How to Create and Manage a Cost Catalog in Buildern

The Cost Catalog is your price book in Buildern. It stores reusable items—materials, labor, equipment, subcontractor fees, allowances, and assemblies—so you can pull accurate, consistent pricing into estimates quickly.

Written by Buildern Support

Updated 5 days ago

Prefer a video walkthrough?
Check out the step by step guide video down below👇

Prerequisites

In order to edit or create a Cost Catalog make sure you have the appropriate permissions. Go Roles and Permission to access and edit Cost Codes/Category

If you have your cost codes defined it's always a plus!

Open the Cost Catalog

Go to dots on the upper right side of the screen → Cost Catalog to see all catalogs.

Buildern provides a construction specific Cost Catalog to all users. The locked catalog can be used to create estimates, However edits cannot be made on the Buildern Catalog

Create a Category (and subcategories)

Click Add New Category from the left hand side

Enter Category Name; optionally choose a Parent Category to nest it as a subcategory
Click Save

You can store multiple Cost Catalogs in your Buildern account.
It is advised to create suitable catalogs for different project types that you are planning on performing.

For example: have a separate catalog for Roofing and one for Bathroom Renovation.

There are 2 options for creating a Cost Catalog in Buildern. Either from exporting an already existing catalog to Buildern, or creating it manually within Buildern.

(Option A) Import items from Excel

Click the blue Import button from the upper right side of the screen→ Download Template

Fill the sheet following the headers, then return and drop/upload the file to import
Imported lines appear under the chosen category

(Option B) Add items manually

Click Add Item and choose the type: Material, Labor, Equipment, Subcontractor Fee, Allowance, or Assemblies
These items that you are creating are Estimate line items which Buildern will save in your cost catalog. By saving these items in your Cost Catalogs you will be able to summon them back on an estimate in 2 click.

The Cost Catalogs that you are creating are for the whole account rather then just for that specific project. You can learn more about creating Items by click this link

Learn how to create Assemblies by clicking this link.

Review your catalog

Confirm the new lines appear under the correct Category/Subcategory
Repeat Add Item for additional entries (materials, labor, equipment, etc.)
Screenshot: Catalog list with newly added items

Congratulations! You have now successfully created your own Cost Catalog

Did this answer your question?