17.1 · Advanced Workflows

End-to-End Estimate Walkthrough

A complete worked example of building a small estimate from scratch. Follow it on a throwaway project; it ties everything in the guide together.

Scenario

You've been asked to price a small concrete slab extension:

100 m² of 150 mm reinforced slab.
30 linear metres of formwork edge.
Steel reinforcement mesh.
Four weeks on site.

Step 1 — Create the Project

Projects → New Project.
Name: "Slab Extension Example".
Currency: AUD.
Tax: 10%.
Create.

Step 2 — Create Resources

Go to Resources and create:

Name	Type	Unit	BaseRate
Concrete 25MPa	Material	m³	$180
Reinforcement mesh SL82	Material	m²	$18
Formwork timber	Material	m	$14
Labourer	Labour	hr	$62
Concreter	Labour	hr	$78
Concrete pump	Plant	hr	$140

Step 3 — Enter Direct Costs

Go to Direct Costs. Add parent header rows and child items:

1  Slab Extension
2    Concrete supply            Qty 15    m³   Concrete 25MPa       → $2,700
3    Reinforcement              Qty 100   m²   Mesh SL82            → $1,800
4    Formwork edge              Qty 30    m    Formwork timber      → $420
5    Place and finish           Qty 24    hr   Concreter            → $1,872
6    Concrete pump hire         Qty 3     hr   Concrete pump        → $420

Select rows 2–6 and press Tab to indent under row 1. Row 1 becomes a header; its TotalWithChildren = $7,212.

Step 4 — Use a Formula

Line 2 quantity should be volume: 100 m² × 0.15 m = 15 m³. Replace the typed 15 with:

Qty: = 100 * 0.15

Or add a project parametric #slab_area = 100 and #slab_depth = 0.15, then Qty: = #slab_area * #slab_depth. Now changing #slab_area re-prices automatically.

Step 5 — Add a Breakdown

Select line 5 ("Place and finish"). Press Ctrl+B to open breakdowns. Add:

L1  Concreter    Qty 3 × 8 hr   Concreter  → $1,872
L2  Helper       Qty 3 × 8 hr   Labourer   → $1,488

Parent total becomes $3,360. The breakdown shows line-level detail behind the single parent row.

Step 6 — Enter Overheads

Go to Overheads. Add:

Item	Qty	Unit	Resource / Rate	Total
Site supervisor	4	wk	$3,500	$14,000
Temporary fencing	1	lump	$1,800	$1,800
Insurance & bonds	1	lump	$2,500	$2,500

Overhead pool = $18,300.

Step 7 — Set Markup and Margins

Markup → Configure:

Labour markup 20%.
Material markup 10%.
Plant markup 15%.
Risk margin 5%.
Corporate overhead 4%.
Profit margin 10%.

Click Recalculate.

Step 8 — Check the Sell Rates

Open Sell Rates. Each direct cost line now shows:

Line	Direct	Allocated OH	Markup	Margins	Sell Total	Factor
Concrete supply	$2,700	$1,670	~$437	~$689	≈ $5,496	2.04
Reinforcement	$1,800	$1,113	~$291	~$460	≈ $3,664	2.04
Formwork edge	$420	$260	~$68	~$107	≈ $855	2.04
Place & finish	$3,360	$2,078	~$1,087	~$1,330	≈ $7,855	2.34
Pump hire	$420	$260	~$102	~$125	≈ $907	2.16

(Figures approximate; exact values depend on proportional distribution.)

Total sell = ≈ $18,777. Margin ≈ 40%.

Step 9 — Carbon

Go to Carbon. Click Auto-populate from resources. Emissions appear for each line:

Concrete 25MPa     15 m³  × 240 kgCO₂e/m³   =  3,600 kgCO₂e  (Scope 3)
Mesh SL82         100 m² × 4.5 kgCO₂e/m²    =    450 kgCO₂e  (Scope 3)
Formwork timber    30 m   × 2 kgCO₂e/m      =     60 kgCO₂e  (Scope 3)
Labour on-site    + diesel (Scope 1)        =    400 kgCO₂e  (Scope 1)

Total ≈ 4.5 tCO₂e, 91% Scope 3.

Step 10 — Save a Snapshot

Carbon → Save Snapshot → note: "Tender submission".

Step 11 — PDF Report

Reports → Generate Project Summary PDF. Tick all sections, set Company Name and logo. Save. Send to client.

Step 12 — Archive

Once complete, set Project Status = Completed. Export a .tx1 file as a backup.

Recap

You have exercised:

Projects (02), Resources (03), Direct Costs (04), Overheads (05), Markup / Sell Rates (06), Formulas (07), Carbon (09), Reports (12), and export (13).

Every larger estimate is this pattern at greater scale.