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Working with Areas

Areas are the primary organizational structure in your estimate. They represent distinct sections of work, such as rooms, zones, or project phases.

What Are Areas?​

An area is a container that holds estimate entries (assemblies or components). Common examples include:

  • Rooms: Kitchen, Master Bathroom, Living Room
  • Zones: Interior, Exterior, Basement
  • Phases: Phase 1, Phase 2, Demo Work
  • Custom: Any grouping that makes sense for your project

Each area can have its own settings for markup, contingency, and visible categories.

Adding an Area​

  1. Click Add Area in the estimate toolbar
  2. Select an Area Type from the dropdown
  3. Enter a Name for the area (e.g., "Master Bathroom" or "Kitchen Remodel")
  4. Optionally enter dimensions:
    • Length - Linear measurement
    • Width - Linear measurement
    • Height - Vertical measurement
    • Days - Estimated duration
  5. Click Save

The new area appears in your estimate, ready for entries.

tip

Area dimensions can be used in quantity calculations. For example, if you set an area's length and width, assemblies can automatically calculate square footage.

Area Settings​

Each area has settings that affect all entries within it.

Area Markup​

Set a markup percentage specific to this area. This overrides the estimate-level default markup.

When to use: Different rooms or scopes may warrant different profit margins. A premium kitchen remodel might have higher markup than basic bathroom work.

To set area markup:

  1. Click the area header to expand options
  2. Find the Markup field
  3. Enter the percentage
  4. Entries in this area will use this markup unless they have their own override

Contingency​

Add a contingency percentage to this area for unexpected costs.

To set contingency:

  1. Expand the area options
  2. Find the Contingency field
  3. Enter the percentage
  4. The contingency amount is calculated and added to area totals

Area Summary​

Enable to show a summary line for the area in reports and client-facing documents.

Using Areas as Options​

Areas can be enabled or disabled, making them useful for presenting optional add-ons or alternative scopes to customers.

How It Works​

Each area has an Enabled toggle. When disabled:

  • The area is excluded from estimate totals
  • The area appears grayed out in the estimate
  • Client-facing documents can show it as an "option" rather than included work

Common Use Cases​

Optional Add-Ons: Create areas for work the customer might want but hasn't committed to:

  • "Optional: Outdoor Kitchen"
  • "Optional: Basement Bar"
  • "Optional: Smart Home Package"

Alternative Choices: Present different options at different price points:

  • "Option A: Standard Fixtures"
  • "Option B: Premium Fixtures"

Phased Work: Separate work that could be done later:

  • "Phase 2: Garage Renovation"
  • "Future: Deck Addition"

Enabling/Disabling Areas​

  1. Click the area header to expand options
  2. Toggle the Enabled switch
  3. Disabled areas immediately update totals
tip

When presenting to customers, you can enable/disable areas in real-time to show how different combinations affect the total price. This makes sales presentations more interactive.

Areas and Mark as Won​

When you mark an estimate as won, you select which areas are included in the sale. Disabled areas are excluded by default but can still be selected if the customer decides to add them.

Categories Within Areas​

Each area contains categories that organize your entries by type of work.

What Are Categories?​

Categories are cost codes that group similar entries together:

  • Cabinets - All cabinet-related entries
  • Countertops - Countertop materials and installation
  • Plumbing - Plumbing fixtures and labor
  • Electrical - Electrical work
  • Flooring - Floor materials and installation

Categories are pre-defined by your administrator and automatically appear in each area.

Showing and Hiding Categories​

Not every category applies to every area. You can hide categories that aren't relevant:

  1. Click the area settings icon
  2. Select Manage Categories
  3. Toggle categories on or off
  4. Only visible categories appear in the estimate

Example: A "Basement Finishing" area might hide the "Roofing" category since it doesn't apply.

Reordering Categories​

Change the order categories appear within an area:

  1. Click the area settings icon
  2. Select Reorder Categories
  3. Drag categories to your preferred order
  4. Click Save

The order only affects this specific area.

Managing Areas​

Editing an Area​

  1. Click the Edit icon on the area header
  2. Modify the name, dimensions, or settings
  3. Click Save

Reordering Areas​

Drag areas to change their order in the estimate:

  1. Hover over the area header
  2. Click and drag the handle
  3. Drop in the new position

Area order affects how the estimate displays to users and in reports.

Deleting an Area​

  1. Click the Delete icon on the area header
  2. Confirm the deletion
warning

Deleting an area removes all entries within it. This action cannot be undone.

Area Notes​

Add notes to an area for internal reference or to include on proposals:

  1. Expand the area
  2. Click Add Note or find the notes section
  3. Enter your note text
  4. Notes can be marked as internal-only or included in client documents

Common uses for notes:

  • Special instructions for this area
  • Assumptions made during estimating
  • Scope clarifications
  • Access or scheduling considerations

Area Totals​

Each area shows running totals at the bottom:

TotalDescription
CostYour total cost for this area
PriceCustomer price (cost + markup)
ContingencyCalculated contingency amount
MarginProfit margin percentage

These totals update automatically as you add or modify entries.

Best Practices​

  • Use consistent naming - "Kitchen" is clearer than "Area 1"
  • Match your workflow - Organize areas the way you'll execute the work
  • Set appropriate markup - Higher complexity or risk warrants higher markup
  • Hide unused categories - Keep the interface clean by hiding irrelevant categories
  • Add notes - Document assumptions and special considerations

Next Steps​