Selections management in BuildBook allows you to organize and track all of the important material and finish choices your client will need to make along the way to keep the project on track.
Selections are made up of Categories and Items:
Categories are containers to organize related items (e.g. - Windows, Tile, Appliances, Paint, etc).
Items belong to a Category and are a place to capture the details of each individual choice within the Selection Category (e.g. - kitchen cabinets, master bath shower tile, etc).
Allowances are set at the Category level. Then, actual costs are tracked per Item. Both the Category and Items within roll up to the budget so that you and the client get a clear picture of the impact of selection decisions on the overall project budget. Ideally, the sum of the Items is equal to or less than the entire allowance for that Category.
Create a Selection Category
Selection Categories can be created in two different ways.
From the Budget
The first way is by the addition of a Budget line item with the type Selection. These items create Selection Categories and are easily managed by the Budget or in Selections!
WARNING: Deleting a Budget item with the type set as Selection will delete the entire Category as well as all items inside.
Add the Selection item either from your Price Book or by clicking on + Add Item in the Budget:
From there, add the items name, cost code and type. Once you select the type as Selection, you'll notice Units, Tax, Quantity and Markup are removed so you can add in your Allowance amount.
Once a Selection item is created on the Budget, you'll notice the Selection Category is created in the Selections tab:
From Selections
Choose "+ New Selection Category" and add the name, associated Cost Code, due date, Allowance, and an optional description. You can always leave the Allowance and Due Date blank and come back to it later.
Add a Selection Item
Once a Selection Category is created, start adding the various Items within that Category. You can add the following details to each Item:
Room(s): Tag the room - or room(s) - where this item will go in the project. These will come in handy when you or your client want to visualize the Selections using the Room view!
Category: Select the current Category or browse others from the dropdown
Status: Keep Open or mark as Complete if the selection is approved.
Description: Add any details like SKU, color, etc
Cost: Add pricing
Photos/Docs: Upload any pictures or documents related to the Selection item
Note: Microsoft documents such as Excel and Word files, can't be previewed directly. You'll need to download the document to view it. PDF files and images do have a preview option.Expenses: Track your costs associated with the selection
The Allowance amount and the difference between that and the actual item cost are displayed under the Category name. If the sum of all the items is higher than the Category Allowance, the number will be reflected as a negative - e.g. ($1,500.00) vs. $1,500.00.
Filter by Totals or Status
Filter individual Category Totals to see the Total Completed or Allowance Remaining within each Category by clicking the "Total" dropdown.
Filter everything by status to see everything that is Open or Complete
View Selections by Room
Selections can be viewed by Category or by Room. Category view helps you see a snapshot of progress by category. Room view is a more visual view that shows progress by room.
Rearrange Selections
Easily change the order of your Selections by clicking the ••• menu in the upper right corner in the Selections tab, then click “Arrange Categories”
The new arrangement is reflected everywhere that Selections are displayed in BuildBook, including the print preview.
Share Selections
To share Selections externally with someone who does not have a BuildBook account, simply click on the Share button in the upper right corner within a Selection Category and toggle "Share with Public Link" on. This is a great way to communicate Tasks with subs or vendors who you may not need to join your project.
When you turn on "Share With Public Link" you can copy the link to share and preview what is included. Anyone on the internet with that particular link will have the ability to view a read-only version.
Anyone you share the public link with will see a branded page with your logo along with the Project name, type, and address, along with each Selection included in the Category with their details. Costs and allowances do not appear.
Copy Selections
You're now able to copy Selections from one Project to another! This comes in especially handy if you have a great set of Selections in a Template or Project and want to use those on a new Project.
To copy selections from other projects, open Selections and use the ellipsis menu to open the 'Copy From' command. In the options modal, select the project you'd like to copy from, then adjust the category due dates of where you'd like dates to begin remapping.
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