Job Costing & Project Profitability
A 16-lesson job costing course: estimate vs actual, labor and burden, WIP schedules, and per-project profitability for contractors and studios.
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Lesson 01 · One workbook, six steps: how job costing fits togetherMeet Ridgeline Remodels and the thirteen linked sheets (Stage 1 · Foundations; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 02 · Cost codes: the work breakdown structureOne shared list that estimates, timesheets, and purchases all speak (Stage 1 · Foundations; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 03 · The crew file: base pay, burden, and loaded ratesTurning an hourly wage into what an hour really costs (Stage 1 · Foundations; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 04 · Jobs master: contracts, prices, and statusOne row per job - and the margin math that guards pricing (Stage 2 · Estimating; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 05 · Building the estimate line by lineVLOOKUP autofill and the check column that catches typos (Stage 2 · Estimating; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 06 · Rolling the estimate up and checking marginSUMIF moves the estimate onto the Jobs sheet by itself (Stage 2 · Estimating; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 07 · Timesheets: logging crew hours to jobs and codesEmployee x job x cost code - the grain that makes labor costable (Stage 3 · Capturing Actuals; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 08 · From hours to labor costExtend each row with one multiplication, then let SUMIFS do the totaling (Stage 3 · Capturing Actuals; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 09 · The cost log: materials and subcontractorsOne journal for every non-labor dollar, typed the day the bill lands (Stage 3 · Capturing Actuals; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 10 · Progress billings and NET 30Draw schedules, due dates by formula, and a simple aging flag (Stage 3 · Capturing Actuals; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 11 · The overhead pool: what the office really costsFour months of rent, trucks, insurance, and admin time in one table (Stage 4 · Overhead & WIP; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 12 · Allocating overhead to jobsOne rate, applied to direct cost, makes jobs carry the office (Stage 4 · Overhead & WIP; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 13 · Percent complete and work in progressCost-to-cost percent complete, earned revenue, and the billing position (Stage 4 · Overhead & WIP; 40–50 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 14 · The job P&L: estimate versus actualGross profit after overhead - and the margin check that tells the truth (Stage 5 · Job Profitability; 40–50 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 15 · Drilling down by cost codeThe Estimates sheet turns itself into estimate-versus-actual detail (Stage 5 · Job Profitability; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 16 · Utilization, billing review, and running the monthWho was billable, what is over-billed, and the close routine that keeps it honest (Stage 6 · Monthly Review; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29