Creating a component

Walk through it once and you have the pattern for every component you will ever add. Most components take under a minute to set up.

Where to find it

Components > Add component.

The fields

Component name. Short and recognisable - "Wall emulsion - 2 coat", "Skirting gloss", "Internal door".

Component type. Main for normal job items. Extra for call-outs, dust sheets, allowances, or anything you want hidden from the customer quote.

Measurement method. How your component is normally measured:

• Area - walls and ceilings measured face-on. Used for paint billed by coverage.
• Irregular Area - non-rectangular walls or ceilings, raked walls, bay extensions.
• Wall Length × Height (multi_lineal_lxh) - several wall runs measured plan-view with a shared height. Quick way to quote whole-room walls.
• Wall Height × Length (length_x_height) - a single wall measured length × height.
• Multiple Trim Runs (multi_lineal) - several skirting, architrave, or trim runs added together.
• Curved Trim Run (curved_line) - curved skirting, arched architrave, or bay reveal.
• Lineal - single continuous run of skirting, architrave, dado, or picture rail.
• Count - per door, per window, per radiator, per shutter.
• Fixed - call-out, site protection, allowance.
• Hours / Days - labor.

Material pricing. Tell the app how the paint is sold and what it covers so it can convert your measurement into tins.

• Pack by area (coverage) - e.g. 5L tin covers 60 m² (two coats covers 30 m²). This is the standard for wall/ceiling paint, primer, and undercoat.
• Pack by length - rare for paint, sometimes used for prepped trim ordered per metre.
• Pack by count - tins or boxes per pack.
• Single unit - per-tin pricing.

For paint, coverage per litre is the most important number. Use the supplier's two-coat coverage, not the optimistic one-coat figure.

Labor price. Per m², per metre, per door, per window, per hour, per day, or fixed per quote.

Waste type. A percentage covers most paint waste (in-tin residue, rollers, touch-ups). 5-10% is a sensible band.

Pitch multiplier. Not applicable for painting work - omit this setting.

Material orders. Decide whether the order quantity rounds up to whole tins or stays exact for items billed by the unit.

Walked example: Wall emulsion - 2 coat

1. Component name: Wall emulsion - 2 coat.
2. Component type: Main.
3. Measurement method: Area.
4. Material pricing: pack by area, 5L tin covers 30 m² (2 coats), $52/tin.
5. Labor: $9/m².
6. Waste: 8%.
7. Pitch multiplier: not applicable.
8. Material orders: round up to whole tins.

Walked example: Skirting gloss

1. Component name: Skirting gloss - prep & 2 coat.
2. Component type: Main.
3. Measurement method: Lineal.
4. Material pricing: pack by count, 1L tin covers ~70 lineal m on 150mm skirting, $34/tin.
5. Labor: $7/m.
6. Waste: 5%.
7. Pitch multiplier: not applicable.
8. Material orders: round up to whole tins.

Walked example: Call-out & site protection (extra)

1. Component name: Call-out & site protection.
2. Component type: Extra.
3. Measurement method: Fixed.
4. Material pricing: $0 material.
5. Labor: $180 fixed (dust sheets, masking, setup time).
6. Waste: none.
7. Pitch multiplier: not applicable.
8. Material orders: not applicable.

After you save

The component is in the dropdown when you add components in Manual Quote or digital takeoff. You can edit or delete it any time; editing does not change quotes you have already built.

Related

• Components vs Extras
• Waste and pitch
• Plan vs Actual