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I have recorded 12 videos on how to set up a Excel workbook for estimating small jobs.
I am a small contractor, I am self taught at Excel and I have nothing to sell.
If you have opened up an Excel workbook and saw all the the columns and rows and you said to yourself "Now what do I do" then these videos are for you.
I will teach you how to use the Excel tools, to write basic formulas and how I organize my worksheets. How to use fill and how to copy and paste. For most estimating all you need is basic math.
Video #1 Will teach you how to build a basic estimating worksheet. I'll take a guy from his pad and paper and teach him how to make Excel work for him. I intentionally keep it simple. (Note; a friend informed me that I said right click when I meant to say left click and vice versa. I'm sorry. Making the video was more difficult than I thought, despite prior planning and several failed attempts.)
Video #2 Is organizing the worksheet and making it more readable. I also teach you how to name cells, freeze panes and more practice on formula writing and using fill.
Video #3 will teach you how to build a worksheet to track your hours and your materials expenses for the job.
Video #4 In this video I make the Bill Worksheet more readable, link the totals to the Estimate Worksheet and show profitability. I also add a side calculator for figuring tax on returns and show how to insert comments in the description of each day's activities.
Video #5 I take an invoice from Microsoft's website and modifiy it for my needs.
Video #6 I make a few changes to the invoice and then make an Estimate letter. The Estimate letter gets linked to the Estimate worksheet cells. And the Invoice gets linked to the Bill Worksheet Cells.
Video #7 I set up the cover sheet to control cells throughout other tabs. I give you a preview of my Estimating Worksheet to give you a view of where we are going with this. I make a mistake at the end of the video that will have to be corrected in #8.
In Video #8 I talk about my mistake in #7, resolve the conflict with naming cells. Then I build an estimate with a 2nd workbook called Materials List Master. They I walk you through a job I did recently, from estimate through invoice. I make the invoice into a PDF and e-mail it. Then I store the invoice and the workbook in folders.
In Video #9 Note: I fixed the link. I will start to teach you how to use the basic Estimating Worksheet (EWS) to build a Roofing Worksheet. I use some SF calculators to figure roof Squares. Plus calculators to figure metal, I&W, Hip and Ridge ect. Once you have entered the data then Excel will figure materials for you in the materials list below. This is going to take at least 3 videos. It's not hard. You do these calculations every time you figure a job. I just try to automate this process. This can also be done with any building project that has a limited number of materials and tasks. The more complex the job the more difficult it is to automate the process. But it can be done. The principles involved can also be applied to vinyl siding, building decks, building a garage, drywall, suspended ceilings and so forth.
Video #10 is a continuation of the roofing worksheet building. In my worksheets I often will have the roofing worksheet as a separate worksheet within a workbook, then the roofing materials and labor will show up as a line item in the EWS.
Video # 11 More work on the roofing worksheet.
Video #12 More work on the roofing worksheet. Once you build a automated worksheet it will simplify the repetive tasks of estimating and writing a estimate/bid proposal. Simple roof can be estimated by entering a limited number of numbers in cells. The estimate letter/ bid proposal can be a standard template so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time you want to put out an estimate. The principles in this roofing worksheet can be applied to other areas.
As of this writing I am building the basic format of the Worksheet and then later I will go back and name cells like Total Labor. But at this point I am just building the structure. Maybe an Excel expert would build it differently. I'm not him and they videos are designed for the contractor whose kids think he is computer stupid.
I plan to do additional videos to teach you how to make a estimate letter or proposal from your estimate worksheet. How to produce an invoice from your Bill worksheet. And keep it all in one workbook.
My goal is to teach you how to build your own workbook template that is designed around your business.
I use this worksheet to keep all information about the job in one place from estimate through invoice. Then I send the invoice to my bookkeeper and she enters the information in to Quickbooks.
In each video you will see me building a formula or using fill. The process of repeating a step helps you to practice and learn by repetition. I am a slow learner and when I watch Excel is fun videos I have to watch the video repeatedly to get the concept. I also make mistakes along the way and show you how to get back on track.
If you are interested in learning how to estimate with Excel, then open a workbook and build your own workbook while watching the video. Stop the video whenever you need to and try the same tools on your workbook.
Rich
I have recorded 12 videos on how to set up a Excel workbook for estimating small jobs.
I am a small contractor, I am self taught at Excel and I have nothing to sell.
If you have opened up an Excel workbook and saw all the the columns and rows and you said to yourself "Now what do I do" then these videos are for you.
I will teach you how to use the Excel tools, to write basic formulas and how I organize my worksheets. How to use fill and how to copy and paste. For most estimating all you need is basic math.
Video #1 Will teach you how to build a basic estimating worksheet. I'll take a guy from his pad and paper and teach him how to make Excel work for him. I intentionally keep it simple. (Note; a friend informed me that I said right click when I meant to say left click and vice versa. I'm sorry. Making the video was more difficult than I thought, despite prior planning and several failed attempts.)
Video #2 Is organizing the worksheet and making it more readable. I also teach you how to name cells, freeze panes and more practice on formula writing and using fill.
Video #3 will teach you how to build a worksheet to track your hours and your materials expenses for the job.
Video #4 In this video I make the Bill Worksheet more readable, link the totals to the Estimate Worksheet and show profitability. I also add a side calculator for figuring tax on returns and show how to insert comments in the description of each day's activities.
Video #5 I take an invoice from Microsoft's website and modifiy it for my needs.
Video #6 I make a few changes to the invoice and then make an Estimate letter. The Estimate letter gets linked to the Estimate worksheet cells. And the Invoice gets linked to the Bill Worksheet Cells.
Video #7 I set up the cover sheet to control cells throughout other tabs. I give you a preview of my Estimating Worksheet to give you a view of where we are going with this. I make a mistake at the end of the video that will have to be corrected in #8.
In Video #8 I talk about my mistake in #7, resolve the conflict with naming cells. Then I build an estimate with a 2nd workbook called Materials List Master. They I walk you through a job I did recently, from estimate through invoice. I make the invoice into a PDF and e-mail it. Then I store the invoice and the workbook in folders.
In Video #9 Note: I fixed the link. I will start to teach you how to use the basic Estimating Worksheet (EWS) to build a Roofing Worksheet. I use some SF calculators to figure roof Squares. Plus calculators to figure metal, I&W, Hip and Ridge ect. Once you have entered the data then Excel will figure materials for you in the materials list below. This is going to take at least 3 videos. It's not hard. You do these calculations every time you figure a job. I just try to automate this process. This can also be done with any building project that has a limited number of materials and tasks. The more complex the job the more difficult it is to automate the process. But it can be done. The principles involved can also be applied to vinyl siding, building decks, building a garage, drywall, suspended ceilings and so forth.
Video #10 is a continuation of the roofing worksheet building. In my worksheets I often will have the roofing worksheet as a separate worksheet within a workbook, then the roofing materials and labor will show up as a line item in the EWS.
Video # 11 More work on the roofing worksheet.
Video #12 More work on the roofing worksheet. Once you build a automated worksheet it will simplify the repetive tasks of estimating and writing a estimate/bid proposal. Simple roof can be estimated by entering a limited number of numbers in cells. The estimate letter/ bid proposal can be a standard template so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time you want to put out an estimate. The principles in this roofing worksheet can be applied to other areas.
As of this writing I am building the basic format of the Worksheet and then later I will go back and name cells like Total Labor. But at this point I am just building the structure. Maybe an Excel expert would build it differently. I'm not him and they videos are designed for the contractor whose kids think he is computer stupid.
I plan to do additional videos to teach you how to make a estimate letter or proposal from your estimate worksheet. How to produce an invoice from your Bill worksheet. And keep it all in one workbook.
My goal is to teach you how to build your own workbook template that is designed around your business.
I use this worksheet to keep all information about the job in one place from estimate through invoice. Then I send the invoice to my bookkeeper and she enters the information in to Quickbooks.
In each video you will see me building a formula or using fill. The process of repeating a step helps you to practice and learn by repetition. I am a slow learner and when I watch Excel is fun videos I have to watch the video repeatedly to get the concept. I also make mistakes along the way and show you how to get back on track.
If you are interested in learning how to estimate with Excel, then open a workbook and build your own workbook while watching the video. Stop the video whenever you need to and try the same tools on your workbook.
Rich