Material Estimating Mistakes Made During The Take-Off Process
Material estimating is a demanding process which requires special skills, experience, training and other resources as time, energy and technology. Many contractors try to estimate themselves but doing so has many disadvantages (see our article on why you should outsource your material estimating) and reduces your effectiveness as well as reduces your profit.
In the following, we will discuss what are the most popular mistakes made during the construction estimation process. Have a look at them and decide for yourself whether it’s better to outsource the task to specialized professionals. Contact us for a free quote!
Doing Manual Estimations
If you are doing everything manually, than you are slowing down the process and bear greater risks of mistakes. Machines are not only faster, but they also don’t tolerate human mistakes caused by stress, illness or lack of required attention. Nowadays construction industry enjoys a wide array of hi-tech tools, which made project scheduling, project management, financial management, customer management, service management and estimation tasks a lot easier for trades.
PlanSwift is a great piece of construction estimating and take-off software which is suitable for both commercial and residential contractors. It provides a way for users to calculate digitized values. Users can measure linear and square footage with one mouse click. The program also includes 64-bit Microsoft Excel integration and a browsing feature improving collaboration between team members. Takeoff features of the system include drag-and-drop assemblies on items, the ability to add hyperlinks, and automatic prompts that give users hints on what to do next during the process. Vancouver Estimates’ experts use PlanSwift anytime it’s applicable.
If you are not using relevant software it will decrease your competitive value
by negatively affecting the speed of your estimation process and creating unnecessary risk of errors.
May be it’s time to rethink your approach?
If you are currently in a position where you cannot afford purchasing expensive software for material take-offs, you may be interested in outsourcing the task to estimation companies as Vancouver Estimates to enjoy professional service performed with the help of latest technology, databases and industry trends expertise. Vancouver Estimates was established with the goal to provide detailed material take-off service to trades and contractors in the most convenient way that is possible. You will just need to email the floor plans to info@vancouverestimates.com and we will provide you with the detailed take-off for all of your projects.
Good Software But Ill-Trained Users
Any software in material estimating is a great tool, which you should absolutely use and take an advantage of. But it should be paired with a knowledgeable estimator, who is trained to use it. Otherwise, your software investment will be wasted or would not be used to its full potential. So, if you assign your inexperienced or ill trained employee to work on your software, you should not be expecting miraculous results and accurate take-offs. The opposite is often the case. Poor use of software when estimating materials is even worse than doing everything manually, because in the second scenario you are at least less confident in the final product and more awake, while the first scenario makes you undeservedly confident and blind to potential mistakes.
Vancouver Estimates was established with the goal to provide detailed material take-off service to trades and contractors in the most convenient way that is possible.
Failing to Allocate Enough Investments
Contractors often try to save on important things as a professional expertise, good software, time and materials. For example, they guesstimate their material take-offs. Such approach could be mistakenly seen as a rational option for start-ups, but actually it has more negative consequences, which annule the sum saved. Putting in the necessary investments can save your time, energy and money by helping you to avoid costly mistakes, client conflicts or losing jobs. In the short term those items seem to be redundant, but actually in the long run the investments are justified. You should not be forgetting that with every estimate you provide to your client, you are putting another brick to your reputation as a contractor and widening potential clients list.
Of course, you cannot blindly expand your costs. Your investments should be justified by your calculation of your return on investment.
Vancouver Estimates was established with the goal to provide detailed material take-off service to trades and contractors in the most convenient way that is possible. You will just need to email the floor plans to info@vancouverestimates.com and we will provide you with the detailed take-off for all of your projects.