Calculators

[Rich]

I'm thinking of packaging up my calculators in Excel and selling them... cheaply of course. I was thinking of $5 / calculator or all of them for $30.
I'll add some more features to them also - such as maybe a breakout of material, labor, and then give options to add in other costs over and above just the take-off stuff. For instance, on the foundation calculator I could have it perform the calculation and then do an automatic calculation on rebar.. then user inputs labor costs and production rates as well as current cost of steel and it does up a little printout for them.
Anybody have any other suggestions?

[mreynolds]

This sounds like a good idea. Are you thinking on-line e-book type deal, or mailing paper copies? Another suggestion for a calculator, concrete block core fill calculator, this seems like a weird quantity, but necessary. The other things that might draw business would be a total budget sheet, possible sub contract bid sheets. For instance, as I do my own total budget on our house, I have a running budget, each line item has a break out somewhere else in the speadsheet to calculate to total. Like my basement line item is connected to another group fo cells for conrete, reinforcement etc. Another interested spreadsheet that would be useful if a building technology or material comparision. If I wanted to build with 2x6 walls or structural insulated panels, it would be nice to have a neat clean speadsheet to compare these two. Or precast basement walls to poured walls, then you could list advantages and disadvantages to each as an independent evaluator.

[Rich]

Good stuff mreynolds. I'm thinking of more distribution by CD (with another company) or paypal and download.

[kdavis]

I find it easier when doing a budget in Excel to list it out by CSI divisions and that leaves me with room also for change orders and Agency required stuff.

[Rich]

Definately the easiest way to go is by CSI. We do the same thing and it fits right into our FSR and eventually our cost controls.