Updating Material Unit Costs

NOTE-- We retired the MacNail estimating program in 2000, and replaced it with Goldenseal construction estimating software. We keep these instructions online for our die-hard MacNail users! Goldenseal is an integrated program that also includes accounting, scheduling and contract writing. It automatically updates all estimating assemblies, when you enter or import new material prices.

Once you have typed the latest material supplier prices into the MacNail construction estimating software, you can calculate the updated material unit prices that will be used in your current and/or future project estimates.

To update material costs:

1. Choose Update Material Prices from the Data menu.
2. If you have just updated a large number of material prices, choose All material prices. If you have only updated a few material prices, choose Materials changed since last update, or Materials changed since, and type in a date.
3. If you are using more than one set of Material Price files, you'll be asked which of them to update.
4. All of the selected material prices will automatically be used to calculate new 'material assembly' prices, using the Price Sheet, Comparisons, and Assemblies files. These new prices will be saved in a Unit Costs file, located in the Master Files folder. The time it takes will depend on the number of items moved and the speed of your computer.