Good cost estimating makes the difference between profit and loss on every construction project. And experienced estimators agree that a contractor's best guide to future costs is his record of costs on jobs completed. Yet most builders don't have any breakdown of actual costs on the work they've done.

But keeping informative cost records can be both quick and easy. This book explains how: How to collect and organize cost data for maximum use with minimum effort. How to set up an account classification system that's right for your business. How to distribute payroll expense to reflect the time spent on each part of the job. The best way to track costs for sitework, footings, foundations, the framing, interior finish, siding and trim, masonry and subcontract expense.

Anyone who submits competitive bids for construction work knows that there's no substitute for a well-organized, detailed file of actual job costs. Big engineering and construction firms won't bid without them. If you're not keeping good cost records because you don't have time or don't know how, you need the sample forms and simplified procedures in this practical manual.

About the Author
W.P. Jackson has been a successful builder for over 30 years. He's built a wide variety of commercial and residential buildings, including luxury homes, subdivisions and garden apartments. A good part of his success is the result of careful record keeping. No estimating manual can predict what your costs will be. But Mr. Jackson used the cost recording system described here to track actual costs, making future estimates accurate predictions rather than generalized guesses.

Mr. Jackson has two other books to his credit: the very successful Building Layout, now in its fourth printing, and the more recent Estimating Home Building Costs, which shows how to compile labor and material cost estimates.

Table of Contents
1: Keep Accurate Cost Records; Chapter 2: Payroll Records; Chapter 3: Billing, Income and Disbursements, and Subcontracted Work; Chapter 4: Site Preparation Records; Chapter 5: Footing Records; Chapter 6: Foundation Records; Chapter 7: Floor System Records; Chapter 8: Wall System Records; Chapter 9: Roof System Records; Chapter 10: Insulation and Wallboard Records; Chapter 11: Siding and Trim Records; Chapter 12: Brickwork and Concrete Records; Chapter 13: Subcontracted Work Records; Chapter 14: Composite Labor Records; Index.