Estimating
A takeoff you can defend line by line
The engine is deterministic: same inputs, same numbers, and every line explains how it got there. Where an input is missing you get a warning, not an invented quantity.
| Material | To order | How it was calculated | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x4x8 pressure-treated post | 15 each | 1 per post × 15 posts = 15 | $284.50 |
| Concrete, 50 lb bag | 32 bag | 2 per post × 15 = 30, × 1.05 waste = 31.5, rounded up to 32 | $208.00 |
| 2x4x8 rail | 41 each | 3 per section × 13 sections = 39, × 1.05 waste = 40.95, rounded up to 41 | $373.10 |
| Cedar picket 5/8 x 5.5 | 225 each | 2.2 per fenced foot × 102 ft = 225 | $742.50 |
| Walk gate hardware kit | 1 kit | 1 per gate × 1 gate = 1 | $89.00 |
- Materials
- $1,697.10
- Installation labor
- $918.00
- Labor burden (22%)
- $201.96
- Allocated overhead (10%)
- $282.62
- Contingency (3%)
- $84.78
- Cost basis
- $3,184.46
- Price at 35% target margin
- $4,899.17
- Same cost at 35% markup
- $4,299.02
Margin 35.0% is a job contribution figure on the price before tax — not net company profit. Markup and margin are different numbers.
Maximum post spacing
Sections are the measured run divided by your maximum spacing, rounded up. You set the spacing per style.
Shared posts counted once
When two runs meet, the junction post belongs to one run. Mark the end as shared and the duplicate disappears.
Gate openings are not panels
Gate widths come out of the fenced length before sections are counted, and each opening adds its own post.
Waste and purchase packs
Waste is applied before rounding, then quantities are rounded up to whole purchase packs. Both steps are shown.
Mixed styles and heights
Each run carries its own style, height and finish, so one job can combine cedar privacy and aluminum.
Overrides with a reason
Change a quantity and you record why. The original calculation and the change stay in the history.
Margin and markup are not the same
Target margin
price = cost ÷ (1 − margin)
A 35% target margin on a $3,192 cost basis prices at $4,911. Target margin must be below 100%.
Markup
price = cost × (1 + markup)
A 35% markup on the same cost basis prices at $4,309 — and earns a 26% margin.
Each figure states which costs are inside it. A job contribution figure is never labelled net company profit, and issued proposals keep the prices they were issued with even after your catalog changes.
See it on a sample job