Estimating & costing
Price a building from a PDF
Start from a flat PDF drawing and finish with a priced, validated estimate ready to export.…
5 steps15 minOpen
Cases / Estimating & costing
Estimating & costing
Build an elemental cost plan
Structure a cost plan by classified element rather than by trade, check it against the classification rules, and issue a plan a designer can actually work to.
How it works, step by step
3 steps across the platform - what you do at each one, and why it matters.
1
Structure the plan by element
BOQLay out the bill by classified element, substructure, frame, envelope, internal finishes, services, rather than by trade, and tag each section with its classification code.
Why: A design team reads a cost plan element by element, not trade by trade. Structuring it that way from the outset is what makes the plan legible to the people who have to design against it.
InScheme designElement classificationOutElement-structured billCoded plan sections
2
Check the classification rules
ValidationRun the structure rules across the plan and confirm every section carries the classification code the standard expects, with nothing left in an unclassified catch-all.
Why: A cost plan that will not map cleanly to the classification standard cannot be compared to a benchmark or handed to a quantity surveyor on the other side of the table.
InElement-structured planClassification rule setOutStructure check reportFully classified plan
3
Issue the elemental report
ReportsExport the cost plan broken down by element with its classification code, ready for the design team to work against and the client to approve.
Why: An elemental report is the one document that lets a designer see exactly where the budget sits and where a design decision will move it.
InValidated cost planElement cost totalsOutElemental cost reportDesign-ready budget
Modules in this playbook
3 / 184 platform modules