Chapter 2
Planning your Estimate, 17
     It All Starts With a Plan, 17
     Custom-made Markup, 18
     The Long-term Plan, 21

Chapter, 3
Getting Ready to Estimate 29
     It All Starts With Plans, 29
     The Plan Package, 32
     Examine the Site, 36
     The Cost Data File, 36
     Doing the Take-off, 38
     Compiling an Estimate, 39
     Checking Estimates, 47

Chapter 4
The Estimating Process, 51
     Detailed Estimating Steps, 51
     A Sample Take-off, 63
     The Detailed Estimate Advantage, 88

Chapter 5
Estimating Repair & Remodeling Work, 89
     Limiting the Scope of Your Bid, 90
     Protecting Yourself, 91
     A Sample Remodeling Estimate, 93
     The Estimating Process, 96
     Putting it All Together, 111
     Checking the Estimate, 117
     Preparing the Bid, 117
     Closing the Sale, 120

Chapter 6
Estimating Commercial Work, 125
     The Commercial Estimate, 126
     Follow a Plan, 128
     Start the Take-off, 129
     The Take-off Form, 131
     How to Take off Quantities, 132
     Applying Unit Costs, 146

Chapter 7
Pricing With a Computer 153
     What's on the National Home Estimator Disk, 154
     Installing National Home Estimator, 155
     Using National Estimator, 156
     Opening the Costbooks, 157
     Your First Estimate, 158
     Splitting the Screen, 159
     Copying Costs to Your Estimate, 160
     Changing Wage Rates or Costs, 163
     Adding Tax, Overhead and Profit, 166
     Printing and Saving Your Estimate, 167
     Converting Estimates With Job Cost Wizard, 168
     Amount of Detail on Invoices, 170
     QuickBooks Account Names, 171
     Exporting an Estimate to QuickBooks, 173
     Turn an Estimate into an Invoice, 175
     Your Jobs in QuickBooks, 176

Chapter 8
Cost Recording, 177
     Why Keep Cost Records? 178
     Essentials of a Cost System, 179
     Cost Records Check Current Jobs, 182
     Classifying Labor Costs, 182
     Using Cost Data, 187

Chapter 9
Planning Overhead, 191
     Start With Last Year, 192
     The Annual Budget, 196
     My Budget for AEI Builders, 200
     The Preliminary Budget Bottom Line, 208
     Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail, 213

Chapter 10
Estimating Overhead & Profit, 215
     Your Normal Markup, 216
     The Right Markup for Your Estimates, 218
     But Will We Make More Money? 222
     Develop a Profit Curve, 222
     Your Own Best Profit Range, 227

Chapter 11
Smart Bidding, 229
     Adjustment for Risk, 229
     Asset Utilization Adjustments, 240
     Identify Under-utilization, 242
     Project Adjustments, 248
     What Is the Net Effect? 251

Chapter 12
Pricing Strategies, 253
     Learn About Your Competition, 255
     Graph Your Competition, 260
     Let's Wrap This Up, 264

Index, 265