Free tools for NZ builders

Five free tools for the parts of a job that are not a take-off: the money arithmetic that decides whether a quote makes you anything and the site-safety questions worth asking before you start. The Foreman, a construction assistant you can ask in plain words, is part of the Solo plan and is included in the 30-day trial.

The money ones

GST calculator: adds 15% GST, or pulls it back out of a GST-inclusive figure. Worth two minutes even if you think you know it: you cannot remove GST by taking 15% off, and the difference is real money on every quote.

Markup and margin calculator: the two are not the same number and confusing them is the most expensive arithmetic mistake in the trade. A 20% markup is a 16.7% margin.

Charge-out rate calculator: works back from what you need to earn to what you have to charge an hour, once non-billable time, overheads and holidays are in the picture.

Before you start on site

Working at heights: the questions to work through before a job that puts someone off the ground, and what to have in place first.

Asbestos risk: a first-pass risk read for work on an older building, so the question gets asked before demolition starts rather than after.

Both are prompts for your own judgement and your own site-specific assessment. Neither is a substitute for it, and neither is a compliance sign-off.

The Foreman

The Foreman answers NZ construction questions in plain words: sequencing, what the Building Code requires of a detail, what a term means, what to check before you start. You sign in to ask it; it comes with the paid plans and is free for the 30-day trial.

For sizing, spans and consent, the final answer needs your plans, your designer, your LBP or your BCA.

If you want the whole job, not one piece

These tools each answer one question. A CostMate estimate covers the job end to end. Every labour hour, material line, assumption and exclusion on one document you can hand a client. There is a free plan on the pricing page, and the Quote Checker will review a quote you already have without a signup.

Good to know

• The safety tools raise the right questions for your site. Your obligations, and any survey or assessment, sit with you and the relevant professional.
• For legal and tax questions, your accountant, Inland Revenue and WorkSafe are the people to ask.
• The charge-out tool works with the numbers you give it, so the better your overhead figures, the more useful the rate.

Confirm anything that affects safety, compliance or what you charge with the people who carry that responsibility on your job.