One of the most crucial players in the construction industry, yet one of the least recognized, is the construction estimator. The construction estimator’s primary role is to determine what it will cost to complete your building project. This task might sound simple on the surface, but it actually consists of a lot of tedious, time-consuming jobs that require a high level of skill.
What is the Role of the Construction Estimator?
A construction estimator needs to have a background in a few different fields that are connected to the construction industry. Having a background and experience in engineering, architecture, and construction design are typical requirements for a construction estimator.
These skills are needed as the design process of a project means they have to determine which materials are going to fulfill your project’s needs. Not only do they need to know the types of materials that will be needed, but they also need to know the measurements for those materials, and how many of each item will be used.
Being able to determine these numbers means a construction estimator will need experience or education in mathematics in construction management and manufacturing. Estimating the cost of your building project requires specific attention to accuracy and detail. If the materials on your project are not correctly accounted for, it will affect your entire building budget as you will have gone off an inaccurate estimate.
How the Construction Estimator Determines Cost
The construction estimator needs to account for all necessary materials. They require the skills to be able to analyze your building project from all angles. Typically, the estimator will start from the ground up, or the foundation, and move up as they begin to account for materials that will be needed.
Analytical and mathematical skills are needed, but also communication skills play a significant role in the estimator’s job. A construction estimator will have to work with architects, engineers, and construction designers as they review the plans for the project. It will take thoughtful questions to ensure there have been no details missed on these plans.
An estimator will also need to communicate with contractors, labor unions, and equipment vendors to determine the labor rates and material costs. Once the estimate has been created, the construction estimator will then present their estimate in complete detail to various parties.
What the Construction Estimator Will Do
To begin their job, the construction estimator has to validate the project’s Scope of Work. This document explains the entirety of the project and the work that has to be done to reach completion. The Scope of Work and the building plans and specs will give the estimator a starting point for determining the list of materials, or quantity takeoff needed to complete the building project.
The heart of your building project is the quantity takeoff. This is where you learn, line-by-line what the costs will be for the specific materials and their cost needed to complete your project. When the quantity takeoff is created, it is more than just a list of standard materials. This document includes the local market amounts for the materials. Construction estimators have to choose the right materials to fit your budget.
The hardest part of the construction estimator’s job is predicting the future. Sometimes their job has to be completed months before the actual construction is set to begin. Availability and prices for materials, labor, and equipment are always changing, so the estimator has to stay tuned to market trends.
Where to Find a Construction Estimator
Pivot Solutions is your answer for project management. We are experts in the construction industry and can handle all your estimating and management details for your next project. When you work with our highly skilled experts, you save money, time and get an accurate estimate for your project, so you stay in control of your budget and bids.
Pivot Solutions has extensive experience in the construction industry and is ready to support you with our outstanding customer service and concise reporting to make your next project become a reality.
