Estimating Doors

BidMagic construction estimating software includes project measurements for interior and exterior doors.

Door Dimensions

Enter dimensions for all doors that you'll be working on.

NOTE: The specific doors and door trim used on the project will be entered in Specifications--here in Dimensions, you just need to enter a few simple measurements!

Doors--Quantities

Enter separately the number of interior and exterior doors that will be worked on. Any door completely within the building should be considered as an interior door. Any door exposed to the outdoors should be considered as an exterior door.

In new construction, include all doors in the project.

• In an addition, include all doors in the addition, plus any doors in the existing structure that are being replaced, re-trimmed, or otherwise worked on.
• In a gut/rehab or remodeling project, include all doors that are having some kind of work done to them--whether it is the creation of a new door opening, installing a new door in an old frame, or repairing a door.

Include regular entry doors in porches or garages. Also include overhead garage doors, sliding patio doors, and french doors. Do not include doors in kitchen cabinets, vanities, or built-in cabinetry work.

If you have two bifold or slider doors in an opening of 4 feet or less, consider them to be a single door. Multiple doors in a doorway greater than 4 feet wide should be considered to be two doors--plus an additional door for each extra 3 feet in width beyond 7 feet.

NOTE: Wall openings that will not have an actual door in them should not be included as doors. Instead, subtract them from the length of walls (see page 182).

Doors--Opening Sizes

Use the cycle buttons to enter the average height and width for the doors you are using.
If your project uses a variety of door sizes, take their average, or enter the size of the door used most often.

Doors--Total Areas

The BidMagic estimating software subtracts the total area of door openings from the gross area of interior and exterior walls to arrive at net interior and exterior wall areas (see page 242).
If you lock these dimensions, the total area of openings for interior and exterior doors will be calculated for you (it's equal to the number of doors times the average door opening size).

Unlock and change the total door area quantities if, for some reason, the calculated amount is not correct. For example, if you have a few unusually large doors that were not accounted for when you entered the average door size, add their excess area, and the area of siding and wallboard will be reduced accordingly.

HINT: Since most estimators prefer to be a little on the high side, you may prefer to ignore the small decrease in siding or wallboard area caused by a few doors that are bigger than usual.