What a work section is in an estimate
A work section is a grouping of related work items within the construction estimate. Instead of listing hundreds of items in no particular order, they are grouped by construction phase or by system: everything for the foundation in one section, everything for the electrical installation in another, and so on.
A section has no unit price of its own: its amount is the sum of the amounts of the work items it contains. It does two things: it makes the schedule of work items readable (you read it in blocks, not line by line) and it lets you control the project by block, because during construction you want to know how much has been spent on "structure" or "finishes", not just the grand total.
Hierarchy: section, subsection and work item
An estimate is organized in levels. From the broadest to the most detailed:
- Section: the main group (e.g. "3. Structure"). It groups; it has no unit or unit price.
- Subsection: a subdivision of the section when more detail is needed (e.g. "3.1 Columns", "3.2 Beams"). It also groups; its amount is the sum of its work items.
- Work item: the specific line of work (e.g. "25 MPa concrete in columns"). It is the only level that carries a unit of measure, quantity, unit price and amount (quantity × unit price).
Typical list of work sections (construction sequence)
Work sections are usually ordered the way the project is built, from the ground up and from structure toward finishes. A typical house or building estimate includes, in this order:
- Site prep: layout and grading, clearing and stripping, demolition, temporary water and power hookups.
- Foundation: excavation, blinding/leveling concrete, reinforcing steel, concrete in footings and grade beams, compacted backfill.
- Structure: columns, beams, slabs, load-bearing walls, structural steel and concrete.
- Masonry: brick or block walls, tie-columns and bond beams, plaster coats, floor slabs on grade.
- MEP: water supply, drainage, electrical, gas, voice and data; sometimes HVAC or specialty systems.
- Finishes: flooring, wall tile, paint, windows and glazing, carpentry, bathroom and kitchen fixtures.
- Sitework and final cleanup: sidewalks, landscaping, boundary walls and handover cleaning (depending on the project).
How work sections are coded: an example
Every section, subsection and work item carries a hierarchical number that orders the schedule and lets you total by section and locate any item. The section uses one number (2), the subsection adds a level (2.1) and the work item one more (2.1.01). A coded fragment of an estimate looks like this:
2. FOUNDATION — 2.1 Excavation → 2.1.01 Hand excavation in type II material (m³, 48.00, $185.00 = $8,880.00). 2.2 Concrete → 2.2.01 Leveling concrete, 10 MPa (m³, 3.20, $2,150.00 = $6,880.00); 2.2.02 25 MPa concrete in footings (m³, 12.50, $3,354.00 = $41,925.00).
The amount for section "2. Foundation" is the sum of its work items ($8,880 + $6,880 + $41,925 = $57,685), and the estimate total is the sum of every section. With the coding, if the price of concrete changes, you find work item 2.2.02 instantly and update it without touching the rest.