Guides
Each guide answers one site question with a formula, table and worked example: net sq ft, gallons or boxes with waste, markup versus margin, and the PDF quote. Start from your question, run its calculator, then close with margin.
Step-by-step guides (formula + example)
- How to measure walls and ceilings for paint
Add length Ă height per wall, include the ceiling only when it shares paint, and deduct doors (~21 sq ft) and windows. A 13Ă10 ft room at 8 âŚ
Read 6 min ¡ 5 preguntas
- Paint coverage: from sq ft to gallons and buckets
Divide net sq ft by the bucket coverage (ft²/gal per coat), multiply by coats and add 10% waste. 400 sq ft at 410 ft²/gal and 2 coats gives âŚ
Read 7 min ¡ 5 preguntas
- Material waste: how much to add without overbuying
Buy equals net Ă (1 + waste). Paint 10%, straight tile 10% and diagonal 12â15%, drywall 10%, masonry 5â7%, concrete 7%. A 215 sq ft bathroomâŚ
Read 6 min ¡ 5 preguntas
- Markup vs margin: they are different numbers
Markup sale = cost Ă (1 + m). Margin sale = cost á (1 â m). At $220 cost and 25%: markup prices $275, margin prices $293.33. The $18.33 gap âŚ
Read 6 min ¡ 5 preguntas
- How to write a construction quote that gets accepted
A quote that closes carries a unique number, customer, site, lines with description + unit + quantity + price, visible discount and tax, valâŚ
Read 8 min ¡ 5 preguntas
- Paint price per sq ft built from your cost
Your rate comes from material + labor + overhead + margin + tax. Example: $0.55 material + $1.10 labor + 10% overhead + 25% margin = $2.42/sâŚ
Read 7 min ¡ 5 preguntas
- Tiling bathrooms and kitchens: the full count
A 215 sq ft bath in 12Ă24 (1.94 sq ft/pc) takes 111 pieces net, 122 at 10% and 16 eight-piece boxes. Thin-set at 0.8 lb/ft² runs 172 lb net,âŚ
Read 7 min ¡ 5 preguntas
- Concrete: ready-mix or bags by volume
To 0.5 ydÂł (about 22 eighty-pound bags) site mixing wins; 1â2 ydÂł compares bags against a short load; over 2 ydÂł orders ready-mix. A 13Ă10 fâŚ
Read 7 min ¡ 5 preguntas
Which guide answers each question?
| Question | Guide |
|---|---|
| How to measure net wall and ceiling area minus doors and windows. Length Ă height method, a table of common openings and a worked 13Ă10 ft room example. | How to measure walls and ceilings for paint |
| Turn sq ft into gallons with the bucket coverage (ft²/gal per coat), multiply by coats and round to buckets. Surface table and 400 sq ft example. | Paint coverage: from sq ft to gallons and buckets |
| Waste rates that hold up on site: 10% for paint and straight tile, 12â15% diagonal, 5â7% masonry and concrete. Buy = net Ă (1 + waste), with worked examples. | Material waste: how much to add without overbuying |
| Markup is % on cost, margin is % on price. Formulas, a 10â40% conversion table and a worked example: $220 cost at a 25% margin prices the job at $293.33. | Markup vs margin: they are different numbers |
| A quote structure that gets accepted: customer, site, line items with unit and quantity, discount, tax, validity and PDF. Steps plus a 3-line example. | How to write a construction quote that gets accepted |
| Don't copy price ranges: add material + labor + overhead + margin. A 355 sq ft example priced at $1.65/sq ft, with a real line-by-line cost breakdown table. | Paint price per sq ft built from your cost |
| Tile pieces and boxes with layout waste, plus thin-set and grout bags. Worked example: a 215 sq ft bathroom in 12Ă24 tile needs 16 boxes and 4 bags. | Tiling bathrooms and kitchens: the full count |
| When to use bags vs ready-mix: up to 0.5 ydÂł bags, 0.5â1 ydÂł compare, over 2 ydÂł ready-mix. Example: a 13Ă10 ft slab at 6 in is 2.4 ydÂł net, 3 ydÂł ordered. | Concrete: ready-mix or bags by volume |
Reference
- Methodology: formulas, waste, rounding
how each tool computes.
- How to write a quote that gets accepted
structure and validity.
- Markup vs margin (with example)
not the same.
- Indicative prices
per-m² ranges.