NOTE--
We retired MacNail in 2000, and replaced
it with Goldenseal construction estimating
software. There are still die-hard MacNail
users, so we keep the manuals online for them! Goldenseal
also includes accounting, scheduling and contract
writing features. Goldenseal stores labor costs as Cost
Items, and
then includes them in construction Assemblies for use
in Estimates.
Fixed Cost Estimating Formulas
The Fixed Costs portion of an estimating worksheet
stores wage rates, fudge factors, and a few general costs such
as overhead, profit and contingency percentages.
You
can add additional fixed costs to suit the needs of your business.
For example, to add a new 'cabinetmaker' wage
rate:
1. Open a construction estimating worksheet, and choose Fixed Costs from the MacNail (McN) menu.
2. If necessary, choose Unprotect Document from the Options menu.
3. Choose a blank spot in which to add a new wage rate. If you need to add more room, select one
or more rows and choose Add Rows Here from the Edit menu.
4. To format the cells quickly, you can copy an existing wage rate block and paste it to the desired
location. First select the three cells labeled 'machinewage'. Choose Copy from the Edit menu. Click the mouse at
the left-most cell at the new location. Choose Paste from the Edit menu.
NOTE: This formatting is not necessary, but it makes things look much better!
5. Use the keyboard to type
a description into the newly formatted cells. In the first cell, type the name of the variable-- cabinetwage. In the second cell, type the actual wage rate-- 28.55.
In the third cell, type a brief description of the item such as average cabinetry wage.
6. Click on the boxed cell with the wage rate, then choose Define Name from the Formula menu.
7. In this case, the name to use is already entered for you, so just click OK. In some cases you
will need to type a variable name into the Name box. Defined names in excel cannot have spaces in them, and
they cannot start with a number. You can use
a period or underline between words to make the variable more readable.
8. To use the new defined name in the MacNail construction estimating
software, type it into a formula. In the case of a new wage rate, you can also use the Specs Formula
command to apply a new skilled wage rate (see page 205). |
