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CONSTRUCTION ITEMS IN HOMEBUILDER

Construction Items & Categories Setup: The Key to Unlocking Automation and Reporting in HomeBuilder

In This Article:

Construction Items | Construction Item Card

Construction Items

Important

Implementation of Construction Items must be completed before the Construction Items menu Item can be worked on.

This is a key component of the whole system. Construction Items should be regarded as three different types of items:

Once you have created the Items, you will copy them (with an automatic process) to Models and Phases. Once added to Models and Phases you control the vendors, contracts, pricing, etc. These Items eventually create the Planning Lines from which all budgeting and scheduling are handled.

You do not need to do all these functions e.g., scheduling or even budgeting or setting up Vendor Contracts but it is still important to create Construction Items and push them through Models and Phases in order for the Lot functionality to work correctly.

The Construction Item represents a type of deliverable that should be constructed, installed, or completed on a Lot. It also represents a change or credit related to a Lot. Examples of Construction Items are a Kitchen Cabinet, Countertop, Electrical Socket, Roof Tiling, and After Sales Service Inspection.

To access, search Construction Items or select the Construction Items cue from the HomeBuilder Homepage.

  • The Construction Item page has the following actions:
    • House Areas
    • Variants.
    • Components.
    • Push to Models.
    • Validate Selected.
    • Actions.
      • Copy to new Item.
      • Assign Workflow Task.
      • Copy from another Company.
      • Set Markup.
      • Copy to Global Catalogue.
    • Related.
      • Where Used.
  • The "Construction Item Card" (accessed by clicking on a particular Construction Item to open it) has a FactBox (click on the top right corner round "i" icon to open or close the "FactBox" pane) where a user can upload the picture of the item. This picture can be shown during the selection of Upgrades and Extras (Selection Packages) in the page "Lot Selection Choices".

Field Definitions for Construction Items

Search Construction Items. It will bring the Construction Items List, which contains the following fields:

Note
If you do not see a field described here, you might need to Personalise your view and bring that field. To do that, click on the Cog in the top right corner, select Personalize, then Click on a +Field.
 
  • Designation.
    • Every Item has one of the following designations:
      • Single Item is an Item that can be purchased from a single Vendor and installed (delivered to) on a Lot. Examples of single items are Carpet, Roof, Hardwood Floor, and Drywall.
      • Bundle is an item that requires input from multiple Vendors. For example, a Fireplace may require a gas supply, electrical wiring, and installation of the fireplace itself.
      • Component is an Item that can be used as a part of one or more bundles. Examples of Component Items are Gas Supply for Fireplace, Fireplace Wiring, and Fireplace Installation.
      • After-sales is an Item that is to be used for warranty fixes during after-sales service. After-sales items have zero Unit Cost.
      • Customer Fee is an Item that allows for charging or crediting a home buyer. It has a relation to any purchases.
⚠️ WARNING

The Customer Fee is the only Designation that cannot be purchased. Do not use this if you are ever potentially going to have to purchase the Item.

  • Variants Required.
    • Indicates if the Item requires Variants.
Tip

A classic example of Items that require Variants is hardwood flooring. There are many species of hardwood that cost differing amounts and are of different colors. In the end, they are all used to be a floor.

  • Default Variant Code.
    • Choose the Default Variant code e.g., for Color Chart selection.
    • This value is optional.
  • Base Contract.
    • Defines if the Item is to be part of a base contract with a Vendor.
    • If 'Base Contract' is set to 'Yes' then the Item will become a Job Planning Line when you perform the action "Site Model on Lot".
  • Deliverable.
    • Defines if the Item can be installed/delivered. This is only an informational field.
  • Color Chart.
    • Defines if the Item should be a part of a Lot Selection Package (Color Chart).
    • The Color Chart Item can be released for construction only after a Lot Selection Package with this item has been released.
    • If an Item is a Base Contract item, the value of "Color Chart" cannot be "Yes".
  • Default Usage.
    • Defines how the Item is to be used by default: Standard, Extra, or Upgrade.
      • Standard:
        • These Color Chart Items (Selection packages Items) are part of the basic House model offering and the client pays for them by paying the house price. Hence, there is a cost to his Item, but no Price, i.e.: the client will pay no money for selecting a Standard Item.
      • Extra, or Upgrade
      • Selection Packages Items with these usages have both the Cost and the Price that the customer is going to pay. It is the additional price that the customer must carry, for example:
        • Regular Countertops cost $2000. Granite CounterTops cost $6000
        • In this example, you should put the difference ($6000-$2000) as the cost of the granite Countertop. The reasoning is that the customer already paid $2000 when he or she was purchasing the house. Therefore, they should be charged only for the additional value of the Extra or Upgrade Item.
Note
  • There is no difference in functionality between "Extra" or "Upgrade".
  • The two options are provided in order that the Home Builder can choose the language that best suits their needs.
  • An Item can have default usage Upgrade or Extra only if the "Color Chart" is set to "Yes".
  • Cost Scope.

    • Each Item has a cost scope which is either Universal or Per Model/HA (Per Model/House Area).

      • Universal Cost Scope If the cost scope is Universal, it means that the Unit Cost and the Unit Price of the Item and of its Variants are the same for the whole Phase, no matter where the Item will be installed (delivered).

      • Per Model/HA Cost Scope If the cost scope is Per Model/HA, it means that the Unit Cost and the Unit Price of the Item and its Variants will be defined for specific House Areas in specific Models.

 
Tip
  • Classic examples of universal Cost Scope are "Inspections" or "Tiling" when paying by area (sq ft. or sq M.).
  • Most items are priced per Model/HA. If you have negotiated a price to pour a foundation or frame a room, it is likely different for each model.
  • Cost per Variant.
    • When "Yes" then Item Variants may have individual "Unit Cost" and "Unit Price". When "No" then Item Variants inherit "Unit Cost" and "Unit Price" from the Item.
Tip

In the earlier example of hardwood flooring having variants, it is most likely that you will need to cost and price per Variant. Cost per Variant allows us to complete this task.

  • Is Credit.
    • Indicates if the item represents a credit for a vendor or for a homebuyer. When the Item is instantiated in the form of a Job Planning Line, the "Unit Cost" (or, respectively, the "Unit Price") in the Job Planning Line will have a negative value. This field is applicable only for items with the Designation 'Single Item' or 'Customer Fee'.
  • Pricing Method.
    • Defines the method for determining the quantity of an Item that should be installed (delivered) in a House Area of a Lot. The Pricing Method has two options:
      • Item - The Quantity is always 1.
      • Measurement - The Quantity will be assigned (calculated) with a certain measurement of the House Area, such as floor area, backsplash area, shower floor area, and perimeter. The type of measurement is determined by the Measurement Type Code.
  • Measurement Type Code.
    • Defines the type of measurement to be used for Pricing Method 'Measurement'. It is updated on the Item Card.
  • Cost Detail Code (See Cost Groups and Cost Details Help File).
    • Cost code for purchases.
  • Revenue Detail Code (See Cost Groups and Cost Details Help File as well).
    • Cost code for sales.
  • Workflow Template Code.
  • Workflow Template Task No.
Note

Workflows have multiple purposes as listed below:

  1. Mandatory field in Dynamics BC.

  2. To build a workflow of the construction process, including durations of tasks and the ability to mark tasks as complete.

  3. If the above is done, the "Get Planning Lines" function on the Purchase Invoice can be set up only to bring in tasks that are currently marked as completed.

  4. Used to build the "fine warning" page. A useful page that allows the user to track when they must warn the purchaser of any delays and avoid any late fines.

Tip

If you have no use for the multiple purposes described above, just create one Workflow Template Code and one Workflow Template Task No. to fulfill the requirement that one must be assigned to all Items.

  • Available.
    • When Yes, the Item can be added to Phases and Models.

Fields available from the Item Card Menu

From the Construction Item List, select 1 Item by Clicking on its number. It will open the Construction Item Card. Certain fields it contains are described below:

  • Has Components.
    • Indicates if the Item has components. Only the Item with the Designation 'Bundle' may have a component.
  • Color Chart Note.
    • The note that should be printed for this item in the Color Chart report for a home purchaser.
  • Show Note to Vendor.
    • Indicates if the Color Chart Note should be shown for a Vendor in a Work Order or a Purchase Order for Extras.
  • Instruction.
    • The note with instructions for a Vendor that is to be shown in a Work Order.
  • Markup.
    • Defines the ratio Price to Cost. On changing Markup, the fields "Profit%" and "Unit Price" will be recalculated. For Designations other than 'Single Item' or 'Bundle', this value is always 0.0.
  • Use Component Prices.
    • This field is applicable only for Items with the Designation 'Bundle' and Variants Required equal to 'No'. When it is changed to 'Yes', the Unit Price will be calculated using the Unit Prices defined in the BOM Components of the bundle.
Note

To see the "big picture" interplay between Workflow Tasks, Construction or Selection Packages/Color Charts, Models, Planning Lines, and Purchase Invoices, visit the Task-Item-Purchase Invoice Linking article. You will find an informative diagram and links to areas you might want to explore in detail.

Construction Item Card

To access, search Construction Items (or select the Construction Items Cue from the HomeBuilder main page), then select a particular Construction Item Card. The Construction Item Card has the following actions:

  • House Areas.

    • The Page "Item House Areas" allows a user to define a list of House Areas applicable to the Item. When a user enters "Item Category Code" for an Item, the applicable House Areas will be populated from the House Areas of the Item Category.
    • Deletion of a House Area is possible only if the combination of Item / House Area does not exist in Planning Lines or in Lot Selection Choices of Lot Selection Packages that are closed.
      • On deletion of a House Area from an Item, the system does the following:
        • Delete Model Item House Areas with the House Area and with the Items of the Item Category or its sub-categories.
        • Delete Color Selections with the House Area and the Item Category or its sub-categories.
        • Delete Lot Selection Choices with the House Area and the Item Category or its sub-categories from open Lot Selection Packages.

  • (Item) Variants.

    • (Item) Variants are implemented using the table “Item Variant” of Business Central. Along with standard properties existing in standard Business Central, Item Variants in the HomeBuilder application have additional properties. These properties can be defined if "Cost Per Variant" in the Item is set to 'Yes'.

    • Unit Cost

      • Defines Unit Cost for a variant. For Bundles, the Unit Cost is determined based on the cost of Service BOM Components.

    • Price/Profit Calculation

      • This field has the same options as in Item: Profit=Price-Cost, Price=Cost+Profit, No Relations.

    • Is Credit

      • Indicates if the item represents a credit for a vendor or a homebuyer. The value of this read-only field is inherited from the Item.

    • Markup

      • Defines the Price to Cost ratio. On changing Markup, the fields "Profit %" and "Unit Price" will be re-calculated. For Designations other than 'Single Item' or 'Bundle' this value is always 0.0.

    • Unit Price

      • Defines Unit Price for a variant.

    • Use Component Prices

      • Can be checked only if the Item has the Designation 'Bundle'. If marked, the Unit Price will be calculated based on the prices in Service BOM Components
        • Fields Price/Profit Calculation, Markup, Unit Price, and Use Component Prices are enabled only if the Item has the "Color Chart" field set to 'Yes'.

  • Components (Service BOM Components).

    • This action is enabled only for Items with the Designation 'Bundle'. It opens the page "Service BOM Components" which shows the list of components of the Item. Here is the description of some of the component fields.

  • Push to Models.

    • This action propagates selected Items to selected Models. As a result, the system creates Model Items for selected Models and Phase Items for the Phases to which selected Models belong. If the Phase Items or Model Items already exist, they will be updated. The action opens the page "Push Items to Models". To complete the action, select destination Models and click "Push Items".

  • Validate Selected.

    • This action allows a user to validate the settings of selected phase items. If the validation routine finds errors, warnings, or notices, the program displays them in the window that follows.

    Actions Menu

  • Copy to New Item.

    • This action allows a user to create a new Item by copying data from the current one. On executing this action, the system opens the page "Copy to new Item". Enter "New Item No.", modify "New Item Description" and press OK.

  • Assign Workflow Task.

    • This action allows a user to assign (or re-assign) Workflow Tasks to selected Items. In the dialogue window, select "Workflow Template Code", and "Workflow Template Task No." and press "OK".

  • Copy from another Company.

    • This action allows a user to copy multiple Items from a selected company to the current company. First, the action opens a dialogue to select the source company. Select the source company and press "OK".
    • This opens a page with the Items in the source company. Select the Items you want to copy over and click "Copy Selected". In case when the Items already exist, they will be updated in the current company.

  • Set Markup.

    • This action allows setting of a markup for the Items satisfying the following criteria.
    • The "Designation" is 'Single Item' or 'Component'.
    • "Use Component Prices" is set to 'No'.
    • "Default Variant Code" is empty OR "Cost per Variant" is set to 'No'.
    • "Color Chart" is set to 'Yes'.
    • You may select any Items for setting markup, but only those that satisfy the listed criteria will be affected.
    • In the pop-up page "Set Markup", enter the markup value, and press "OK".

  • Copy to Global Catalogue.

    • This action copies selected Items to Global Items.

    Menu Related

    • Where Used.
      • This action is enabled for Items with the Designation 'Component'. The page called by this action shows the bundle items where this component Item is used.
Note

The "Construction Item Card" (accessed by clicking on a particular Construction Item to open it) has a FactBox (click on the top right corner round "i" icon to open or close the "FactBox" pane) where a user can upload the picture of the item. This picture can be shown during the selection of Upgrades and Extras on the page "Lot Selection Choices".

 

Fields available from the Item Card Menu

From the Construction Item List, select 1 Item by clicking on its number. It will open the Construction Item Card. Certain fields it contains are described below:

  • Has Components.
    • Indicates if the Item has components. Only Items with the Designation 'Bundle' may have components.
  • Color Chart Note.
    • The note that should be printed for this item in the Color Chart report for a home purchaser.
  • Show Note to Vendor.
    • Indicates if the Color Chart Note should be shown for a Vendor in a Work Order or Purchase Order for Extras.
  • Instruction.
    • The note with instructions for a Vendor that is to be shown in a Work Order.
  • Markup.
    • Defines the ratio Price to Cost. On changing Markup, the fields "Profit%" and "Unit Price" will be recalculated. For Designations other than 'Single Item' or 'Bundle', this value is always 0.0.
  • Use Component Prices.
    • This field is applicable only for Items with Designation 'Bundle' and Variants Required equal to 'No'. When it is changed to 'Yes', the Unit Price will be calculated using the Unit Prices defined in the BOM Components of the Bundle.