|
"I build 6 to 8 custom
homes a year and LiteningFast is the only estimating program I use. I
have built quite a database and find the ease and accuracy of your
program very good"
Dave Higginbotham, WestPoint Custom
Builders
|
The
key
to
job
cost
is...
doing
it.
If
you
don't
keep
track
of
your
job
cost,
it's
impossible
to
Bid
Right!
The
key
to
doing
job
cost
is
...
keep
it
simple.
If
keeping
track
of
your
costs
is
difficult
and
tedious,
you'll
do
it
for
a
while
and
then,
because
you
don't
have
time
(or
any
of
a
hundred
other
excuses),
it
falls
by
the
wayside.
You
tell
yourself
"I'll
catch
it
up
later."
For
most
of
us,
"later"
never
comes.
If
it's
easy
to
do,
it
gets
done.
Keeping
track
of
your
costs
will
save
your
business!
Simplified Job Cost in QuickBooks
|
 |
|
Listen to an audio note
|
Job
budgets
are
created
in
QuickBooks
by
section.
So
when
you're
paying
your
bills,
you
select
the
job
and
select
the
section
the
bill
is
for,
no
matter
how
many
items
were
used
in
the
section.
For
example,
if
you
got
a
bill
for
concrete,
which
is
Foundation
materials,
you'd
charge
it
to
the
Foundation
Materials
line
in
your
job
budget.
You
don't
have
to
search
through
dozens
or
hundreds
of
lines
of
the
budget
looking
for
concrete.
It's
very
simple,
and
VERY
effective.
Need
more
information
about
Sections
in
LiteningFast?
Click
here.
Speaking
of
QuickBooks,
we
have
a
newsletter
that
will
give
you
tips
and
tricks
to
help
you
get
the
most
out
of
QuickBooks
and
LiteningFast
Estimating
plus
provide
information
that
will
help
you
more
effectively
and
profitably
run
your
construction
business. We'll
also
send
you
our
report
"Keep
Thousand$
More
In
Your
Pocket...A
Report
For
Contractors",
a
$29.95
value,
with
our
compliments.
Our
privacy
statement.
|
"I've been using the product for about a year
and a half and have done hundreds of estimates with it. The software is an
excellent value... I would highly recommend your program to contractors, as it
will save them time and money on their estimates.
Calvin Davis Marathon
Building Company
|
"Power
Items",
Like
QuickBooks,
And
More
Power
items
save
you
time.
Each
LiteningFast
item
has
the
cost
for
materials,
labor,
equipment,
subcontracts,
and
miscellaneous
built
in.
So,
when
you
enter
the
take
off
quantity
for
an
item,
you're
taking
off
the
equivalent
of
up
to
5
QuickBooks
items.
This
saves
you
time
and
reduces
mistakes.
If
you
need
to
make
adjustments
in
the
estimate,
you
change
one
item,
not
three
or
four.
If
you'd
like
more
information
about
items
and
how
we
use
them
in
LiteningFast,
click
here.
Since
items
are
organized
by
section,
it's
easy
for
you
to
find
what
you're
looking
for.
You
just
have
to
"Point
and
Click"
the
section
you
want,
like
Framing,
and
you'll
see
the
list
of
items
for
that
section.
Click
on
the
item,
enter
the
takeoff
quantity,
and
it's
added
to
the
estimate.
You
can
also
add
items
on-the-fly
when
you're
estimating.
If
you
need
an
entry
that's
not
in
the
database
just
add
it.
It
will
be
included
in
your
estimate
and
it
will
be
there
next
time
you
need
it.
You
can
also
adjust
prices
on-the-fly,
and
save
the
changes.
Copying
Estimates
/
Frameworks
Do
you
do
the
same,
or
similar,
kinds
of
jobs
over
and
over,
like
house
plans?
Do
you
find
yourself
preparing
estimates
that
are
almost
identical
to
one
another?
With
LiteningFast,
you
can
copy
the
previous
estimate
and
just
make
changes
to
it.
Or,
maybe
you
have
a
customer
who
wants
to
look
at
several
different
ways
of
doing
the
job.
Make
copies
and
then
just
plug
in
the
adjustments.
How
much
flexibility
does
this
give
you?
How
good
do
you
look
to
the
customer?
How
likely
are
you
to
get
the
job?
How
many
hours
will
you
save?
To
get
more
details
on
copying,
click
here.
Phases
are
a
way
that
you
can
break
a
job
down
into
pieces.
For
example,
let's
say
you're
doing
a
room
addition
and
a
kitchen
remodel
for
Ralph
&
Mary
Smith.
Break
out
the
costs
of
the
room
addition
from
the
costs
of
the
kitchen
remodel.
You
can
show
your
customer
the
cost
of
each
phase
of
the
project.
If
you
do
insurance
work
this
is
a
must
have.
Click
here
for
more
information
on
phases.
Making
your
estimate
"notable"
Depending on the type of work you do, you may want to make
notes as you are doing the take off. These notes may be for your own reference, to refresh
your mind why you estimated a certain way. Or, they could be to share with the customer to
more explain why a certain item is being used, how it's being used, or
detailed specifications of the item. LiteningFast allows you to easily add notes to estimate
lines,
sections,
and
phases.
And
you
can
selectively
print them, or not, on the estimate.
Price
updates
of
materials,
labor,
and
equipment
are
very
easy.
Let's
say
your
carpenters
are
paid
$10
and
hour
and
you're
going
to
give
them
a
raise
to
$11
an
hour.
You
make
the
change
in
one
place
and
click
the
"Update"
button.
Every
item
that
has
carpenter
labor
will
be
updated
to
reflect
the
change.
Learn
more
on
price
updates
by
clicking
here.
You
save
many
hours
with
these
automatic
price
updates.
More
time
to
prepare
more
estimates
-
or
more
time
with
the
family.
Automatic
Job
Schedules
LiteningFast
automatically
creates
schedules
for
your
jobs
as
you're
estimating.
The
schedules
give
you
and
your
customer
a
picture
of
how
and
when
the
job
will
be
completed.
This
is
a
great
sales
tool
and
gives
you
more
control
over
your
jobs.
Assemblies
allow
you
to
group
commonly
used
items
together
so
you
can
do
a
takeoff
of
one
item
that
really
takes
off
3,
5,
10,
or
20
items
with
one
entry.
Assemblies,
or
groups,
as
they're
called
in
QuickBooks,
can
save
you
hours
of
entry
time
and
reduce
missed
items
and
other
errors.
They
save
you
time
for
the
things
you
want
to
do,
and
the
put
you
in
control.
Click
here
for
more
details.