Four common calculation traps: Guide to how to avoid them!
📌 Created : 21.08.2025 Reading time : 4 minutes
Avoid these calculation mistakes
Continue reading ➞
Pitfalls in the calculation
Errors and omissions can easily occur when you are calculating your projects. Calculating quotes is considered “boring” by many people. It is easy to make mistakes, which can cost you later. That is why we have compiled the 4 most common mistakes craftsmen make during manual calculations and how a system can help.
1. You forget to keep track of all your expenses
You've remembered to list materials and hours, but have forgotten to list the bills from driving costs or tool rental or waste management.
How can a calculation system be helpful?
In construction projects, time recording is one of the biggest challenges. Mistakes or missing hours can result in both lost revenue and poor overview. With the my company and my project modules, you get a simple and secure system that ensures that all hours are recorded correctly, every time.
my company allows you to define employees, roles and hourly rates. When hours are entered, they are automatically linked to the correct person and cost.
my project makes it easy for employees to track hours directly on projects via PC or mobile. The hours are distributed to the correct tasks and phases, so you get a detailed overview of resource usage.
The result is accurate timesheets, correct payroll and better project management. At the same time, you get reports that show how much time has actually been spent compared to the estimate, so you can adjust and use it on the next project.
Read more about how you can calculate with mycalc HERE ➞
2. You underestimate the time you spend on execution
When you underestimate the time you spend on a project, the extra hours will eat into your margins. This can lead to customer dissatisfaction and a loss of trust in your company. The consequences of underestimating the time you spend are that projects often take longer than estimated. Small delays pile up and become expensive. This can be avoided by having a system that tracks your hours directly for you, making your calculations smoother and more accurate in the long run.
Here's how you can use the system to keep accurate hours:
In construction projects, it is easy to forget small items that later become expensive. With my calc you get a structured calculation that covers all common costs in the industry, from rigging and operation to transport and waste. The system has built-in checklists and the ability to save your own standard layouts and templates, so that nothing is overlooked. This gives you a better overview, safer quotes and fewer lost margins.
Read more about how to avoid underestimating time HERE ➞
3. You are setting too low a profit
When you set a profit margin that is too low, your business is at risk of doing some of the work “for free,” or of going into the red in certain areas if something unexpected were to occur. The consequence of this is that the margin is set too low to “win” the job, without taking into account risk and unforeseen events. You can prevent this by ensuring that the prices for materials, hours of work, including other resources, are logged correctly in the system and directly entered into the calculation.
How to enter the correct profit using the system:
With mycalc you can set your desired profit margin once, and the system automatically adds the correct markup throughout the calculation. You can adjust the profit at both project and sub-level. This means you always know what you are earning, and you don't risk putting too little profit into your quote. The result is profitable projects, simpler calculations and professional bids.
Read more about how to properly pass profits through the system ➞
4. You are calculating material costs incorrectly
When you calculate material costs incorrectly, the miscalculations can create unnecessary additional costs, inefficiency and, in the worst case, dissatisfaction with your customers. Here you may find that too little material or resources are ordered. This leads to delays or too many resources that tie up capital and your inventory. But don't despair! Because this can be easily solved through a system:
How to correctly calculate material costs with the system:
Material costs can be unpredictable. mycalc retrieves updated prices directly from suppliers and companies in the market, so that you get the most correct figures in the calculation. You can enter your own price files if desired or use our estimated prices. The system handles all units (piece, m², lm, etc.) and takes into account shrinkage and markups. This gives you precise calculations that reflect real costs, and a competitive and professional offer to the customer.
Try out the system, avoid mistakes!
Register here and we will show you the system through a short demo.
