Using the Library: Reference Data and Reusable Templates
What the Library actually holds — Build Reference, your own cost items and units, and schedule templates — how items reach a budget, and how the Library differs from the Help Center and Files.
Help Center location: `/help/library/library-page-guide` — category **Library & Templates**.
Stored unpublished for administrator review. Editable source: `docs/help/library-page-guide.md`.
---
**Library** is not a place for documents and not a set of articles. It holds the reference data and
reusable lists that feed your projects: OwnerDraw's standard construction reference, your own
priced cost items, your own units of measure, and schedule templates.
Two important distinctions:
- Nothing in the Library belongs to a single project. Some of it is OwnerDraw's and the same for
- everyone; the rest is yours, across every project on your account, and is not shared with people
- you invite to a project.
- Changing something here never changes a project on its own. A budget line or a schedule task is
- only created when *you* pull an item in from the Budget or Schedule page.
Start here
Open **Library** and work across the five tabs.
| Tab | What it is | Whose it is |
|---|---|---|
| **QC Checklists** | An overview of OwnerDraw's before-and-after trade checks, with **Open QC Checklists** | OwnerDraw's — read only |
| **Build Reference** | A searchable reference of construction items with trade, phase, unit and spec notes | OwnerDraw's — read only, no prices |
| **Cost Items** | Your own catalogue of items with a unit and a unit cost | Yours, all your projects |
| **Units** | The unit codes offered in budget dropdowns | Ten built in, plus yours |
| **Schedule Templates** | Task lists you can import into a project schedule | **System Defaults** plus **My Templates** |
If you are new, start in **Build Reference** to see what a full scope looks like, and add **Cost
Items** only for the things you price repeatedly.
Build Reference
Filter with **All construction types** and **All phases**, or type in **Search items, specs,
categories…**. Each row shows the item, trade, phase, category, unit and any spec note, and the
copy icon puts the text on your clipboard so you can paste it into a budget line, a to-do or a
scope of work.
It is reading material and a memory jogger. It carries no prices, is not tied to a project, and
cannot be edited — including by you.
Cost Items — your own priced catalogue
| I want to | Do this |
|---|---|
| Add one item | **New Item** — name, description, unit cost, unit and an optional cost code |
| Load a spreadsheet | **Import CSV** → **Download Template**, fill it in, upload it and map the columns |
| Find something | **Search items…** |
| Correct or remove one | The pencil or bin icon on the row |
| Start over | **Delete All (n)** — it clears your whole catalogue and cannot be undone |
**How an item reaches a budget.** On **Budget**, adding a line offers your library, and the
worksheet has **Search Library**. Choosing an item copies its name, unit and unit cost onto the new
line with a quantity of 1, which you then adjust.
From that moment the two are independent. Editing the library item later does not change budget
lines you already created, and re-pricing a budget line does not change your library. That is
deliberate — your historical project figures stay as they were.
*Builder's note:* keep unit costs as bare rates you can defend, and let each project carry its own
markup, tax and contingency. Cost items are private to your login, so a partner or collaborator on
a project does not see or use your catalogue.
Units
Ten codes are always available: LS, EA, SF, LF, SY, CY, HR, DAY, TON and GAL. Add your own under
**Add Custom Unit** — a short code (up to six characters, e.g. BDL) and a description (e.g.
Bundle). They appear alongside the built-in codes in the unit dropdowns on budget items and
worksheets.
Deleting a custom unit removes it from the dropdown for future entries. Lines already using it keep
the unit they were saved with.
Schedule Templates
**System Defaults** are OwnerDraw's own task lists and cannot be edited or deleted. **My
Templates** are yours.
To build one, select **New Template**, give it a **Template Name**, a **Type** (New Construction,
Remodel, Spec House or Custom) and an optional description, then **Upload CSV** of the tasks. The
CSV needs `title` and `duration_days` columns; `offset_days`, `depends_on_index` and `is_milestone`
are optional. The preview shows the task list before you save, and you can delete your own
templates.
**Using one on a project:** open **Schedule** and select **Import Template**, choose the template
and a **Project Start Date**. Dates are calculated from that start date, and dependencies described
in the CSV are recreated.
**Limitation, worth knowing before you build one:** the import list only lets you select templates
typed as **New Construction**. Remodel, Spec House and Custom templates appear greyed out with
"(Coming Soon)" and cannot be imported yet. If you want a template you can actually apply today,
type it as **New Construction** whatever kind of job it describes. **Manage Templates** on the
Schedule page also lets you see and remove what a previous import added.
Library, Help Center and Files — which is which
| | Holds | Editable by you |
|---|---|---|
| **Library** | Reference data, cost items, units, schedule templates | Your cost items, units and templates |
| **Help Center** (`/help`) | Instructions for using OwnerDraw — including this guide | No |
| **Files** | Documents and photos you upload, per project | Upload and delete |
Nothing in the Library costs anything and no part of it uses AI credits.
What do I do next?
| If this is you | Do this |
|---|---|
| Starting your first budget | Read **Build Reference** for the trade and phase, then price your own lines on **Budget** |
| Pricing the same items on every job | Add them under **Cost Items**, then pull them in from **Budget** |
| Have a supplier price list | **Import CSV** → **Download Template**, then upload |
| Buy in bundles or rolls | Add the code under **Add Custom Unit** |
| Ready to plan dates | **Schedule** → **Import Template** with your start date |
| Want your own task list | **New Template** typed as **New Construction**, then **Upload CSV** |
| Checking work quality | **Open QC Checklists** and pick the trade |
Common questions
**Does editing a cost item change my budget?** No. A budget line is a copy from the moment you add
it. Both stay as they are.
**Can my team see my cost items?** No. Cost items, custom units and your own templates belong to
your login, not to the project.
**Can I edit the Build Reference or the QC checklists?** No. Those are OwnerDraw's standard content.
**Why can't I import my Remodel template?** Only New Construction templates can be imported at the
moment. Change the template's type to New Construction to use it.
**Does the Library store my plans or contracts?** No — those go on **Files**, or into a plan set on
**Takeoff**.
**Is any of this project-specific?** Only what you pull into a project. The Library itself is
account-wide.
**Does anything here cost AI credits?** No.
Related guides
- *How to Use the Budget Page* — where cost items and units are actually used
- *Building and Updating Your Construction Schedule* — importing and managing templates
- *Using QC Checklists to Check Work* — the checklist content shown here
- *Storing Your Project Files and Photos* — documents and photos, per project