Understanding Estimates

Overview

The Buildwise Estimate Builder is designed to help you create a comprehensive estimate that can be easily shared with clients to gain approval for construction projects. With the Buildwise Estimate Builder, you can:

• Identify Cost Items as Materials, Labor, or Trade Partners and view rolled-up COGS on every estimate
• Quickly view estimated Total Hours, Total Cost, and Margin
• Customize estimates by indicating which data lines represent allowances and which data lines you want the client to view in your proposal
• Save time by copying existing estimates to new projects
• Create multiple versions of estimates for a project, with only one Approved version
• Get digital signatures for estimate approvals

This article covers how estimates are organized, steps to getting an approved estimate, viewing Estimate dashboards, and how to find an estimate in Buildwise: 

• How Estimates Are Organized – Cost Groups, Cost Sections, and Cost Items
• Steps to Getting an Approved Estimate
• Viewing Estimates
• Find an Estimate

How Estimates Are Organized

Estimates are organized by the Cost Groups, Cost Sections (optional), and Cost Items added in Company Settings. They allow you to efficiently organize project estimates with hundreds of line items.

Cost Groups, Cost Sections, and Cost Items

• Cost Groups – Are the overarching step or phase of the project, such as Demolition, Framing, and Drywall. Each Cost Group contains Cost Items that are specific to that step or phase.
• Cost Sections (optional) – While Cost Sections are optional, they allow you to group a specific scope of the overall project, helping you organize large projects. Cost Sections are added to a Cost Group.
• Cost Items – Cost Items are assigned to a Cost Group and are unique to that Cost Group.
  • COGs for Materials, Labor, or Trade Partners are tracked within the Cost Item.

Example: The Estimate Builder below shows a cost group of Framing with two cost sections, First Floor and Second Floor, and their associated cost items nested within them. 

Steps to Getting an Approved Estimate

1. Create an Estimate within a project.
2. Add Cost Groups, Cost Sections, and Cost Items as needed.
3. Using the Proposal Builder, enter in a project summary, needs and wants clients have shared with you, inclusions and exclusions, and finally next steps.
4. When you’re ready, Share By Email with your client and get a digital approval signature. 

Viewing Estimates

All estimates can be accessed through the Buildwise Estimates dashboard. 

Estimates for a specific project are accessed either through Estimates dashboard by using the Select Project filter or through the project Estimates tab.

Estimates Dashboard

In the left sidebar, click Estimates. The Estimates dashboard lists estimates for all Active projects.

• Click a page view icon to view the Estimates dashboard page by list or in tiles.

Project Estimate

When you create an estimate for a project, it is displayed on the project Estimate dashboard within the project. See highlights below.

1. Breadcrumbs show the project that contains the estimate. 
2. Estimate Name 
3. Tabs across the top of the dashboard provide quick-and-easy access to Summary and SOW views as well as the Proposal Builder on the Share tab.  
4. Estimate header remains fixed while you scroll through data lines. You can collapse all Cost Groups and Sections to easily review a large amount of data lines. 
5. Cost Groups contain multiple Cost Sections (optional) and Cost Items. Subtotals are rolled up by Cost Sections (if used) and Cost Groups. Refer to How Estimates Are Organized. 
6. Estimate Summary shows totals of all COGs, the total hours, expected Margin %, and overall total cost; remains fixed at the bottom of the dashboard.
7. Allowance and Client checkboxes allow you customize how you want to set up your estimate and how you want clients to view the proposal. Refer to articles Create an Estimate and Share Estimates.
8. Estimates are automatically locked when they are manually or client approved. You can also manually lock or unlock the estimate. 
9. The Status can be automatically or manually updated.
10. If necessary, you can Delete the estimate. 

Find an Estimate

You can find estimates through the Estimates dashboard or from the Project dashboard.

Estimates Dashboard

On the Buildwise Estimates dashboard, there are two ways to find an Estimate:

1. Click the Select Project dropdown and select the Active or Inactive Project that contains the estimate you want to view. Click the Estimate Name link for the estimate you want to view.
2. Or, in the left sidebar, click Estimates. Scroll through the Estimates dashboard and click the Estimate Name link for the Active estimate you want to view. 

Project Dashboard

On the project dashboard > Estimates tab, click the Estimate Name link for the estimate you want to view.