CFE guide · Estimating
Add Waste and Attic Stock Without Overpricing Labor
Type a percentage in the Attic % column and CFE works out the Mat’l Qty: Qty × (1 + Attic %). 1,032 sy of carpet tile at 5% becomes 1,083.6 sy. Material, freight and the Material List use the Mat’l Qty, because that is what you buy. Labor and prep labor stay on the Qty, because that is what the crew installs. Leave Attic % blank on lines that need nothing extra.
Why waste and attic stock are not the same as quantity
Every flooring estimator buys more than they install. Cuts at walls and doorways, pattern match and roll ends are waste; the boxes the spec tells you to leave for the owner are attic stock. Leave them out and you buy short on the job. Add them to the takeoff quantity and you quietly charge labor on material nobody installs, which is a price the GC can see through.
CFE - Advanced Estimating Worksheet keeps the two quantities apart. Qty is what is installed; Mat’l Qty is what is bought. One column, Attic %, connects them. Our articles on the flooring waste factor and attic stock cover how much to carry.
The four steps
- Type the takeoff QtyThe installed quantity, from the plans.
- Add Attic %The extra you buy, as a percentage.
- Check the prices followMaterial on Mat’l Qty, labor on Qty.
- Order from the Material ListIt pulls the Mat’l Qty from the estimate.
1Enter the installed quantity
In Qty, type the quantity the crew will install, from your takeoff. If your takeoff program already adds a waste factor, check which number you are bringing in: a quantity with waste already in it should not get waste added again here.
2Add the Attic % on the lines that need it
Type the percentage in Attic %. CFE fills Mat’l Qty straight away: on the Valley Orthopedic Surgery Center sample, CPT-1 goes from 1,032 sy to 1,083.6 sy and CPT-2 from 559 sy to 586.95 sy at 5%. The VCT and the Heavy Prep/Leveling lines have no Attic %, so their Mat’l Qty equals their Qty.
Read the spec’s closeout section before you set Attic %. Attic stock is usually written there as a percentage or a number of boxes per color. When it is in boxes, turn it into a percentage of the line so the Mat’l Qty matches what you have to hand over.
3Check that material and labor use the right quantity
Across the row, Mat’l $/u and Freight $/u are multiplied by the Mat’l Qty, while Labor $/u and Prep $/u are multiplied by the Qty. The worked example below shows the math on one line. The man days sheet divides the Mat’l Qty by your daily production, since the crew handles every box that arrives.
4Order from the Material List
The Material List is pulled from the Estimate Quote and updates when the estimate changes. It lists the Mat’l Qty of each line, attic stock included, next to the yellow ordering columns: Ordered Qty, Actual $/u, Vendor, PO #, Date Ordered, Expected and Date Arrived. Each change order gets its own block. See the material list guide.
Worked example: one carpet tile line with 5% attic stock
CPT-1 Shaw Contract 24"x24" carpet tile on the Valley Orthopedic Surgery Center bid.
| Step | Value | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Qty | 1,032 sy | From the takeoff |
| Mat’l Qty at 5% | 1,083.6 sy | 1,032 × 1.05 |
| Labor Sub | $7,378.80 | 1,032 × ($7.00 + $0.15 prep), on the Qty |
| Mat’l Sub | $31,909.06 | 1,083.6 × ($25.99 + $1.75 freight) + $100.00 prep + $1,750.00 adhesive |
| Without attic stock | $30,477.68 | 1,032 × $27.74 + $1,850.00 |
| Cost of the 5% | $1,431.38 | Before GP; labor unchanged |
The 51.6 sy of attic stock cost $1,431.38 in material and freight and nothing in labor. Had the 5% been typed into Qty instead, the labor would have gone up by $368.94 for carpet the crew never installs.
What to do next
Next, price installers on the area they lay with net area labor pricing, add freight, tax, bond and burden, and order from the material list.
Price attic stock the right way
The Estimate Quote and Material List are in the 30-day free trial. No credit card.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does CFE add attic stock to a flooring line?
Type a percentage in the Attic % column. CFE works out the Mat’l Qty as Qty × (1 + Attic %), so 1,032 sy at 5% is 1,083.6 sy.
Is labor charged on the attic stock?
No. Labor and prep labor are priced on the Qty. Material and freight are priced on the Mat’l Qty, which includes attic stock.
Does the Material List include attic stock?
Yes. It is pulled from the Estimate Quote and lists each line’s Mat’l Qty, which includes the Attic %.
What if my takeoff already includes waste?
Then add only the attic stock in Attic %, or leave it blank, so waste is not counted twice.
Written by
Cristian Valcu – Founder & CEO, Commercial Flooring Estimating LLC
Cristian has estimated commercial flooring for over 20 years and built CFE - Advanced Estimating Worksheet around the way flooring contractors actually price, propose and track their bids.
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