Individual components grouped together to create one item is known as an assembly in North America and as a recipe in Australia and New Zealand.
When you add an assembly/recipe to your estimate, the default function is that all the assembly/recipe items will be linked to the Cost Category that you're adding the assembly/recipe to.
You may want to split these items into separate categories for budget tracking. For example, if you add a wall assembly/recipe containing both Plaster and Insulation, but you want to track those budgets separately.
When using an assembly/recipe, you have the ability to select which cost category every line item in the assembly/recipe goes to.
This can be done two ways, in the estimate or in the assembly/recipe library.
Select cost category in the estimate
Your assembly/recipe will present as below.
You have three choices when it comes to the "Actuals Category" column:
Leave it blank - if you want the item to stay in the same cost category as the recipe/assembly you added it to.
Pick from the list of existing categories in that estimate - if you want the item to go elsewhere and that category already exists choose it from the list.
Add a new one - if you want to create a new cost category that is not currently in the estimate, free-type the new category name, this will add the new category once the estimate is converted to a job.
Notes for Option 2 and 3: the estimate items only move once you get to the job.
Select cost category in the assembly/recipe library
Find the cost category in the "Pricing" menu, which is in the Navigation menu on the left of your screen.
Once you find the assembly/recipe, the screen will present as below:
You have two choices when it comes to the "Actuals Category" column.
Leave it blank - if you want the item to stay in the same cost category as the recipe you will add it to.
Add a new one - if you want to create a new cost category, free-type the new category name, this will add the new category to the estimate.
Note for Option 2: Be aware setting up new category names - if the name does not match exactly what is in the estimate you want to add the recipe/assembly to. For example, in the recipe/assembly the category is named ''Frame", but in the estimate ''Framing", a new category called "Frame'' will be set up as well.
Any questions, please contact Support.