Frank Cox wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:36:47 -0500 Robert L Cochran cochranb@speakeasy.net wrote:
But as another poster mentioned here, you need to consider the timing. In house construction timing is a very important factor in controlling costs. From the excavator to the roofer, you need to plan and time the work of a large number of specialists plus usually a crew of laborers. I don't know what to suggest these days.
It's my understanding that he's mostly interested in a materials list, though I could be wrong. The way that he explained it to me, he wants to be able to design and draw his house, then get a list of "582 2x4's, 96 bales of insulation, 250 sheets of plywood" and so on.
Having trained and worked in civil engineering I can say that I can't remember anyone ever using any but a spreadsheet. Usually split into logical sections (eg phase 1, phase 2 or roads, drainage) and 4 columns (description / spec, number of units, price per unit, total price). Grand totals stuck in whenever needed.
You can add man hours and plant hire to this easily because the unit can be a number, hour or day, or fixed price.
W