ForemanFOREMAN

Add measurements to the budget

Pull a plan measurement straight into a budget line's quantity using a {Parameter} token, so the budget recalculates the moment the measurement changes.

Every takeoff you measure becomes a parameter you can drop into a budget line's quantity. Reference it once and the budget tracks the plan from then on.

Reference a measurement in a quantity

  1. Open your project and click the Budget tab.
  2. In the line you want, click the Quantity Formula cell.
  3. Pick a measurement from the takeoff list that appears, or type its name — for example, wall_lf.
  4. The measured value flows into the line's Quantity automatically.

Note

The Quantity Formula overrides the typed Quantity. Leave the formula blank to type a quantity by hand instead.

Build a formula from a measurement

You don't have to use the raw number — do math on it right in the cell.

  1. Click the Quantity Formula cell.
  2. Insert a measurement, then keep typing — {Wall Area} * 1.1 adds 10% waste.
  3. Combine measurements and numbers freely, e.g. {Slab Area} / 27 to convert to cubic yards.

Note

Typing a measurement's name and pressing space turns it into a colored token, so you can always see which numbers come from the plan.

Watch it recalculate

Because the line references the measurement (not a frozen number), changing the plan keeps the budget honest:

  1. Go back to the plan and adjust a measurement — add area, trim a count, change a depth.
  2. Return to the Budget. Any line that referenced that measurement shows the new quantity, and its extended cost and price update with it.

This is the payoff of measuring and budgeting in one place: re-measure once, and every line that depends on it follows.

NextFormulas and parameters