Setting Estimate Specifications

NOTE--We retired MacNail back in 2000, and replaced it with the Goldenseal project estimating software. There are still many die-hard MacNail users, so we keep the manuals online for them! Goldenseal is a complete small-business software package that includes estimating, accounting, job costing and project management features. We use a different approach to project specifying in Goldenseal. Instead of listing all items in a huge spreadsheet, we provide a starting template with just the most common items on display. You can then easily add, change or remove any items from the list.

Choosing Project Specifications

To include the 'suggested' quantity of units in an estimate created with MacNail construction estimating software:

1. Click anywhere on the line.
2. Choose *Include in Bid from the EDIT menu (see also page 121).

To remove an item from an estimate:

1. Click anywhere on the line.
2. Choose *Remove from Bid from the EDIT menu (see also page 122).

You can type a number directly into the units used cell for an item, if the suggested number is not correct (see the tutorial for details, page 41).

In some cases, you may want to type a custom formula into the units used cell (see the tutorial, page 43). Custom formulas will be different from the suggested number, but they still can change if the project dimensions are changed, later on.