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This section explains the dimension layouts that are included in the Paint & Drywall Starter Files.
They will help you to estimate construction costs in residential and light commercial buildings.
DIMENSIONS BASICS
When to Use | Installing Dimensions
PAINT DIMENSIONS
Basic Dimensions | Exteriors | Windows & Doors
Finish Dimensions | Room Dimensions
PAINT DETAILS
Cape Cods & A-Frames | Cathedral Ceilings | Ceiling
Heights | Dormers
Exterior Wall Lengths | Floor Areas
Knee Walls | Multiple Units | One of a Kind Items
Project Types | Room Walls | Sloped Ceilings
Small Quantities | Tall Buildings | Using Rooms
DIMENSION BASICS
Entering Dimensions | Using Calculated Dimensions | Entering
Locations
RELATED TOPICS
Assemblies | Cost Items | Calculated Dimensions | Dimensions | Estimates
When to Use Paint & Drywall Dimensions
Use the construction dimensions if you need to do any of the following
types of cost estimation:
- Interior paint estimates
- Exterior paint estimates
- Estimates for drywall installation
- Estimates for interior taping or plastering
- Estimates for exterior stucco work
- Estimates for framing work, combined with any of the above
Installing Dimensions
If you start with the Paint/Drywall
Starter File, your company file will automatically include the layouts
and calculators for paint and drywall estimating.
If you start with a new (empty) file or some other Starter File, you can import the construction dimensions.
Entering Dimensions
To enter paint and drywall dimensions, follow these steps:
- Choose Estimates from the Income menu.
- Click the New button, or choose New Record from the Edit menu, or find an existing estimate.
- Enter an account, estimate name and other details for the Estimate.
- Choose Estimate Dimensions from the Options menu, and choose one of the four dimension layouts.
HINT-- It's usually best to go through the
dimension layouts in numerical order. Dimensions on the higher-numbered
layouts are calculated from dimensions on the previous layouts.
Basic Dimensions
The Basic Dimensions measurements work well whenever you do the same work
on most or all of the rooms in a project.
Enter Basic Dimensions in any of the following cases:
- When you are gutting and rebuilding part or all of an existing structure.
- When you are repainting the entire interior or exterior of an existing structure.
For repairs or remodeling work where you do different
work on each room, enter them as Locations instead.
You can also enter Basic Dimensions for part of a project, and Locations for the rest. In that case Goldenseal will add their totals together.
That's a good approach to use in the following cases:
- When you work on an addition (Basic Dimensions), but also do some work in the existing structure (Locations).
- When you gut and rebuild part of an existing building (Basic Dimensions) but also make minor changes in other parts of the structure (Locations).
- When you paint an exterior (Basic Dimensions) and also do other work in some rooms (Locations).
Enter the following information for the project:
Project Type-- Choose the type of work you are doing on this project.
Widest Width-- Enter the widest building width perpendicular to the roof ridge (or else the shorter of the two dimensions). For an addition,
only include measurements for the new part of the building.
Longest Length-- Enter the longest building length parallel to the roof ridge (or else the longer of the two dimensions).For an addition, only
include measurements for the new part of the building.
NOTE-- If you are working on more than one building and want to combine them in one estimate, enter width and length for
the largest building. You'll need to adjust the area and wall lengths so they include the other buildings too.
Number of Stories-- Enter the total number of stories you are working on. Don't include unfinished attics or basements. Consider a "stepped
ranch" building (left) as just one story. A "split level" building (right) is two stories.
Has Basement-- Turn on the checkbox if the project includes a full or partial basement.
NOTE-- The first five measurements affect nearly all calculated dimensions, so you may need to wait a few seconds for Goldenseal
to calculate everything, after you change each number.
Gross Area-- Goldenseal calculates the gross floor area for each story of the project (based on a simple rectangle). To
change the value, click on the padlock to unlock it, and type in a different value.
Outside Walls-- Enter the total length of exterior walls for each story of the project. For an addition, include
only the length of addition walls that contact the outdoors.
HINT-- Goldenseal calculates values for these quantities-- you can change the calculated
value if it is not correct.
Inside Walls-- Enter the length of interior walls on each story of the project. For an addition, include the wall between the addition and the
existing building if you are doing any work on it.
Party Walls-- Enter the length of any party walls (between two units in a multiple-unit project).
Ceiling Height-- Enter the average ceiling height for each story.
Number of Living Units-- Enter the number of living units.
Project Duration-- Enter the approximate number of working days that you'll be working on this project.
Distance to Project-- Enter the distance between the project and your office.
Number of Exterior Corners-- Enter the total number of exterior corners on the building. Include both convex corners and concave corners. For
example, a rectangle has 4 corners, an 'ell' has 6 corners and a 'tee' has 8 corners. If you are adding an addition, include only the corners on
the addition.
Number of Living Units-- Enter the total number of apartments or other living units in the project.
Exteriors
The Exterior Dimensions layout lets you enter measurements for garages, decks, porches, sheds, and some dimensions for the overall height of the building.
It also includes a few basic roof measurements.
Enter the following measurements for garages, decks, porches and sheds:
Length-- Enter the length along one dimension.
Width-- Enter the width along the dimension perpendicular to the length.
Height-- Enter the height of the structure off the ground.
Perimeter-- Goldenseal calculates the total length around the structure. You can change this number.
Area-- Goldenseal calculates the total area of the structure. You can change this number.
Garage Wall Area-- Enter the total horizontal wall area for garages.
Shed Wall Area-- Enter the total horizontal wall area for sheds or other exterior buildings.
Enter the following exterior measurements:
Overall Building Height-- Enter the overall height of the building.
Height of 1st Floor off Ground-- Enter the average height of the first floor from ground level.
Enter the following optional roof measurements:
Roof Type-- Choose the basic type of roof on the project.
Main Roof Slope-- Enter the approximate roof slope, in inches rise per foot of run.
Rakes-- Goldenseal calculates the length of rakes (roof edges where water does NOT drain over).
Eaves-- Goldenseal calculates the length of eaves (roof edges where water drains over).
Roofing Area-- Goldenseal calculates the total roofing area.
Overhang at Eaves-- Enter the approximate roof overhang at the eaves.
Overhang at Rakes-- Enter the approximate roof overhang at the rakes.
Parapet Length-- Enter the length of any parapets.
Downspout Count-- Enter the total number of downspouts.
Roofing Area- in Squares-- Goldenseal calculates the total roofing area in squares (100 sf).
HINT-- Don't worry about the roof dimensions if you aren't painting the roof or the soffits under the roof surface.
Windows, Doors and Trim
The Windows, Doors and Trim layout lets you enter measurements for windows,
doors and trim.
Enter the following measurements for windows, skylights and doors:
Quantity-- The number of doors or windows you are including
or working on.
Average Height-- The average height for the doors or windows.
Average Width-- The average width for the doors or windows.
Total Area-- The total area of openings for doors or windows.
Number of Custom doors-- The number of doors that are not pre-hung.
Enter the following trim measurements:
Interior Ell Corners-- Enter the total number of room corners that stick out into the rooms.
Total Interior Corners-- Goldenseal calculates the total number of corners in all rooms.
Baseboard Length-- Goldenseal calculates the total length of baseboard. You can change the number.
Stairway Count-- Enter the total number of stairway you will paint
Riser Count-- Enter the total number of stair risers you will paint.
Number of Closets-- Enter the number of closets you are working on.
Finish Dimensions
Finish Dimensions are basic quantities for finish work. Goldenseal
calculates most of these measurements from dimensions on previous layouts.
Enter the following gross finish dimensions:
Exterior Walls-- Enter the gross wall area exposed to the outdoors.
Interior Walls-- Enter the gross wall area of walls not exposed to the outdoors. The area includes both sides.
Ceiling-- Enter the gross area of ceilings.
Wallboard-- Enter the gross area of all wallboard on walls and ceilings.
Finished Floors-- Enter the gross area of floors that receive some kind of finish.
Enter the following net finish dimensions:
Exterior Walls-- Enter the net exterior wall area (gross area minus the area of exterior doors and windows).
Interior Walls-- Enter the net interior wall area (gross area minus the area of interior doors).
Ceiling-- Enter the net area of ceilings (minus any floor cuts).
Wallboard-- Enter the net area of all wallboard on walls and ceilings.
Finished Floors-- Enter the net area of floors that receive some kind of finish (minus the area hidden by walls, or in stairway openings.
Enter the following paint measurements:
Ceilings-- The area of painting that you'll do on ceilings.
Interior Walls-- The area of painting that you'll do on interior walls.
Exterior Walls-- The area of painting that you'll do on exterior walls.
Floors-- The area of painting or other finishes that you'll do on floors.
Interior Trim-- The area of painting that you'll do on interior trim.
Exterior Trim-- The area of painting that you'll do on exterior trim.
NOTE-- Enter the area that will get any type of liquid applied finish.
Room Dimensions
Goldenseal allows you to base project dimensions on individual
rooms.
Enter room dimensions in any of the following cases:
- For remodeling projects where you'll do different work in different rooms.
- For an addition combined with work in existing rooms (enter the addition into basic dimensions and the other work
as individual rooms).
- For small projects that only consist of a room or two.
- For very unusual construction that is difficult to handle with basic dimensions.
To enter room dimensions, follow these steps:
- Choose Estimates from the Income menu.
- Click the New button, or choose New Record from the Edit menu, or find an existing estimate.
- Enter an account, estimate name and other details for the Estimate.
- Choose Estimate Locations from the Options menu, and choose New Location from the submenu.
- Type in a name for the room.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each room you'll be working on.
- Click on the form type button at the bottom of the left side of the window, and choose one of the rooms.
Enter the following basic room information:
Type of Work-- Choose the type of work that you'll do in this room.
Story-- Choose the location of this room in the building.
Room Type-- Choose the type of room this is.
Longest N-S Length-- Enter the longest length along the walls that run approximately North to South.
Longest E-W Length-- Enter the longest length along the walls that run approximately East to West.
Enter the following information for each of the four walls:
Length-- The wall length on each side.
Area-- The vertical area of wall on each side.
Framing Length-- The length of wall on each side that will be framed.
Wallboard Area-- The area of wallboard that will be installed on each side.
Paint Area-- The wall area that will be painted on each side.
HINT-- Goldenseal calculates values for these quantities-- you can change the calculated
value if it is not correct.
Enter the following information for interior partitions:
Length-- Enter wall length of any partitions that are entirely within this room
Area-- The total wall area on both sides of the interior partition.
Framing Length-- The length of interior wall that gets new framing.
Wallboard Area-- The area of new wallboard (both sides).
Paint Area-- The area that gets new paint (both sides).
HINT-- Goldenseal calculates values for most of these quantities-- you can change the calculated
value if it is not correct.
Enter the following information for the room ceiling:
Ceiling Height-- Enter the average ceiling height for the room.
Area-- The total ceiling area.
Framing Area-- The total ceiling area that gets new framing.
Wallboard Area-- The total ceiling area that gets new wallboard.
Paint Area-- The total ceiling area that gets new paint.
HINT-- Goldenseal calculates values for most of these quantities-- you can change the calculated
value if it is not correct.
Enter the following information for the room floor:
Area-- The total floor area inside the room.
Framing Area-- The total floor area that gets new framing.
Floor Finish Area-- The total area that gets new flooring.
Paint Area-- The total area that gets new paint or clear finish.
HINT-- Goldenseal calculates values for these quantities-- you can change the calculated
value if it is not correct.
Enter the following general information about the room:
Siding Area-- The exterior wall area that gets new siding materials.
Roofing Area-- The total room area that gets new roofing above it.
Ceiling Insulation Area-- The total ceiling area that gets new insulation.
Wall Insulation Area-- The total wall area that gets new insulation.
Floor Insulation Area-- The total floor area that gets new insulation.
After you enter room measurements, Goldenseal adds them to the calculated quantities that it displays in the Finish Dimensions layout.
Cape Cods and A-Frames
Cape Cod buildings (sometimes known as "story-and-a-halfs") and A-frame buildings are unusual because the upper story is inside the roof framing, not beneath
it.
To handle the reduction in siding area caused by the lower roof line, enter a negative number for the difference between the top floor ceiling height
and the eaves, on the Exterior Dimensions form.
For a Cape Cod, measure from the average top floor ceiling height to where the siding ends under the eaves, and enter it as a negative number
on the Exterior Dimensions card.
For an A-frame, measure down from the average top floor ceiling height to the bottom of the sloped roofs, and enter it as a negative number on
the Exterior Dimensions card.
For the upper floor of Capes and A-frames (or for other loft areas that fit entirely under the roof framing), enter the length of any gable end walls
and any knee walls as exterior walls on the Basic Dimensions or Rooms forms.
If there are no knee walls being built upstairs, and the room extends all the way to the junction of roof framing and floor framing, enter the gable
end walls only, since no side walls exist.
When entering upstairs floor area for either type of project, include only the floor area that will actually be finished and walked upon. Storage area
under the eaves should not be included in the basic floor areas.
Cathedral Ceilings
Cathedral ceilings and other raised ceilings are handled differently, depending
on the layout of the building and the construction type.
Remodeling Project
If you enter rooms for the project, simply enter the
ceiling height for each room. Goldenseal will properly compute all dimensions.
HINT-- Be sure that you enter new wall
framing between two new rooms into only one of the room cards. Remember
that a ¹cathedral® room may adjoin rooms both upstairs and down!
Entire Story Raised
If an entire story has high ceilings, there is no need to do anything special
in Goldenseal. Simply enter the high ceiling on the Basic
Dimensions form, and everything will be calculated properly.
One Area Raised by a Floor Cut Upstairs
If the project has two stories or more, and some rooms have a raised ceiling because there is no floor above them, it's also easy to handle. Follow these
steps:
- Enter the lower floor walls and floor areas as normal. For the ceiling height, measure from the finished floor up to the ceiling in the parts that
have rooms above them.
- For the upper story, enter the ceiling height, as measured from the finished floor to the ceiling above it.
- For the upper story, enter all walls that appear on the blueprint plans. This will include walls around upstairs rooms, plus the wall around the ¹cathedral® portion
of the lower floor.
- For the upper story, enter the floor area that will actually have floor on it. Do not include the area that is open to the lower story.
One Area Raised, No Floor Cut Upstairs
On some projects, one or more rooms have a higher ceiling because the roof is higher, or because scissors trusses or open rafters are used instead of a
standard triangular truss. In
Ceiling Heights
If you enter a project as separate rooms, simply enter
the average ceiling height for each room. Goldenseal will calculate
wall areas automatically and accurately.
When you enter ceiling heights into the Basic Dimensions form, enter the average ceiling height for each story
that is part of the project.
- For new construction, include the entire building.
- For an addition, include the addition only.
- For a gut/ rehab project, include those portions of the building that are being gutted and rehabilitated.
If the entire story has the same ceiling height, use that measurement.
If only a small part of the project has a lower ceiling height (for example, just hallways and bathrooms) ignore the height reduction, and use the ceiling
height found in most of the project.
If ceiling heights vary between different parts of the project, use
a weighted average.
To calculate a weighted average, follow these steps:
- Take an area that all has the same ceiling height. Multiply area times ceiling height.
- Take the next area with a different ceiling height. Multiply area times ceiling height. Add that number to the previous total.
- Repeat the previous step for each floor area.
- When you are finished, divide the resulting number by the total area.
Treat areas under cathedral ceilings (where the upper floor has been removed to produce an area two stories high)
as having a normal ceiling height on each story. Do not enter such areas as double height, since the excess wall area will be figured in when you enter
walls in the upper story.
Dormers
A dormer is any smaller roof "cut through" and completely surrounded by
the main roof.
It will consist of an outer wall, two triangular side walls, and a roof. If your project contains any new dormers, enter their quantity into the Dormers
field. Otherwise enter a zero.
Also enter the following information about dormers:
- Type of roof-- Choose a shed, gable or hip roof.
- Slope-- Enter the slope used on the dormer roofs.
- Height-- Enter the height of the dormers. Measure from the point where the siding stops under the dormer's eaves, down to the lowest point
where the dormer meets the main roof.
- Width-- Enter the width of the dormers, measured at right angles to the slope of the main roof.
Exterior Wall Lengths
When computing the length of exterior walls, start by measuring the total length of all walls that are exposed to the outdoors and that are being worked
on, for each story of the project.
- For new construction, enter the total length of all exterior walls.
- For an addition, enter the total length of exterior walls in the addition only. Do not include the contact wall where the addition and the old building
meet.
- For a gut/rehab project, include the total length of all exterior walls that will be worked on in some formÚ whether they are getting new framing,
new insulation, new wallboard or new trim.
When measuring the length of outside walls, measure right through doors and windows. Include the length of all exterior walls that show up on the plans,
even if they are not full height.
Exclude porches, decks and sheds. Also exclude the garage, unless you are including it as part of the main building.
Floor Areas
When computing floor area, start by measuring the total gross area of the
project that is within the outside surface of each exterior wall.
Then make the following adjustments:
- Exclude large floor openings, or upstairs areas that have no floor and that are merely part of a high-ceiling room beneath them. Do
not exclude small vents or hatchways cut into a floor. Do not exclude stairway openings on either story through which the stairways run, since they
still have something underfoot.
- Exclude courtyards or other areas not enclosed by the building.
- Exclude porches, decks, and sheds.
- Exclude any unfinished areas such as attics or crawl spaces. If the are useable for storage, include them in attic area instead.
- Exclude utility areas that do not have a finished floor of some kind.
- Exclude an attached garage, unless you are treating it as a room in the main building
Garages
Garages may be considered as part of the main structure, or entered in Exterior
Dimensions as a separate entity.
Handling a Garage as a Room
Treat the garage as a part of the main building in either of the following
cases:
- It is completely built into the main building (e.g. with a room above it).
- It is built almost like a regular finished room (e.g. with wallboard, insulation and interior trim).
To handle the garage as a room in the main structure, follow these steps:
- Do not enter any dimensions for the garage in Exterior Dimensions.
- Treat the garage as just another room when you enter Basic Dimensions or rooms.
- Subtract the garage dimensions from any work that will not be done there (for example, finished flooring).
Handling a Garage as a Separate Structure
Treat the garage as a separate entity in any of these cases:
- It is completely detached from the main building, or is attached to the main building by only one wall.
- It is built very differently from the main building.
- You are building just a garage as an addition.
If the garage is treated as a separate entity, follow these steps:
- Enter dimensions for the garage in Exterior Dimensions. Do not include the contact wall between garage and main structure
as a part of the perimeter.
- When you enter items into the estimate, include unit costs for the garage work.
Interior Walls
Enter the total length of any walls being worked on that are not exposed
to the outside, for each story of the project.
HINT-- Because the layout of interior walls varies so much between different projects, Goldenseal does not suggest a quantity
for interior walls.
- For new construction, enter the total length of all interior walls.
- For an addition, enter the total length of all new interior walls in the addition. At the contact wall between the addition and the old building,
include only the length (if any) that is getting completely new framing with new surfaces on both sides.
- For a gut/rehab project, include the total length of all interior walls that will be worked on-- whether they are getting new framing, new wallboard
or new trim.
When measuring the length of inside walls, measure right through doors, but skip any openings that will not be filled with a door. Include the length of
all interior walls that show up on the plans, even if they are
not full height.
Exclude porches, decks and sheds. Exclude party walls (walls on the
exterior that aren't exposed to the outdoors). Exclude the garage,
unless it is included as part of the main building.
Knee Walls
Knee walls don't extend all the way to the ceiling. They should be entered
into Basic Dimensions or the Room forms just as if they were full height walls, since they still require
baseboard, and usually take just as long to frame as full height walls.
If you have a large number of knee walls, you may want to reduce the quantity for Interior Wall Area on the Finish Dimensions layout,
to account for the missing wall area caused by the shorter walls.
When you enter line item costs into the estimate breakdown table, use one of the knee wall line items-- although small quantities of knee walls are
usually safe to treat as regular walls, since the additional labor they require tends to cancel out the reduced material cost.
Multiple Unit Projects
Goldenseal can handle multi-family residential projects, or multi-unit
commercial work.
If you have multiple units in one building, you don't have to do much that's special. Simply choose the type of construction you are doing on the Basic
Dimensions layout, enter measurements for the building just like any other project, and enter the number of living units (or businesses) into the
Number of Units field.
There are several ways you can approach projects that contain more than one building. How you do it depends on how you'd like to manage the project:
- One Estimate-- To enter multiple units into a single project estimate, enter the total measurements for all buildings into the Basic
Dimensions layout. You'll need to measure or calculate some quantities yourself, since the calculations in Goldenseal assume that it's
all one building. Once you've entered wall lengths and floor areas, all of the remaining calculations will be correct except for few roof measurements
like hip, eaves and ridges lengths.
- Adjusted Estimate-- If you have multiple buildings that are all the same, you can enter measurements for just one building, and then multiply
all the quantities in the breakdown table by the number of units.
- Multiple Estimates-- If you don't mind tracking each building separately, just create a separate estimate for each building, and then create
a separate project for each building.
- Using Allowances-- For projects that you do for your own use, you can enter costs for each type of building into an Allowance,
and then combine them in an estimate.
Town Houses
When estimating town houses or other side-by-side units, be sure to enter the lineal feet and square feet of party walls into the Basic Dimensions card,
and the amount of party wall framing on the Structural Dimensions
card.
When you enter cost items for the estimate, remember that town houses will usually have some kind of special treatment, such as masonry fill or fire-rated
wallboard, on the party walls. You may also need parapets or other fireproofing details on the roofs.
Stacked Multiple Units
When estimating ¹stacked® multiple units, don't enter any party walls, unless the building itself touches other buildings on its sides. On each floor,
include both the living unit(s) on that floor, plus any common areas
such as stairways, utility areas and halls.
When you enter cost items for the estimate, you may need to add fire-rated wallboard or other treatments on the ceilings between units, in halls and
stairways, and on walls between living units and common spaces. You may also need to include multiple mailboxes and other items shared in common by all
the units.
One of a Kind Items
Almost every project has something that is out of the ordinary. Some seem to be nothing but weird items! There are several ways to handle weird and tough
details, depending on how likely you are to see them again.
Enter them On the Fly
For items that you probably won't ever use again, use the Unallocated choices
to type in a number.
To do so, follow these steps:
- Compute (or guess) the labor cost for the item. You can estimate how many hours it will take, and then multiply that by the wage rate that
applies.
- In the estimate breakdown table, add a new line item (click in the bottom row and hit the Return key).
- Enter Labor Unallocated into the Cost Area column.
- Type a brief description of the work into the Cost Item column.
- Type in the unit size, unit cost, and number of units (which often will just be one).
- Compute the material cost for the item.
- In the estimate breakdown table, add a new line item.
- Enter Material Unallocated into the Cost Area Column.
- Type a brief description of the work into the Cost Item column.
- Type in the unit size, unit cost, and number of units (which often will just be one).
Enter a Cost Addition
In some cases you can use a regular Cost Item or Assembly that is close to the unusual item, and then
use the Unallocated choices to enter just the difference in cost.
For example, to enter framing costs for a curved wall:
- In the estimate breakdown table, enter the Assembly for the wall framing that you'll use.
- Follow the steps from the previous section, but use only the additional labor that you'll need to handle the curve. If you need any additional
materials, also enter them as a Material Unallocated line item.
New Unit Cost
For an item that you may use again someday, create a new Cost
Item or Assembly so you can include it in
future projects.
The unit cost can be for a full item, or for an ¹add on® cost that you'll attach to a more basic type of construction, just when you need it.
Project Types
Enter one of the following project types in the Basic Dimensions layout:
New Construction-- For a building which is entirely new.
Addition-- For a new area of building which is attached to an existing building.
Gut Rehab-- For an existing building whose interior surfaces will be removed and replaced.
Repairs-- For miscellaneous repairs to an existing building.
Repaint Exterior-- For a repainting of exterior walls.
Repaint Interior-- For a repainting of interior walls.
HINT-- If you are doing more than one type of work on a building, enter the Project Type for the main portion of the work,
and enter the remaining portions as rooms.
Room Counts
Treat any of the following as one room:
- Each regular room, including a full or "half" bathroom.
- Each hallway.
- Each room in a finished basement.
- An attached garage, if it is being considered as a room.
Do not include any of the following as a separate room:
- Closets.
- Crawl spaces, unfinished attics, unfinished basement rooms, or other unfinished utility areas.
- Courtyards or other open areas.
- Decks or porches.
- Detached garages, or an attached garage being treated as a separate structure.
Room Walls
Usually you can just enter measurements for four walls, on four sides of
a room. For a non-rectangular room, you can divide the walls into
four sections any way you'd like.
You can adjust wall measurements in any of the following cases:
- More than four walls-- Allocate the room's walls however you like, and enter the length of walls on each "side" into the appropriate field.
- Different work on each surface-- If different walls get different treatments, you can group them any way you'd like to match the work that
you'll do to them.
- Work on part of a surface-- If you are only working on part of a wall, adjust the size of the wall so it includes only the portion actually
being worked on. Similarly, if working on just part of the floor or part of the ceiling, enter just the square footage actually being worked on.
For interior partitions, enter any walls which
are entirely within the room. Some examples:
- Closet Wall-- Include closets as part of the room to which they are attached, unless you have some good reason to treat the closet as a separate
room. Enter the length of the wall between the room and the closet into Partition Length. Measure right through the doorway.
- Interior Dividers-- If there is a partial "divider" wall inside the room, include its length in Partition Length. Include the wall even if
it is a partial height knee wall.
- Combining Several Rooms-- for more about combining rooms, click here.
Sloped Ceilings
When calculating basic construction areas, Goldenseal assumes that all ceilings are horizontal. If you enter sloped ceilings correctly, the calculated
areas will be extremely close to reality.
If most of the ceiling is flat but a few parts of the ceiling are lower, use the height of the flat part for the ceiling height. The calculated
wallboard area may be slightly too high, but it usually won't be too far off to be a problem.
If most or all of the ceiling is sloped, use the average ceiling height. Usually that is halfway between the low point of the roof and
the high point.
If you have a sloped ceiling that is fairly steep, its ceiling area will increase. To account for this, you may want to add to the total ceiling area
on the Miscellaneous Dimensions card. The area of a ceiling will increase by the following amounts for different slopes:
|
Slope (in. per ft)
|
Degrees
|
Area Increase
|
|
1
|
5
|
0.3%
|
|
2
|
10
|
1.4%
|
|
3
|
14
|
3.1%
|
|
4
|
19
|
5.4%
|
|
6
|
27
|
11.8%
|
|
8
|
34
|
20.2%
|
|
10
|
40
|
30.2%
|
|
12
|
45
|
41.4%
|
|
14
|
50
|
53.7%
|
|
16
|
54
|
66.7%
|
|
18
|
57
|
80.3%
|
|
24
|
64
|
123.6%
|
When working with a sloped ceiling, you may want to add slightly to the cost of hanging wallboard on the ceiling. If you need to frame one of the end
walls with a sloping top plate, add some time for the additional framing labor.
Small Quantities
Unit prices work well for ¹normal® quantities, but they are often too low when used to estimate very small quantities of work. You can't hang one square
foot of wallboard in one-thousandth the time it takes to hang 1,000
square feet!
Enter them On the Fly
If you are using a very small quantity of something, you can enter it as
an Unallocated line item, with a rough estimate of what it will cost.
To do so, follow these steps:
- Compute (or guess) the labor cost for the item. You can estimate how many hours it will take, and then multiply that by the wage rate that
applies.
- In the estimate breakdown table, add a new line item (click in the bottom row and hit the Return key).
- Enter Labor Unallocated into the Cost Area column.
- Type a brief description of the work into the Cost Item column.
- Type in the unit size, unit cost, and number of units.
- Compute the material cost for the item.
- In the estimate breakdown table, add a new line item.
- Enter Material Unallocated into the Cost Area Column.
- Type a brief description of the work into the Cost Item column.
- Type in the unit size, unit cost, and number of units.
Enter a Cost Addition
For small quantities you can also use the regular Cost
Item or Assembly for the item, and then enter
Unallocated lines to enter the additional labor for the small quantity. You can also enter any additional material costs, if there will be
more waste.
New Unit Costs
If you often need to install small quantities of some common items, create
a new Assembly for a minimum quantity. You can
use a Flat Rate Item in the assembly
to cover the start-up time, or minimum materials that you need.
Tall Buildings
In a project with more than 3 upper stories, Goldenseal considers all additional
floors to be duplicates of the third story.
In many 4 and 5 story "stacked" projects, the bottom floor and top floor have a different layout, and middle stories are all the same. If that is the
case, enter the top floor floor plan into the second story on the Basic Dimensions layouts, and the floor plan for the
middle floors into the third & up story.
Using Rooms
Use the Estimate Locations command to enter individual rooms into Goldenseal. Normally a room will include one open volume of space within the building,
with or without attached closets or other utility spaces.
In some cases you may want to define a room as a slightly different space to handle unusual conditions, or to make the estimating process easier.
Closets
Usually you'll include closets as a part of the room into which they connect (with a partition wall between them). If a closet gets very different treatment
from the attached room, enter it as an independent room.
HINT-- Sometimes it's easier to include a closet as part of a room to which it's not attached-- for example, if that makes
both rooms rectangular and easier to measure.
Splitting Rooms
A large room that gets drastically different treatments in different parts of the room can be split into two different rooms, to make it easier to specify
what is being done to each surface. Sometimes it is also convenient
to split a long hallway or other large room into more than one portion.
To split a room:
- Enter part of the room on one room card. Since there is no wall one the side that connects to the remainder of the wall, don't give it any framing,
wallboard, or other construction items.
- Enter the remainder of the room on a different room card. Since there is no wall one the side that connects to the remainder of the wall,
don't give it any framing, wallboard, or other construction items.
Combining Rooms
To cut down on the number of rooms in larger projects, you can consolidate
two or more rooms into a single room.
WARNING-- Only combine rooms if they have
similar ceiling heights, and if they are being worked on in a similar way.
To combine one or more rooms:
- Create a room card for the group of rooms.
- Enter the overall dimensions of the group of rooms into the wall, floor and ceiling dimensions.
- Enter the length of all walls between the rooms into Partition Walls.
Adding to an Existing Room
If you are enlarging an existing room with brand new construction, handle
it as two different rooms by following these steps:
- Put the old portion of the room into one roomÚ it will be considered an existing room.
- Put the new portion of the room into a separate roomÚ it will be considered a new room.
HINT-- Enter only three walls for the new
room and existing room, since the fourth wall is 'open' between them.
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