Estimating in Building

Construction
Chapter 4 The Estimate
Organization
 The estimator must maintain a high
degree of organization throughout the
estimate development stage.
 Have a plan for completion of the
estimate
 Maintaining up-to-date files
 Estimate should be neat, clear, and
easy to follow

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Planning the estimate
 When will the work be done
 Who is responsible
 Diagrammatic representation of the
steps that are required to complete an
estimate (Fig. 4.1)
 Prepare Bar chart schedule for
completing an estimate (Fig. 4.2)

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The Estimating
Process
Figure 4.1

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Bar Chart Schedule
Figure 4.2

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 Estimating Notebook
A notebook should be kept for each estimate prepared that
may be broken down into:
 Workup sheets (every page must be numbered and

initialed)
 Summary sheets

 Errors and omissions

 Proposals received from

 Material suppliers and manufacturers

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To Bid or Not To Bid
 Decision based
upon:
 Type of construction  Work in progress (in
 Location hand)
 Size of project  Availability of
equipment
 Bonding capacity
 Availability of
 Architect/engineer
qualified personnel

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 The Estimate
If decision is made to bid then:
 Check the drawings and project manual

for completeness
 Get a feel for the project

 Review the floor plans, room layouts

 Review wall sections to see what materials

are being used

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The Estimate
 Order:
 Insurance
 Bonds
 Take off quantities using workup sheets
 Ask subcontractors and materials
suppliers to bid
 List all overhead items required

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The Estimate
 Summarize costs from workup sheet on
the summary sheet
 Check for errors
 Verify with architect/engineer:
 That you have all of the addenda
 Time and place of bid

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Common Error to Check For
 Math errors (+, -, x, /)
 Omission of items (material, labor,
equip, overhead)
 Time to complete the project
 Errors in estimating construction waste
 Errors in estimating quantities of
material
 Transferring number from one sheet to
another
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Common Error to Check For
 Adding a line to a spreadsheet and not
including it in the sum
 Set up errors in software
 Formulas
 Improper use of software

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Site Investigation (Visit)
 Site access  Storage and
 Utilities equipment location
 Drainage  Soil conditions
 Transportation  Local ordinances
facilities  Permits
 Required protection  Licenses
or foundation of  Fences
adjacent property  Local labor and
union rules
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Site Investigation (Visit)
 Local material and deliver pricing
 Subcontractor availability
 Road conditions to the project
 Housing and food facilities
 Banking facilities

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 Specialty Contractors
 Is a separate subcontractor hired by the prime
contractor to perform certain portions of the
work. E.g. plumbing, electrical, HVAC
 Advantages:
 Less direct-hire craft personnel
 Reduced risk
 Disadvantage:
 Less control
 Bid Tabulation: Subcontractors bid +
adjustments (see Fig. 4.4 for Subcontract)

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Materials
 Quote should include:
 Material cost
 Freight (cargo, shipment)
 Taxes
 Delivery time
 Terms of payment
 Material Price Quote (Fig. 4.5)

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Estimating Sheets
 Workup sheet
 Used to make “work up” the cost of each
item (Fig. 4.6 Workup Sheet – used to
quantity reinforcing Steel
 Takeoff be complete, do not write e.g.
“wire mesh” but “wire mesh 6x6
 If mesh is galvanized, it will increase your
material cost by about 20%

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 Estimating Sheets
 Summary sheet
 Summarized cost on workup sheets
 List all the information required
 but none of the calculations and sketches of the
workup sheet.
 Figure 4.7 is an example of a summary sheet
for concrete in the project.
 Figure 4.8 summarize all cost for the project.

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Errors and Omissions
 Make list of errors and omissions
 Get clarification from architect/engineer
 Specifications take precedence over
drawings and dimensioned figures
 Detailed drawings take precedence over
scaled measurements from drawings.

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Thank You

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