Estimating Room Count

Contact Length and Area

When you are preparing a construction estimate for an addition, enter the amount of contact between the addition and the older structure. For other construction types, Contact Length and Area are not used.

For Contact Length, enter the total lineal footage of contact between the old structure(s) and the new addition(s). Include the total length of contact, whether it is new framing, an opening, or the original framing. On a multi-story addition, add up the lineal footage of contact on each story (excluding the basement).

For Contact Area, multiply the contact length on each story by the ceiling height, to get the overall area of the contact zone between old and new.

Room Count

For a Remodeling project, enter the number of rooms that will be worked on. For other construction types, the Room Count quantity is not used.

Include halls and basements (and any other volumes being worked on) as separate rooms. Closets can be considered a part of rooms to which they are attached.

NOTE: The total number of closets is entered separately on the Miscellaneous Dimensions card.

Rooms that are part existing building and part new addition should be treated as two distinct rooms.

Enter porches, decks and detached garages on the Exterior Dimensions card, and don't include them as rooms.

NOTE: For attached garages, see pages 223-225.

Directory Buttons

At the bottom of the Dimensions card are seven Directory buttons.

Click on any of the buttons to go to that Dimensions card.

HINT: You can also click the Right Arrow button (at upper right) to go through each Dimensions card in sequence.