Cost Catalog
The Cost Catalog functions as a detailed inventory of standard pricing for your various job elements, ultimately reducing errors, ensuring consistency and simplifying the costing process.
Instead of repeatedly entering details like Title, Description, Unit Cost, or Markup Amount during each estimating or costing workflow, the Cost Catalog stores this information for easy retrieval.
Cost Catalog Help Video
Watch the video below to learn more about the Cost Catalog.
There are 3 components of the Cost Catalog:
Part 1: Cost Codes
Part 2: Cost Items
Part 3: Cost Groups
Cost Codes are the foundation of all financial tools. Cost Codes do not contain pricing or item specific details, but are used as a first step in costing and estimating.
Example: "5620 - Shower doors and mirrors"
Cost Items are Cost Codes that have been assigned pricing or item specific details. Multiple Cost Items may be assigned to a single Cost Code. This allows for Cost Codes to stay generic, while utilizing Cost Items to provide unlimited options of that original code.
Cost Items may be edited once added to the job to adjust Quantity, Markup, etc. Changes made to the item on the job/feature will not effect the Catalog.
Example: "Kohler Levity 59 in x 74 in. Semi-Frameless Sliding Shower Door with Handle" related to the Cost Code 5620 - Shower doors and mirrors
Cost Groups completes the picture by taking multiple Cost Items and grouping them together, allowing for efficient and accurate estimating. Cost Groups are unique to each builder, but most often are based off of building phase, rooms, floors, priority, etc.
Example: "01 - Preparation Preliminaries" to include all costs needed for this phase
You can utilize the Cost Catalog in any feature where there is a pricing or costing opportunity, reducing risk of error and increasing overall efficiency.
Proposals
Estimates
Selections
Change Orders
Purchase Orders
Bills
To begin, navigate to the desired feature. Next, select Add From Catalog beside the Price Information.
Once applied to the feature, you may edit your Cost Group as needed. Changes made will not affect the main Catalog, only on this job.
To manage, edit, delete or add to the main Cost Catalog, Cost Items and/or Cost Groups, navigate to the Financials menu in the Company Settings tab. Then, select Catalog.
To create a new Cost Item or Cost Group, navigate to that tab and select the New Cost Group/Item icon on the top right.
New Cost Item
New Cost Group
To edit an existing Item or Group, select the entity and make adjustments.
If the Cost Item you're attempting to edit or delete is currently in use anywhere in Buildertrend, you will be shown a list of all instances of current use. You may choose if and where you'd like this Cost Item to update.
Variance Cost Codes
Variances Codes are exclusively used to track any unplanned costs on a job. These codes do not relate to your standard set of Cost Codes used to cost your job, but rather are reasons why unexpected costs have appeared.
Variance Codes Help Video
Watch the video below to learn more about Variance Codes.
To learn more about creating Purchase Orders and Bills using Variance Codes, navigate to our Advanced Purchase Order & Bill Overview.
There are two types of Variance Codes:
Standard Variance Codes: unplanned costs that the builder is responsible for
Client Variance Codes: unplanned costs that the client is responsible for
Variance Cost Codes are used on Bills and Purchase Orders.
Client Variance Cost Codes are used when tracking the expense from a Change Order in the form of a Purchase Order or Bill. By default, there is only one code that is listed as a Client Variance Code, "72 - Client change order".
Buildertrend provides a default set of Variance Cost Codes, accessible via the Company Settings tab. Select Cost Codes within the Financial menu, then Variances.
Variance Codes are structured similar to Cost Codes, with a Category and "001 -" numbering system.
To add a new Variance Code or Variance Category, click New. Adding your Variance Codes into sub categories or parent codes is not a best practice and should be avoided.
Existing Variance Codes may be edited or deleted by selecting the code. However, if Variance Codes have been used anywhere in the program, deleting will not be available. As an alternative, you may choose to deactivate the code, marking it as unavailable from future jobs.
Interested in Learning More? 📚
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