Calibrating MacNail

The MacNail construction estimating software is designed for high-accuracy, precision estimating. It shows you exactly how it arrives at each number, so it's much easier for you to calibrate it to come very close to your own actual costs of construction.

NOTE-- We retired MacNail in 2000, and replaced it with Goldenseal construction estimating software. Goldenseal is an integrated program that also includes accounting, scheduling and contract writing. We keep these instructions online for our die-hard MacNail users!

How accurate can you get?

With minor adjustments, most builders are able to get the MacNail construction estimating software to consistently hit within 5% of actual costs. After getting feedback from actual costs from a few projects (either from MacNail Cost Control, or your own job cost system) and then "fine-tuning" the price database, many builders are able to hit consistently within 2% of actual costs on the majority of their projects.

Of course, to attain such accuracy, you have to do a good job of reading the fine print on blueprints! You should also have some prior "sticks and bricks" estimating experience, so you can hand-estimate those unusual details that MacNail's unit price estimating doesn't handle well.