Learn how to structure and use the costbook template to power your estimates in Best Estimator. The costbook is the foundation of every proposal you create.
The costbook is your master list of items used by the Estimate Builder. It contains every material, labor task, assembly, and service you offer—organized and priced for quick selection when building estimates.
Your costbook is stored in Supabase and managed via CSV upload/download. You can edit it in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet tool, then upload changes back into Best Estimator.
Most of the intelligence in Best Estimator comes from a clean, well-organized costbook. The better your costbook is structured, the faster and more accurate your estimates will be.
Here's what each column in the costbook template means, explained in plain contractor language:
The way you organize your costbook directly controls the navigation in the Estimate Builder:
Your master categories (Bathroom, Kitchen, Roofing, General) appear as the main tabs in the Estimate Builder. Click a category to see its items.
Subcategories (Faucets, Cabinets, Countertops) appear as secondary tabs within each master category. This keeps large costbooks organized and easy to navigate.
These optional groups can be used to organize items within the item list (e.g., grouping countertop items by material type: Quartz, Granite, Laminate). They can also be used for grouping on the PDF.
In the Estimate Builder, you'd click Kitchen → Countertops → see the Quartz items listed.
The group and level columns are optional but powerful. They connect your costbook items to Project Setup answers, controlling which items are visible during estimate building.
If an item has no group/level → It always shows in the Estimate Builder. These are your general items (demo, permits, design fees, trip charges).
If an item has group + level → It's only visible when Project Setup selects that specific group+level combination.
Your costbook has faucets in different finishes:
In Project Setup, if the customer chooses "Brushed Nickel" for finish, the Estimate Builder only shows the Brushed Nickel faucet. The Chrome and Matte Black versions stay hidden.
A well-organized costbook makes estimating faster and more consistent. Here are some best practices:
Managing your costbook is straightforward: download, edit, and upload.
Go to your Account → Costbook section in the admin area. Download your current costbook as a CSV, or download a blank template to start fresh.
Open the CSV in your preferred spreadsheet tool. Add new items, update prices, adjust categories, and set group/level values as needed.
When you're done editing, save the file as a CSV (comma-separated values). Make sure to keep the column headers exactly as they are in the template.
Return to Account → Costbook and upload your updated CSV. The system will validate the file and show any errors that need fixing.
Existing estimates keep their numbers. When you update your costbook, estimates you've already created stay unchanged. New estimates will use the updated costbook prices and items. This protects your past work while letting you improve your costbook over time.
No, they're optional. Item Group 1 (Master Category) and Item Group 2 (Subcategory) are the main organizational levels. Groups 3–5 are there if you need deeper organization for complex costbooks, but most contractors only use Groups 1 and 2.
The item is always visible in the Estimate Builder, regardless of Project Setup answers. This is exactly what you want for general items like demo, permits, trip charges, and design fees that apply to every job.
Currently, you have one costbook per account. The recommended approach is to use Item Group 1 to separate different trades (Bathroom, Kitchen, Roofing, Siding, etc.) within a single costbook. Project Setup can then filter which master categories appear for each job type, so you only see relevant items when building an estimate.
When you upload a CSV, the system validates it and reports any errors—like missing required columns, invalid data types, or formatting issues. You'll see specific error messages telling you what to fix. Just correct the issues in your spreadsheet and re-upload. No damage is done until the upload succeeds.
Update whenever your prices change significantly (material cost increases, labor rate adjustments) or when you add new products/services. Many contractors review their costbook quarterly. Remember, existing estimates keep their original numbers—only new estimates use the updated costbook.
Labor $/Unit is a flat labor cost per unit—simple and direct. Labor Rate ($/hr) combined with Labor Productivity (units/hr) calculates labor based on time: (quantity ÷ productivity) × hourly rate. Use whichever method matches how you think about labor for that item.
Yes. If an item applies to multiple master categories, you can duplicate the row with different Item Group 1 values. For example, "Permit Fee" might appear under both Bathroom and Kitchen. Alternatively, put it in a "General" category that's always included in every estimate.
Your costbook can contain detailed cost breakdowns (material, labor, equipment, etc.) for your internal tracking. The PDF Settings control what the homeowner sees—you can show lump-sum pricing, hide line-level costs, or simplify the display without changing your costbook structure.