Material list, worth it?

[Leadcarpo]

Hi. my name is Matt and I do drafting and estimating for a Remodeling company in KCMO. I have never really gotten into the material list because what little time I have spent in it makes me feel like it is broken. However, I found some videos that make me feel like there is hope. My biggest question is can I set prices for things like cabinets, can lights etc., make that a template and will it update in real time? By update in real time, I mean if I add or take something, will it reflect in the list? I want to make sure I can do things like this before I spend a bunch of time on it. Please let me know if there are any videos on this subject.

 

I recently discovered how to build framing one wall at a time, which is great for remodeling so I can get counts on the affected areas. One issue I am having is that I can't get the headers to report correctly when I build the framing. I have made my adjustments in the opening section of the framing dialogue, but it keeps showing up as a 2x6 instead of a 2x10. I can change it manually, but that kind of defeats the purpose. Thanks for any help!

[DBCooper]

In X15, the material list is live and will automatically update as you add or remove things from the plan.  In theory, you should be able to do what you want but I would experiment with a very simple plan until you figure out all of the ins and outs.  Keep in mind that your material list will only be accurate if your model is accurate.

 

As for the headers, I think the header sizes in the table in the "build framing" dialog are only used when your default door/window is set to "calculate from width" and the door/window in your plan is set to "use default".  

 

Also, there are some tech articles and training videos on material list:

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00510/controlling-the-information-that-s-displayed-in-a-materials-list.html

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/playlists/104/material-lists.html

 

[CARMELHILL]

I was surprised last night to notice we lost the ability to set up which materials report to the estimate by using the layers dialogue box. There used to be a materials column, but I think it was removed in X14?? For a renovation/addition there needs to be easier ways to include/exclude certain items, or items from different parts of the floor plan. My project last night ias a two story addition with the roof being reframed on the existing, and a few bearing walls removed and replaced with new beams. Setting up line boundaries to only include those areas is cumbersome. It would be nice if you could set up individual estimate reports, associated to individual polyline boundaries, and you could individually decide if they report back to one large estimate, or separate estimates for first floor framing package, second floor framing package, wall stud package, or everything by floor level, etc..

 

You can setup which columns output to the report via the plan defaults preferences but then that affects every material list in that plan. I'm not ready to save 8 versions of a plan to have 8 different material lists.

 

Anyone have a better idea? I spent A LOT of time playing with this back during the covid shut down. I created a Master Material Price list for every item, only to realize a few weeks later that materials costs were fluctuating wildly, and my work was worthless. I REALLY wanted to be able to give clients instant budgets for different designs. But the quantity lists alone are pretty value for the contractors I send work to.

[rgardner]

2 hours ago, CARMELHILL said:

I was surprised last night to notice we lost the ability to set up which materials report to the estimate by using the layers dialogue box. There used to be a materials column, but I think it was removed in X14?? For a renovation/addition there needs to be easier ways to include/exclude certain items, or items from different parts of the floor plan. My project last night ias a two story addition with the roof being reframed on the existing, and a few bearing walls removed and replaced with new beams. Setting up line boundaries to only include those areas is cumbersome. It would be nice if you could set up individual estimate reports, associated to individual polyline boundaries, and you could individually decide if they report back to one large estimate, or separate estimates for first floor framing package, second floor framing package, wall stud package, or everything by floor level, etc..

 

You can setup which columns output to the report via the plan defaults preferences but then that affects every material list in that plan. I'm not ready to save 8 versions of a plan to have 8 different material lists.

 

Anyone have a better idea? I spent A LOT of time playing with this back during the covid shut down. I created a Master Material Price list for every item, only to realize a few weeks later that materials costs were fluctuating wildly, and my work was worthless. I REALLY wanted to be able to give clients instant budgets for different designs. But the quantity lists alone are pretty value for the contractors I send work to.

Open the rooms and walls set to retain framing before they are framed.  In the components tab of room dbx remove everything that you don’t want to report.  Manually frame instead of autoframe what you want wall by wall.  It’s a process but can be pretty accurate if your model is accurate.

[DBCooper]

Quote

I was surprised last night to notice we lost the ability to set up which materials report to the estimate by using the layers dialogue box.

 

You can still use layers to control the material list.  Instead of a column, you just need to use a custom layer set now.

 

See this tech article:

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00510/controlling-the-information-that-s-displayed-in-a-materials-list.html#Layers

 

[joey_martin]

 

[IvanCyr]

On 7/16/2023 at 1:09 PM, CARMELHILL said:

Anyone have a better idea? I spent A LOT of time playing with this back during the covid shut down. I created a Master Material Price list for every item, only to realize a few weeks later that materials costs were fluctuating wildly, and my work was worthless. I REALLY wanted to be able to give clients instant budgets for different designs. But the quantity lists alone are pretty value for the contractors I send work to.

This definitely gets my attention for a solution.  What I would like to do, given a fairly accurate Mat List out of Chief, is to assign pricing to the suppliers.  Effectively, I have a builder who uses certain suppliers.  Say they have 10 wood floor types with unique pricing.  I want to create a unique library folder with 10 flooring types.  In the library, I want to insert code into the component pricing (macro??) that points to an external source in the cloud where the supplier updates HIS price.  When generating a Mat List, I want Chief to "go" to the cloud and read that pricing for that unique floor and insert that suppliers price for the day.

 

Anyone know a method with code to instruct Chief to look outside itself for specific pricing data??