What is an Assembly?

Assemblies are ConstructionOnline's solution for seamless estimate creation and takeoff integration. They are groups of commonly-used or related Costbook Items organized as a package or "assembly" for quick & easy insertion at the Subcategory level of an OnCost Estimate. 

For example, let's say you're a residential contractor that builds spec homes. While you may offer some degree of customization, you most likely have pre-defined combinations of items and quantities that represent specific tasks or parts of building these spec homes. This could look like the items related to the project's: 

• Foundation, which may include excavation, concrete, rebar, and formwork; 
• Framing, which may include materials and labor for framing components such as lumbar, nails, and labor hours; and/or 
• Roofing, which may include materials and labor for roofing components such as shingles, underlayment, and labor hours.

By grouping these commonly-used and related items into Costbook Assemblies, you can streamline your estimating process in whatever way fits your business' needs, making it more efficient and reducing the likelihood of estimation errors. Additionally, you can assign Assemblies to your takeoffs to automatically give you material and labor costs that can be sent directly to your Estimate! For more information on ConstructionOnline's Takeoff & Estimate Integration, visit the Redline Takeoff + Estimating Integration article and the FAQ article for Redline Takeoff. 

Click here for more frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding ConstructionOnline's Items Database & Costbooks.