How to Estimate with. RSMeans Data

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3 How to Estimate with RSMeans Data

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5 How to Estimate with RSMeans Data Basic Skills for Building Construction Fourth Edition RSMeans and Saleh A. Mubarak, Ph.D. Barbara Balboni, Technical Editor RSMeans John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

6 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, , fax , or on the web at Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, , fax , or online at Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. For general information on our other products and services, or technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at , outside the United States at or fax Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at For more information about Wiley products, visit Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: How to estimate with RSMeans data: Basic Skills for Building Construction / Saleh A. Mubarak and RS Means. 4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. Title of previous eds.: How to estimate with Means data & CostWorks, published by R.S. Means Co. ISBN (pbk.); ISBN (ebk); ISBN (ebk); ISBN (ebk); ISBN (ebk); ISBN (ebk) 1. Building Estimates. I. Mubarak, Saleh A. (Saleh Altayeb) II. R.S. Means Company. TH435.H dc Printed in the United States of America

7 Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Using RSMeans CostWorks Instructional Version CD-ROM A Cautionary Note: Numerical Rounding and Mathematical Judgment ix xi xv xxi Chapter 1: Basic Calculations 1 RSMeans Cost Data Format 1 Productivity and Activity Duration 6 Equipment Costs 9 City Cost Indexes and Location Factors 10 Chapter 2: Spreadsheet Types 13 Manual Spreadsheets 13 Electronic Spreadsheets 14 Using RSMeans CostWorks 17 Additional RSMeans CostWorks Features 19 Square Foot and Cubic Foot Costs 19 Chapter 3: Cost Estimating: An Introduction 23 Introduction 23 Definitions 24 Types and Purposes of Estimates 26 Types of Contract Award Methods 36 Types of Contract Agreements 39 v

8 Contents Chapter 4: General Requirements 51 Estimating General Requirements 51 Project Duration 51 Architectural and Engineering Fees 54 Workers Compensation Insurance 56 Builder s Risk Insurance 58 Sales Tax 58 Chapter 5: Adjusting RSMeans Data to Job Conditions 63 Markups on Labor Cost 63 Interpolation between RSMeans Items 65 Substituting Known Local Labor Rates 68 Overtime Productivity Loss and Extra Pay 69 Effect of Inflation/Cost Escalation 71 Unit Consistency 74 RSMeans CostWorks Estimator 75 Adding, Changing, or Deleting Costs 79 Chapter 6: Concrete (Division 3) 85 Types of Concrete 85 Estimating Concrete 87 Additional Estimating Examples 105 Chapter 7: Masonry (Division 4) 117 Types of Masonry 117 Estimating and Waste Allowances 117 Productivity Factors 118 Quantity Takeoff 119 Chapter 8: Metals (Division 5) 131 Estimating Structural Steel 131 Chapter 9: Wood and Plastics, Thermal and Moisture Protection (Divisions 6 7) 147 Wood and Wood Products 147 Nominal versus Real Dimensions 148 Thermal and Moisture Control 149 Estimating Wood-Framed Structure 152 Using Units of Quantity 158 vi

9 Contents Chapter 10: Doors and Windows, Interior Finish, and Equipment (Divisions 8 14) 165 Using RSMeans Costs 165 Division 8: Openings 166 Division 9: Finishes 167 Division 10: Specialties 173 Division 11: Equipment 174 Division 12: Furnishings 174 Division 13: Special Construction 174 Division 14: Conveying Equipment 175 Chapter 11: Fire Suppression, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical (Divisions 21 28) 179 Fire Suppression 180 Plumbing 181 Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning 182 Electrical 185 Communications 186 Electronic Safety and Security 186 Chapter 12: Earthwork (Division 31) 189 Types of Earthwork 189 Soil Excavation 190 Truck Capacity 195 Excavate by Hand or Machine? 196 Optimum Number of Trucks per Loader 199 Equipment Rental Costs for Short or Long Periods 202 Renting versus Owning Equipment 205 Chapter 13: Equipment Analysis 213 Equipment Depreciation 213 Equipment Expenses 217 Equipment Rental 222 Chapter 14: Assemblies Estimating 231 Preliminary Cost Estimating 231 Assemblies Estimates 231 Combining Assemblies and Unit Costs 234 vii

10 Contents Chapter 15: Approximate Estimates 237 RSMeans Project Costs 238 Using RSMeans Project Costs 239 Appendix Appendix A: Answers for Exercises 249 Appendix B: Contractor s Cash Flow 259 Appendix C: CSI Masterformat 265 Appendix D: Sample Estimating Forms 267 Appendix E: References 275 Index 281 viii

11 Acknowledgments This Fourth Edition is special. Apart from the updates and addition of new material, this RSMeans book is now published by John Wiley & Sons. RSMeans has been, and still is, the leading company in construction cost estimating databases. RSMeans and Wiley: two great organizations. In addition to the review of the book, RSMeans provided the CD material that serves as a necessary component of the book. I have been dealing with the RSMeans Company for 25 years and I have nothing but high praise for them. In particular, Barbara Balboni contributed significantly to this book as co-author and technical editor. Ms. Balboni is currently a senior engineer with RSMeans, where she is responsible for the content of RSMeans Square Foot Costs, Assemblies, andinterior Cost Data publications. I also thank Melville J. Mossman; Senior Engineer and Editor, Stephen C. Plotner; Senior Engineer and Editor, and Andrea Sillah; Product Manager for RSMeans Books. From the Wiley organization, I like to thank Paul Drougas; Michael New; and Bob Hilbert for great support. Wiley took care of my book Construction Project Scheduling and Control and did a great job. They are the world s experts in publishing and marketing scientific books, and I am glad they are taking care of this book as well. I must also recognize the contribution of Tom Bledsaw, ITT Educational Services and National Chair Schools of Drafting and Design; and Harold Grimes, Director of Construction Management at Redstone College, as reviewers of this edition. Finally, I owe a lot of gratitude to the numerous friends and colleagues who passed their comments on the book to me. As humans, we are far from perfection but I take this as a motivator: there is always room for improvement. ix

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13 Introduction Professional estimators quantify the needed resources materials, labor, and equipment required by the scope of a project, and then price these items. This is a two-phase process that includes quantity takeoff and cost estimating. To complete the quantity takeoff, the estimator examines plans and specifications to determine total quantities of materials required, as well as labor and equipment. During the cost estimating phase, the estimator examines the direct costs of installed materials and equipment, labor rates, construction equipment and tool costs, and indirect expenses, such as overhead and profit. Inflation and market conditions are additional factors to consider. The estimator needs also to be familiar with the contract, especially the sections relevant to the cost. Special problem-solving skills are required to obtain an accurate estimate. No matter what source is used, construction cost data are rarely available in the perfect format for a particular estimate. Data must often be adapted in some way, such as changing the number of units, the location, production rates, or the type of labor. Frequently, there is math to be done beyond what is required to produce the quantity takeoff, such as converting units of measure, adjusting for overtime, allowing for difficult access to the site, or factoring in other special considerations. This book provides information about how the costs in RSMeans Building Construction Cost Data (BCCD) are developed and presented. It also provides numerous sample problems that show how to apply this cost information. Following these guidelines will enable you to use the BCCD to the max, creating a detailed estimate, made more accurate by utilizing the full capabilities of the data. xi

14 Introduction There are substantial changes in the fourth edition. Chapter 3, Cost Estimating: An Introduction is a new chapter. I found this chapter particularly important for those who want to get an idea on construction cost estimating without reading an entire book on the subject. There is also a small section added (Appendix B) on contractor s cash flow analysis along with a supporting electronic file with the attached CD. Many more examples and exercises were added. The CSI MasterFormat has been updated according to the new 2011 version, which has some changes from the MasterFormat Chapter 4, General Requirements, was expanded and moved to the front of the book. The book now is published by Wiley, an international leader in publishing scientific and professional books. RSMeans is still involved with the book, particularly in updating the materials on the CD including the cost estimating database and software. The answers and solutions to the exercises were rearranged. Appendix A contains answers to Exercises Set A. The full solutions can be found in electronic files (Excel format) in the attached CD. It is highly recommended to look at those solutions since many solutions contained assumptions and many answers need explanations. The solutions to Exercises Set B will be available online to instructors only. Included with this workbook is an RSMeans CostWorks CD, the electronic version of RSMeans Building Construction Cost Data. RSMeans CostWorks includes the capability to create your own cost list estimates within the program, or to export data directly from the disk to a spreadsheet. Users can practice their skills in creating a complete construction estimate using the building plans for a residential and a light commercial structure (provided on the CD). Also included on the CD is RSMeans CostWorks Estimator and a sample basic spreadsheet, complete with formulas. (See the Using RSMeans CostWorks Instructional Version CD section for more information and installation procedures.) This book focuses on solution techniques for the various types of estimating problems and using RSMeans CostWorks to create a spreadsheet estimate. Theoretical explanations of the various estimating techniques are beyond the scope of this publication. xii

15 Introduction As we improve in each new edition, we are striving for perfection, which humans can never reach. To me, this is good news because it means there is always room for improvement. This what motivates us to keep improving with no limitation or ceiling. I hope all users of this book; instructors, students, professionals, and other; to communicates with me or the publisher for any idea or correction that can improve this book. The author can be reached at the address cpmxpert@gmail.com. xiii