Working with Site Improvements
In the Site Improvements sections of the Material and Site Improvement Manager, you can:
- Create new site improvement categories and site improvements definitions. You can specify whether the site improvement is measured as a linear, area, or discrete feature. For area features, you can also specify one or more material layers, which are then used to create subgrade surfaces when site improvements are assigned to takeoff layers.
- Edit the properties of existing site improvements.
- Copy site improvements from the External Library to the Project Library for use within your project.
Site improvement categories
In general, you will need to create appropriate categories for the site improvements you create. There is, however, one native site improvement category: Landscaping/Topsoil.
Site improvement costs
As opposed to the borrow unit cost associated with earthen materials and the procurement unit costs associated with miscellaneous materials, units costs associated with site improvements, in general, are intended to address the totality of the unit price that is to be reflected for that site improvement within a bid. The bid unit price of a site improvement is therefore inclusive of the procurement costs associated with the material or materials with which it is to be constructed (if applicable). In addition, it is expected to include all associated costs of labor, permitting, fees, profit, etc. The bid unit price, establishes the total cost per computed unit by which a site improvement is to be accounted.
Temporary site improvement costs
In some cases, one or more of your site improvements may simply be objects that you are required to temporarily construct for environmental protection; they are designed to be removed after construction is complete. A silt fence is one such example. Even though it is temporary, it is important to include the procurement cost of the silt fencing material, the installation cost, and the removal and disposal cost once its purpose has been served.
When reporting on a length-based temporary site improvement, the Takeoff Report quantifies the total length of the material and reports its total bid unit price, which addresses the total bid cost for furnishing, installing, and ultimately removing that site improvement. In addition, if the associated material has a procurement cost, the report addresses that cost within the related material definition.
Existing, in-ground site improvements
An existing, area-based site improvement, comprised of one or more levels of non-earthen materials that are to be demolished at a job site, is considered an "existing, in-ground site improvement". These existing structures, such as pavements, bases, subgrades, and concrete slabs, that may require demolition, milling, removal, or reprocessing, also participate in forming the Original ground surface (and surfaces derived from it) when categorized as a part of the Original takeoff category.
Within any site region that defines existing, in-ground site improvements, the resulting original earthen surface is composed of the in situ earthen materials on which the site improvements lay. The volumes associated with the related material layers are reported within the Existing In-Ground Improvement Demolition section of the Takeoff Report.
Tip: It may be helpful to define appropriate area-based site improvements with names specifically acknowledging the intention of demolition, such as Existing asphalt (demolish). Aside from the reporting benefits of acknowledging that intent in the site improvement name, it may have a bearing on the definition of the related material layers as well.
