Construction Materials & Labor Costs Flashcards

Which of the following is an example of a 'bare cost' in construction estimating?

Answer: Material + labor + equipment without overhead or profit

Bare cost represents direct field cost of material, labor, and equipment before adding overhead, profit, or other markups.

When escalating a material cost estimate from a base year to a future bid date, which formula is correct?

Answer: Future Cost = Base Cost × (Future Index / Base Index)

Cost escalation is calculated by multiplying the base cost by the ratio of the future index to the base index.

A subcontractor's bid includes a 'material markup' of 15%. If the net material cost is $80,000, what is the total material cost charged to the owner?

Answer: $92,000

$80,000 × 1.15 = $92,000 total material cost including the 15% markup.

In construction estimating, 'crew hours' differ from 'worker hours' in that crew hours represent:

Answer: The elapsed calendar time a crew spends on a task regardless of crew size

Crew hours measure the duration of the task (calendar time), while worker hours equal crew hours multiplied by the number of workers.

Lumber is commonly priced and quantified using which US unit of measure?

Answer: Board feet (MBF)

Lumber is sold by the board foot (volume unit = 1" × 12" × 12") and priced per thousand board feet (MBF) in the US.

Which condition would cause a labor productivity factor GREATER than 1.0 (above standard) in a construction estimate?

Answer: Highly experienced crew performing repetitive tasks on an unobstructed site

Experienced crews on repetitive, unobstructed work can exceed standard output, warranting a productivity factor above 1.0.

What is the primary purpose of a 'unit price analysis sheet' in construction cost estimating?

Answer: To build up a composite cost per unit by summing material, labor, and equipment components

A unit price analysis sheet assembles material, labor, and equipment costs for a defined unit of work to establish a defensible bid unit price.