Part A

Cost estimation is very crucial in all construction projects as it provides vital information to the client and contractor regarding financial requirements of the project (Chan, 2012); (Elfaki, Alatawi, & Abushandi, 2014). The cost estimation in this task is for the following rooms: powder room, laundry, ensuite and bathroom of the two story brick veneer building at Penrith in Project 1. The dimensions of these rooms are as follows:

Powder room: 1800 mm by 1900 mm

Laundry: 2090mm by 3010mm

Ensuite: 3400mm by 1500mm + 900mm by 1520mm

Bathroom: 3260mm by 3030mm

It is important to note that the project is at lock up stage and therefore most of the trades in this task are finishing and appliance or fixture installation works.

The following are the key trades included in the bill of quantities:

This involves supply and installation of tiles on floors and walls of the rooms. Specifications of tiles to be installed are provided in the contract documents

Ceramic floor tiles:

Entire floor area of these rooms is covered with ceramic tiles

Total floor area = (1.8m x 1.9m) + (2.09m x 3.01m) + [(3.4m x 1.5m) + (0.9m x 1.52m)] + (3.26m x 3.03m)

= 3.42m² + 6.2909m² + 5.1m² + 1.368m² + 9.8778m² = 26.0567m² = 26.06m²

Plus 10% wastage =

Ceramic wall tiles:

Half the height of wall in these rooms is covered with ceramic tiles

Total wall height = 2.45m; half the wall height = 0.5 x 2.45m = 1.225m

Total wall length: [1.8m + (2 x 1.9m) + 0.9m] + [(2 x 2.09m) + (2 x 3.01m)] + [(2 x 3.4m) + 2.4m + 1.73m] + [(2 x 3.03m) + 3.26m + 2.44m]

= 6.5m + 10.2m + 10.93m + 11.76m = 39.39m

Total wall area = 39.39m x 1.225m = 48.25m²

Plus 10% wastage =

This involves supply and installation of toilet suites, shower bases, vanities, tub, bath, tap ware and fittings in the rooms. Specifications of each of the above mentioned items are provided in the contract documents.

This involves supply and installation of electrical fixtures, such as lighting fittings, switches and lighting points, SWA/PVC copper cables, meter board and earthing. It also includes electrical wiring. Specifications of the electrical works are provided in the contract documents.

This involves supply and installation of shelves and joineries, and plasterboard cornices. Specifications of the woodwork products and installation requirements are provided in the contract documents.  

This involves supply and installation of ceiling in the rooms. Specifications of the ceilings are provided in the contract documents.

Entire roof area of the rooms on the first floor is covered with gypsum plasterboard ceilings

Total roof area on first floor = [(3.4m x 1.5m) + (0.9m x 1.52m)] + (3.26m x 3.03m)

= 5.1m² + 1.368m² + 9.8778m² = 16.3458m² = 16.35²

Plus 10% wastage =

This involves painting specific areas of the rooms. Specifications of the paints and painting procedures are provided in the contract documents.

The untiled walls and roof of the ground floor shall be painted.

Total wall and roof area to be painted (including 10% waste) = 53m² + 18m² = 71m²

The bill of quantities for the above trades is provided in Table 1 below

Table 1: Bill of quantities

The summary of bill of quantities is provided in Table 2 below

Table 2: Summary of estimated costs

Preliminaries are very essential in construction projects because they provide mandatory instructions, general information and running costs for setting up the project. The preliminary costs are usually arbitrary in nature (Abas, Ismail, Ismail, & Arshad, 2017). The estimated cost of preliminaries for the two storey brick veneer building at Penrith in Project 1 is provided in Table 3 below

Table 3: Preliminary Estimate

References

Abas, A., Ismail, F., Ismail, Z., & Arshad, R. (2017). Cost of Preliminaries of Construction Projects for Civil Infrastructure Works in Malaysia. Sains Humanikaa, 9(2), 9-13.

Chan, C. (2012). The principal factors affecting construction project overhead expenses: an exploratory factor analysis approach. Construction Management and Economics, 30(10), 903-914.

Elfaki, A., Alatawi, S., & Abushandi, E. (2014). Using Intelligent Techniques in Construction Project Cost Estimation: 10-Year Survey. Advances in Civil Engineering, 2014, 1-11.