How to Estimate with RSMeans Data: Basic Skills for Building Construction

Learn how to estimate building costs using the leading source of construction cost data This step–by–step guide takes you through all the major construction items with extensive coverage of site work, concrete and masonry, wood and metal framing, doors and windows, and other divisions. An important new chapter, Introduction to Cost Estimating, covers many aspects and definitions of cost estimating specific to project management in the construction industry. The only construction cost estimating handbook that uses the most popular source of construction data, RSMeans, this indispensible guide features access to the instructional version of CostWorks in electronic form, enabling you to practice techniques to solve real–world estimating problems. In addition, How to Estimate with RSMeans Data , Fourth Edition includes: Cost data based on RSMeans Building Construction Cost Data 2011 Two sets of actual project plans—residential and light commercial—with which to practice estimating Expert advice on design–stage estimates—when and how to use assemblies and square–foot estimating Tips from professionals, including widely used formulas and rules of thumb Guidance on how to use the powerful features of CostWorks Estimator How to Estimate with RSMeans Data , Fourth Edition comes complete with more than 300 end–of–chapter exercises, many with answers, that show how to estimate for a broad range of construction items and systems, including general conditions and equipment costs.

Acknowledgments ix Introduction xi Using RSMeans CostWorks Instructional Version CD–ROM xv A Cautionary Note: Numerical Rounding and Mathematical Judgment 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 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 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 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

Dr. Saleh Mubarak , PE, holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering, with specialization in construction management. He has over twenty–two years of diversified experience as a civil engineer, cost estimator, scheduler, project controls manager, and professor. He has taught professional seminars all over the world. Dr. Mubarak is currently the head of the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Qatar University. He is a leading authority in construction planning, scheduling, and project control, and the author of Construction Project Scheduling and Control . RSMeans , a division of Reed Construction Data, has been the leading publisher of construction cost data for over sixty years. The company provides products and services to more than 250,000 construction professionals throughout the United States and Canada.