Creating a component
Field-by-field walkthrough with three foundation examples.
Creating a component
One screen, a handful of fields, and you have a reusable foundation line.
Where to find it
Components > Add component.
The fields
Measurement method. Pick how this component gets measured on a job:
- Area — slabs, DPM, waterproofing, gas membrane
- Irregular Area — slabs with cut-outs, oversite areas with awkward shapes
- Lineal — strip footings, ground beams, single perimeter footing runs, edge formwork
- Multiple Footings — several footing or beam runs gathered into one component
- Curved Footing — sweeping or curved footing runs around bays or feature walls
- Volume — concrete pours, excavation, fill, sub-base
- Count — piers, pads, pile caps, starter bar bundles, individual fittings
- Fixed — flat-fee items like surveying, building control, site setup
- Hours / Days — labor crews, plant hire, machine time, day-rate excavator
Material price. Per unit (per m², per m, per m³, per item) or per pack. Concrete is typically priced per m³ from the mix supplier. Rebar is priced per m or per kg. Pad foundations are priced per item. Set the pack size if a material comes in fixed quantities (mesh sheets, rebar lengths) so the order rounds up.
Labor price. Per unit of the same measurement, or roll labor into hours/days as a separate component for crews and plant hire.
Waste type. For foundations the most useful options are:
- Fixed — concrete is usually ordered as a fixed extra on top of calculated volume (the truck adds half a metre for spillage/over-dig)
- Percentage — 5% for concrete to cover over-dig and spillage, 5–10% for mesh and rebar offcuts, 10% for formwork
- None — for count items like piers where you order exactly what's installed
Pitch multiplier. Not applicable for foundation work. Foundations are measured flat from plan view. Leave the slope setting off.
Material orders. Tag the supplier and order code so the order list pulls clean line items — concrete supplier separate from steel supplier separate from plant hire.
Walked example 1: Ground floor slab — 150 mm concrete
Volume component. Per m³. £140 material (C25/30 mix), £45 labor. 5% waste percentage to cover over-dig and spillage. Pack note: concrete supplier rounds to 0.5 m³ increments.
Walked example 2: Strip footing — 600×300
Lineal component. Per m. Material price covers concrete + rebar at this section size (£95 per m), labor at £60 per m. 10% waste percentage.
Walked example 3: Building control inspection fees
Fixed component. £680. Zero waste. Tag as an extra so it lives outside the measured area totals.
After you save
The component shows up in the Components list and is available in every quote you create from now on. Edit it any time — changes only affect new quotes, not ones already sent.
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