Watch time: 7 minutes
The Cost Library allows you to quickly add prebuilt line items, assemblies, and groups to any estimate. Builderbid provides a full library of ready-to-use assemblies, and you can also build your own customized cost library for items you use frequently. This guide explains how to:
Search and insert items from the Builderbid Library
Save your own items or groups to your personal cost library
Update existing library items
Organize and manage your custom cost library
Build new items or assemblies from scratch
Watch this video to learn more(7 minutes):
Steps
1. Accessing the Search Library
You can open the Search Library directly from any line item.
Steps
Click the name of any line item.
Select Search Library.
You’ll see two main tabs at the top:
BuilderBid Library – prebuilt groups of multiple related items
My Library – your own saved items or assemblies
What Assemblies Are
Assemblies are groups of related items (materials, labor, or both).
Example: An Insulation assembly may include:Wall insulation
Ceiling insulation
Floor insulation
To insert a Builderbid assembly:
Browse categories (ex: Insulation).
Preview the assembly.
Click Confirm to pull it into your project.
2. Saving Your Own Items or Groups to the Cost Library
You can save individual items or entire groups into your personal cost library.
To save a single item
Click the Gear icon on the line item.
Select Update & Template.
Choose Add item to my library.
To save a full group (assembly)
Go to the group parent row (the bold row).
Click the gear icon.
Select Update & Template.
Choose Add group to my library.
Select or create a folder.
Click Confirm.
Your saved group now becomes an assembly you can reuse across all templates and projects.
3. Using Items From Your Library
Any saved items or assemblies can be pulled back into a project.
Steps
Click any line item name.
Select Search Library.
Under My Library, choose the item or assembly you previously saved.
Click Confirm to insert it.
You can also continue using BuilderBid’s pre-built library for additional assemblies.
4. Updating an Item Already in Your Library
If you update pricing or rename an item inside a project and want those changes saved:
Steps
Go to the group parent row of the item or assembly.
Click the gear icon → Update & Template.
Choose Update group in my template.
Select the matching library item to overwrite it.
Click Confirm.
This updates the saved version in your cost library.
5. Managing Your Cost Library (Main Menu)
You can also fully manage your library from the main Builderbid settings.
Steps
Go to the Main Menu.
Click Templates & Setup.
Select Estimating.
Open the Cost Library tab.
Available tools in this section
Create folders and subfolders
Add images and names to folders
Create new items or assemblies
Edit existing library items
Organize specialty or infrequently used items
These items don’t belong in your standard estimating template, but you still want quick access when needed.
6. Creating a New Item or Assembly From Scratch
You can build library items manually — or use a Builderbid assembly as a shortcut.
Steps
In the Cost Library, click Create Item.
Enter the item name (ex: Drywall).
Optionally, you can click on Search Library to start from a pre-built version.
Customize pricing, units, labor, materials, and descriptions.
Save the item or group to your library.
Example:
Start with BuilderBid’s drywall assembly
Update labor to your actual rates
Adjust materials to match your cost
Save the customized version to your library
This lets you quickly standardize your own pricing while using Builderbid’s assemblies as a foundation.
