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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 are used in quantity calculations. When you change a dimension, assemblies with formula-based quantities update automatically. See Automatic Quantity Recalculation below.

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
  • The area is completely hidden from the contract — it does not appear to the customer at all

Only enabled areas appear on the contract the customer sees and signs.

Presenting Options to Customers​

To offer optional scope to a customer, keep the area enabled while presenting it. The customer sees it on the contract as included work. If they decline, disable the area — it disappears from the contract and totals. If they accept, leave it enabled.

Common Use Cases​

Optional Add-Ons: Create areas for work the customer might want but hasn't committed to. Present the contract with the area enabled, then disable it if they decline:

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

Alternative Choices: Present different options at different price points — enable one, disable the other:

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

Separately Approved Scope: If part of the project requires a separate approval or contract, put that scope in a disabled area. It stays in your estimate for pricing and reference but does not appear on the current contract. Enable it when you're ready to include it.

Enabling/Disabling Areas​

  1. Click the area header to expand options
  2. Toggle the Enabled switch
  3. Totals and the contract update immediately

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.

Automatic Quantity Recalculation​

When you change an area's dimensions (days, length, width, or height), Readybuild automatically recalculates the quantities of assemblies and components that use formula-based calculations.

How It Works​

  1. Edit an area and change one or more dimension fields
  2. Save the area
  3. All entries with calculation formulas tied to those dimensions update their quantities
  4. Estimate totals refresh to reflect the new amounts

Which Dimensions Affect Which Calculations​

Dimension ChangedAffected Calculation Types
DaysDay-based calculations (D)
LengthLinear feet (F), length (LL), wall area (WA), area (A), perimeter (P)
WidthLinear feet (F), width (WW), wall area (WA), area (A), perimeter (P)
HeightHeight (HH), wall area (WA), area (A)

Manual Overrides Are Preserved​

If you have manually overridden a quantity on an entry (changed it from the auto-calculated value), that manual quantity is preserved when dimensions change. Only entries where the quantity still matches the formula-calculated value are updated.

To revert a manually overridden entry back to automatic calculation, reset its quantity to match the calculated quantity. After that, future dimension changes will update it automatically.

Area Notes​

Add notes to an area for internal reference or to include on proposals. Area notes appear on the Client Summary Report that clients review and sign.

  1. Expand the area
  2. Find the Area Notes section (click the accordion to expand it)
  3. Click in the editor to start typing

Formatting Area Notes​

The area notes editor is a rich text editor with the same formatting options as work scopes:

  • Bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough text
  • Text color and highlight color
  • Font size adjustments
  • Bulleted and numbered lists with indent/outdent
  • Links
  • Images (upload from your computer or add from project files)

Use formatting to highlight key information for estimators and clients, such as bolding scope differences between design options.

Common uses for notes:

  • Special instructions for this area
  • Assumptions made during estimating
  • Scope clarifications
  • Access or scheduling considerations
  • Differences between design options (use bold or color to emphasize)

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​