# Xactimate Macros



## FlipFlap

Hey Guys

I am using Xactimate for all of insurance jobs. So far I was adding line by line, item by item.

I would like to learn using Macros for different fazes of estimating. 

My question is it possible to create roofing macro that will recognize steep roof?

Can I create siding macro with different styles? Maybe you have some suggestions or list of items for different macros.

- roof 30 year with felt, ice & water shield, drip edge, caps, vents

- carpet, floor repair

- drywall - Contents removal, Mask floor, Mask walls paper and tape, drywall repair minimum, Insulation repair minimum, Seal ceiling - one coat, paint ceiling - one coat

with different items depends on area repaired like:
- Detach and reset ceiling fan
- Detach and reset light fixtures
- Detach and reset HVAC register



If you have ideas for other macros and like to share- I would really appreciate that as it is more for my educational use. (at least for now). 

I've seen people are selling them but I want to create them myself.


Thanks a lot


----------



## SLSTech

recognize - no
can you have one for steep roofs & 1 for regular - yes
best advice - go to Xactimate's site & do the 1 on 1 training where they will walk you through how to create them etc... you can also learn it via help screens but it generally is quicker the other way plus some have some great macros they might send you


----------



## FlipFlap

SLSTech said:


> recognize - no
> can you have one for steep roofs & 1 for regular - yes
> best advice - go to Xactimate's site & do the 1 on 1 training where they will walk you through how to create them etc... you can also learn it via help screens but it generally is quicker the other way plus some have some great macros they might send you


Thanks lot 


I do have self paste teaching class. One on one will be the way to go. 

I thought I play a little with macros and see where do I end up.


----------



## larryb

Many contractors get so wrapped up in the unnecessary complexity of XM8 and similar insurance industry favored estimating software that they miss out on the reality that those programs generally, by design, purposefully underprice what a licensed, fully insured pro contractor who is confident in their experience and abilities and who wants to stay in business over the long term, would charge.

Insurance companies charge premiums based on future inflated costs then attempt to pay for repairs at low ball current prices based on their "surveys" rather than pro contractor rates.

One of my contractor customers who is very confident with and writes quite impressive XM8 estimates, swears by it. He is one of a small percentage of contractors who has the experience, hutzpah and the knowledge to push those XM8 prices upwards. He loves XM8...I never used or needed it because I designed my own that always got me paid much better than anything XM8 or similar companies priced repairs at. Waste of time and money, IMO


----------



## bender_dundat

I have numerous macros for roofs and interior. Quite easy to do.

Create a "dummy" Xactimate then create a roof estimate like you normally would EXCEPT put in every line item you can think of for roofs. Put the line items in the order you would normally lay out for an estimate.

Also, use the variables in the calculation or quantity box (assuming you sketch the roofs in Xactimate). For example, in RFG 240 - and +, use SQ in the - and then for a 10% waste factor, enter SQ*1.10. If you sketch the roof, that will automatically fill in the numbers for remove & replace of the roof with a 10% waste factor.

Do the same for steep, steep> and high. I put in SQ for the remove and SQ*1.10 (for 10% waste) on the replace. Now if you have a roof that is all 8:12 for example, the steep line items are already done for you. You'd simply delete the steep> line items. If you have a "mixed pitch" roof, then you have to manually figure both. You can do this in the sketch tab but I prefer to do it in the estimate tab. Let's say slopes F1, F2 and F5 are 9:12. On the steep line item, remove (-), you would enter F1SQ+F2SQ+F5SQ and then enter. This would automatically tally up the correct amount of squares in the remove portion. For the replace portion of the steep line item, take the number you got in remove and substitute it for SQ where you have SQ*1.10. 

You can do the same for the line item Asphalt Starter (P = Perimeter as your variable), ridge cap (Hip + R adds the hip and ridge lengths) and Valley Metal (Val is the variable).

Once you've laid out all your line items as a "superset" of a roof estimate, left click on the first line item, hold down the shift key, scroll to the bottom of the line items and left click on the last line item, highlighting all the line items. Right click on any line item, leaving all line items highlighted, and click on "Save Macro". When the box pops up, name that macro in order that you can remember it. For example, my name might be 25YR_3TAB_10 to signify this is for a 25 year 3 tab composite shingle, 10% waste.

There are line items you will want in your macro that don't have variables assigned to them, such as vents. I include a line item for all vents and put in a quantity of 1 for each. I do the same for flashings, etc.. 

You can now go back and modify the math on the line items using waste to reflect other waste factors. For example, for 12.5% waste, change 1.10 to 1.125. Repeat process for saving macro.

I have macros for 25 year and 30 year with waste factors ranging from 10% to 25% in 2.5% increments. 

IMPORTANT: When you want to run the macro, you have to have the item you are running it for highlighted. In other words, the default when you go to the estimate tab is usually the job name. Left click once on roof then go over and double click on the macro you want to use for this particular roof. It will automatically fill in all the line items including automatically filling in the numbers for ones where you have variables. Now you just go in and modify numbers and delete line items you don't need for this particular roof. Typically, I can fill in the estimate line items in less than 5 minutes for an entire roof when I sketch it in Xactimate.

You can do this for any type of claim you're estimating and it certainly is a huge time saver for jobs you're estimating often. The added benefit is that you will be creating uniform Xactimates as the sequence of line items will always be in the same order.

I hope this helps. If you want to PM me here with your email, I'd be happy to send you a couple of the macros I use. You can import them into your Xactimate program using the Data Transfer function.


----------

