontractors do most of the work on construction projects. That’s because specialty contractors can often get the work done at competitive cost, even after adding overhead and profit.
Many sections of this book cover work usually done by subcontractors. If you see the word “subcontract” in a section description, assume that costs are based on quotes by subcontractors and include typical subcontractor markup (about 30% on labor and 15% on material). Usually no material or labor costs will appear in these sections. The only costs shown will be in the “Total” column and will include all material, labor and equipment expense.
If you don’t see the word “subcontract” in a section description, assume that costs are based on work done by a general contractor’s crew. No markup is included in these costs. If the work is done by a subcontractor, the specialty contractor may be able to perform the work for the cost shown, even after adding overhead and profit.
Markup
The General Contractor’s Markup is not included in any costs in this book. On page 186 we suggest a 20% markup on the contract price for general contractors handling residential construction. Apply this markup or some figure you select to all costs, including both subcontract items and work done by your own crews.
To realize a markup of 20% on the contract price, you’ll have to add 25% to your costs. See page 186 for an example of how markup is calculated. Markup includes overhead and profit and may be the most difficult item to estimate.
Keep In Mind
Labor and Material Costs Change. These costs were compiled in the fall of 2001 and projected to mid-2002 by adding 2% to 4%. This estimate will be accurate for some materials but inaccurate for others. No one can predict material price changes accurately.
How Accurate Are These Figures? As accurate as possible considering that the estimators who wrote this book don’t know your subcontractors or material suppliers, haven’t seen the plans or specifications, don’t know what building code applies or where the job is, had to project material costs at least 6 months into the future, and had no record of how much work the crew that will be assigned to the job can handle.
You wouldn’t bid a job under those conditions. And we don’t claim that all construction is done at these prices.
Estimating Is an Art, not a science. On many jobs the range between high and low bid will be 20% or more. There’s room for legitimate disagreement on what the correct costs are, even when complete plans and specifications are available, the date and site are established, and labor and material costs are identical for all bidders.
No cost fits all jobs. Good estimates are custom made for a particular project and a single contractor through judgment, analysis and experience.
This book is not a substitute for judgment, analysis and sound estimating practice. It’s an aid in developing an informed opinion of cost. If you’re using this book as your sole cost authority for contract bids, you’re reading more into these pages than the editors intend.
Use These Figures to compile preliminary estimates, to check your costs and subcontract bids and when no actual costs are available. This book will reduce the chance of error or omission on bid estimates, speed “ball park” estimates, and be a good guide when there’s no time to get a quote.
Where Do We Get These Figures? From the same sources all professional estimators use: contractors and subcontractors, architectural and engineering firms, material suppliers, material price services, analysis of plans, specifications, estimates and completed project costs, and both published and unpublished cost studies. In addition, we conduct nationwide mail and phone surveys and have the use of several major national estimating databases
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