FAQ: Items Database & Costbooks

How do Costbook Items calculate my quantity?

When a Costbook Item is assigned to a takeoff in Redline, ConstructionOnline applies the Item's Waste % and Coverage Rate to the takeoff measurement to calculate your quantities and associated costs. So, for example, let's say you have a Costbook Item for ceramic tiles with the following details: 

  • Unit of Measure: Square Foot 
  • Unit Cost: $5.00 
  • Waste Percentage: 10%
  • Coverage Rate: 1.2 (meaning 1.2 square feet of tiles are needed to cover 1 square foot of space, accounting for overlapping and cutting) 

When starting a takeoff in Redline for one of the bathrooms in your current project, you assign this Costbook Item to the takeoff. Based on your measurements in Redline, the bathroom you plan to install this ceramic tile in is 100 square feet. ConstructionOnline will then automatically apply the Unit Cost, Waste %, and Coverage Rate to this measurement to calculate the quantity and cost. With a Coverage Rate of 1.2, the total Quantity of tiles needed to cover the bathroom is 120 square feet (100 square feet x 1.2). However, with a Waste % of 10%, the total Quantity of tiles that needs to be purchased is 132 square feet [120 square feet + (120 square feet x 0.10)]. This is then multiplied by the Unit Cost to get the Total Cost of $660.00 (132 square feet x $5.00 per square foot). 

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