How we calculate

YardSetup runs transparent geometry and package math in your browser. Its editable starting numbers are examples, not a construction or planting specification. No independent professional review is claimed for this release.

Shared units and rounding

Input lengths are normalized to feet and inches for the calculation. Metric entries are converted before calculating and converted back for the selected display. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet; for area in square feet and depth in inches, cubic yards equal area × depth ÷ 324. One square foot is 0.09290304 square meters. Package quantities round up only after the relevant allowance has been applied.

Source context

For patio systems, consult the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association application guide and the selected manufacturer’s instructions. For lawn establishment, begin with a nearby university extension service; the University of Minnesota’s guide is a regional example, not a national schedule. Supplier package labels and quoted densities should replace sample inputs. Report a suspected error through the contact page.

Focused decision tools

Each focused tool accepts U.S. customary or metric entries and shows its intermediate quantity before purchase rounding. Enter actual package sizes, supplier terms, and prices in the units selected on the form. The diagrams explain the entered geometry and material route; they are not construction drawings.

Saved comparisons and supplier quotes

Option A and B on a whole-project planner are stored on this device. A saved project's measured areas can be reused in another whole-project planner; the destination retains its own material and price settings. The project list retains separate required and order quantities. A supplier quote first applies its minimum and increment to the planner order, then multiplies by the price you enter. Blank prices remain unpriced. Repeated materials and matching footprints are flagged for review; material lines can be excluded from totals to avoid adding an alternative estimate twice.

Field measurement workflow

The field workflow records included sections and cutouts in canonical feet, then converts displayed values to meters if selected. Polygon corners are X and Y offsets from a section origin and must be entered around the boundary in order. Geometry checks reject crossed polygon edges, overlapping included sections, cutouts outside the included plan, and nonpositive net area. A measured rectangle diagonal is compared with the calculated diagonal using a tolerance of the greater of 0.25 feet or 2%; a mismatch prompts remeasurement and does not change area. The field sheet includes entered dimensions, derived edge lengths, the scaled outline, and any diagonal warning. Saved field plans carry measurements and display units into a material planner; product settings remain separate.

Whole-project budget

The project budget uses each included material line’s supplier-adjusted order amount multiplied by its entered unit price. It adds that supplier’s delivery and fees once, then adds entered labor, equipment, disposal, permit, and other costs. Subtotal = materials + delivery + other entered costs. Sales tax = the selected taxable category amounts × the entered tax rate. Contingency = pretax subtotal × the entered contingency rate. Final total = subtotal + sales tax + contingency. The optional target shows how far that final total is under or over the entered amount.

Tax starts at 0%; only materials are selected as taxable initially. YardSetup does not determine local tax law or provide live prices. A complete total is withheld until every included material line has a supplier price. If two included estimates use the same measured footprint, the budget asks you to confirm that they should be combined, since they may be alternative plans.

Project sequence readiness

The workspace’s order sheet uses the selected supplier’s minimums and increments for every included material line. “Order readiness” requires included materials, all selected-supplier prices, review of any same-footprint estimates, completed Plan and Site checks, and a confirmation of the current supplier order. Changing that order clears the confirmation. “Delivery readiness” also requires a delivery date, confirmed access and staging, and no conflict in the entered preparation, delivery, and installation dates. Checklist marks are visitor declarations; YardSetup cannot verify site conditions, supplier stock, local rules, or delivery access.

Delivery reconciliation

For each included line in the selected supplier order, usable received = cumulative received − damaged or unusable + accepted substitute (all in the displayed unit). Remaining to receive = max(0, supplier order − usable received). On hand after use = max(0, usable received − installed or used). Blank received amounts are uncounted, while zero means none arrived. A substitute needs a description; confirm its suitability with the supplier or installer. If the selected supplier or order quantities change, the existing receipt record is flagged for review against the current order. This browser record does not confirm a delivery or resolve a supplier claim.

Supplier follow-up and paid reorder

The exact usable shortage comes from the delivery reconciliation above. A suggested new paid order rounds that shortage up to the selected supplier’s entered minimum and increment. The paid reorder material estimate multiplies the rounded quantity by that supplier’s entered unit price; any separately entered delivery fee is added once. Missing prices keep the total pending. A replacement request shows the exact shortage and does not assume the supplier will provide it free of charge. The follow-up review mark is tied to the current receipt, response choices, and entered contact details; changing them clears that mark. This sheet is a planning record only and does not contact or obligate a supplier.

Installation progress and material balance

For each included material line, the progress board reuses the selected supplier order and the delivery record. Its bar divides that order into material marked installed or used, usable material still on hand, and material outstanding. Used and on-hand segments are capped at the ordered amount for drawing; any quantity above the order is stated separately. Uncounted, invalid, or stale receipt lines do not show a trusted balance. The work stage is chosen by the visitor and is never inferred from the bar. Required or finished quantities can differ from loose purchase quantities, so the bar is not a percentage of construction completion.

Final inspection and care handoff

The project list selects inspection prompts and care reminders from the included estimate’s planner. You choose Pass, Needs attention, Not applicable, or Not checked for each prompt. A project shows ready only when every prompt has been reviewed, at least one passes, none needs attention, a final review date is recorded, the dates are consistent, and the separately chosen work stage is Final check complete. Material receipt warnings remain visible but do not decide whether physical work passed inspection. The reviewed-check bar is a count of recorded answers, not a measure of construction quality or code compliance. Care dates are visitor-entered and are checked when the page opens; YardSetup does not send reminders.

Project closeout and actual spending

The closeout starts with the selected supplier’s current order and the delivery record. A quantity balance is shown only when received and used amounts are entered and the receipt is current and valid. “Left over” is usable received minus material marked used, in the recorded purchase unit. This does not turn loose purchased volume into a compacted finished volume. Estimated leftover value equals net material payment × left-over usable quantity ÷ total usable received. It is an allocation of paid material cost, not a refund or cash recovery.

The planned comparison uses the selected supplier’s entered quotes, planned delivery fee, budget extras, and estimated sales tax. It waits for all material prices and any required same-footprint review. The actual total adds the net payments you explicitly enter for each material line, delivery and fees, labor, equipment, disposal, permits, other costs, and sales tax. Blank actual amounts keep the total pending; enter zero for a cost that did not occur. Actual spending minus the plan before contingency is the variance. The full planned budget includes contingency as a cushion, so the separate headroom figure is full budget minus actual spending. Contingency is never counted as an actual expense.