Estimate Troubleshooting

NOTE-- Our new Goldenseal construction estimating software replaced MacNail back in 2000. There are still quite a few MacNail users, so we keep the manuals online for their use! Goldenseal is an integrated program that also includes accounting, job costing and project management features. Our new software is also easy to troubleshoot, and it avoids many of the problems that MacNail faced, because of its spreadsheet base.

Addition looks wrong -or-Estimate's numbers look wrong

Bad math in the MacNail construction estimating software is usually caused by formulas that are accidentally wiped out. Use Protect Document from the OPTIONS menu to protect all cells with formulas in them. (To reinstate a formula see page 169.)

If Calculation is manual, choose Calculation from the OPTIONS menu and select Auto (see page 173).

There could be an incorrect number in the Job Dimensions section.
* Check to see that you didn't add 22 baths (instead of 2) by mistake.
* Make sure that things like ceiling height and foundation height have a real number in them (if they are set to 0, you won't get much in the way of walls!).
* Make sure you typed FALSE or TRUE out completely. Excel does not recognize a T or F.

In many cases, you can trace back from the Summation to track down line items that are incorrect. Follow the tracing procedure described in the previous section.