How to Use Project Costing

Project costing in SiteView shows you, line by line, what the project was estimated at and what it actually cost — so nothing surprises you on the back end.

Step-by-step

1. Open the project (created automatically when the estimate was approved) and click the Project Costing tab.
2. You'll see every estimate line item plus any change orders, with budgeted amounts.
3. As work happens, log expenses against each cost line — material receipts, subcontractor invoices, and labor.
4. SiteView updates Actual and Variance columns in real time. Over-budget lines are highlighted so you can react early.
5. Use Add cost line for anything that wasn't on the original estimate (rentals, dump fees, surprise materials).

Tips

• Tag expenses to the right cost line right away — chasing receipts later is the #1 reason project costing goes off the rails.
• Review the Project Costing tab weekly so you catch overruns while you can still talk to the client.

Related articles

• How to Log Expenses and Attach Receipts
• How to Create an Invoice