It is unwise to carry out construction by rule of thumb i.e guessing the quantity of materials needed.
There are mathematical ways of accurately determining the quantity of cement, sharp sand, aggregate, wood/plank, reinforcement rods, roofing sheet e.t.c
This will not only tell you the quantities of materials needed it ll further give you a total accurate material cost so as a client you can budget then as a contractor you can plan and manage funds
Lets take a case study where the following quantities of materials was determined for foundation casting ;

20 bags of cement @2500/bag = N50,000
2 trips of sharp sand @18000/trip =N36,000
2 trips of granite @ 30,000/trip = N 60,000

So from the above for foundation casting material cost is then (50,000+36,000+60,000) +3% congencies =N150,380

What differentiates this from normal rough estimates? Simple here you actually know the quantities of each materials and can check /compare market prices, A material schedule gives the client full control and knowlegde of how much he is to pay for material.

Here at Gabcost we re a team of professional quantity surveyors, architects & builders our services is extremely affordable contact us via WhatsApp @ 09037396586