Best Construction Estimating Classes in Philadelphia

What is Construction Estimating?

Before construction can begin, a project must be planned through study, design, and estimation. Advancing a project from planning to active construction largely depends on its estimated cost. Construction estimation is the process of producing detailed cost estimates for a building project by reviewing its design, itemizing its requirements, and calculating the prices of everything. 

A construction estimate should include:

• Costs for materials, labor, and equipment,
• Incidental costs like transportation and waste disposal,
• Overhead costs like insurance and licenses
• Contingency pricing for unforeseen problems like bad weather or material shortages, and
• A profit for the contractor, if prepared for a project bid.

Estimates are then used to produce proposals and budgets, apply for financing, and monitor expenses. Construction estimation is an essential skill for general contractors and subcontractors. Property developers, government agencies overseeing construction, and insurance companies also need estimators to evaluate bids, build budgets, and monitor spending on construction projects. 

As building designs and technologies grew more complex over time, estimates became more difficult to calculate, often requiring full-time Construction Estimators. Estimators’ work benefits greatly from computing technologies that efficiently manage information resources like building plans and price lists. Software aids every aspect of modern preconstruction, from 2D and 3D imaging programs to computer-aided design and drafting (CAD) systems, building information models (BIMs), and specialized construction estimating programs. By using these tools, many builders can quickly generate estimates for small projects, and Construction Estimators can even complete most large estimates remotely. 

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What Can You Do with Construction Estimating Training?

Accurate construction estimation is crucial to success in the construction industry, particularly for general contractors and subcontractors. Contractors need accurate estimates for their proposals, neither overstating costs and risking lost opportunities nor underestimating and risking losses. Construction estimation training teaches students to produce detailed, accurate estimates and compose clear, complete proposals. This training also helps builders generate budgets, identify potential savings, plan financing, schedule payments, and monitor ongoing expenses. Construction estimation training can thus benefit the owners and managers of construction businesses and skilled tradespersons like carpenters and electricians. Professionals who specialize in construction estimating can work as full-time Construction Estimators, either as direct employees of construction businesses or as freelance contractors. 

Construction estimating skills are also valuable in organizations that hire builders such as real estate developers, government agencies, utility companies, and insurers. Construction estimation training enables workers in these organizations to evaluate contractor bids, anticipate project costs, and monitor spending. Accurate estimation helps to detect unexpected costs and ensure accountability. This accounting is especially important for public works projects, which must justify how taxpayer funds are spent, and mega-projects with multiple phases, where small discrepancies can quickly become major expenses and delays. 

Construction estimating training teaches several other related skills useful for anyone involved in construction, either as a professional or for personal projects:

• Careful review of building plans:
• Potentially detecting discrepancies, inefficiencies, and potential savings
• Highlighting concerns like uncommon materials, specialized labor, or local restrictions
• Effective communication with team members and external contacts
• Researching and organizing contacts like vendors, subcontractors, and permitting offices
• Negotiating with clients and contractors for better rates and stable pricing agreements

What Will I Learn in a Construction Estimating Class?

The primary steps of construction estimating are takeoff, pricing, and communication. These are the major skills taught in any construction estimating class, along with the tools and techniques that aid them. 

Takeoff is the process of reviewing a building project’s plans, extracting its details, and organizing those details into comprehensive lists, starting with materials, labor, and equipment. Estimators must also consider requirements like permits, insurance, inventory storage, transportation, and waste disposal. To manage this complex process, construction estimation students must also learn about construction stages, tasks, materials, financing, logistics, and laws. Some courses explicitly teach this knowledge, while others assume it as a prerequisite or concurrent study. Estimation students might also learn how to investigate a building site in-person, collecting key information directly. Some construction estimation classes address construction planning software, including 2D and 3D modeling, computer-aided drafting (CAD), and building information modeling (BIM) systems. Working with these programs is necessary not only to gather accurate information but also to use them for collaboration. BIM systems, in particular, provide valuable information directly and can even integrate with construction estimation software to automate takeoff tasks.

The next step, pricing, first assigns costs to the items itemized during takeoff, not simply as a 1-to-1 list but also accounting for variations like bulk discounts and vendor pricing. To estimate labor costs, students need to know how to identify specialties, calculate work hours, contact and negotiate with subcontractors, and anticipate additional costs like benefits or overtime. Construction estimating classes also explain the various additional costs estimators should consider: incidental costs like cleanup, temporary utilities, and security; overhead costs like insurance and permit fees; and contingency costs for miscellaneous unexpected expenses or variations like materials shortages. A complete estimate might also include a profit percentage for the builder.

Finally, communication covers multiple tasks throughout the estimation process as well as methods for reporting a completed estimate. During takeoff and pricing, estimators must collect information from clients, vendors, subcontractors, government agencies, and in some cases, supervisors or colleagues. They may also need to negotiate with contacts or make suggestions to improve designs and control costs. Once an estimate is completed, it must be formatted for receipt; many construction estimating classes address preparation of bids for proposals and budgets to guide spending. Even after an estimate is submitted, estimators may need to explain its details or monitor actual expenses. Construction Estimators may also render professional evaluations of others’ submitted estimates, judging their completeness and accuracy.

Most construction estimation classes also teach the use of construction estimation software. These programs assist takeoff, calculation, and reporting by organizing building projects, storing and applying informational resources, prompting estimators with reminders and suggestions, and generating formatted output. Managing large estimation projects generally requires these tools, and their help makes estimation work faster and more accurate. Thus, students should learn at least one construction estimation system in good detail, either to use that program specifically or to acquire skills that transfer to other, similar programs.

What Kinds of Training Options Are Available to Learn Construction Estimating?

In-person Training

Live, in-person classes have several advantages. Students meet with an instructor at a classroom site for scheduled sessions, often in a computer lab with school-provided hardware and software. While students need to complete readings and exercises off-site, they can discuss their work directly with the instructor. Students can also discuss lessons and collaborate.

Live Online Training

Live online training is most analogous to in-person instruction. While live online classes are still taught by a live instructor, students attend sessions remotely through videoconferencing. This format shares many of the same advantages as in-person attendance without requiring students to travel to a classroom. However, it requires that students have their own computer and internet access, install required software, and download supplemental study materials rather than receive preprinted copies. 

Self-directed Study

While live online study is more convenient than in-person classes, students must still adhere to a fixed class schedule that can conflict with working hours or other responsibilities. Other online options, called self-paced or asynchronous study, allow more flexible scheduling by trading the advantages of live instruction for the freedom provided by pre-recorded materials. Students can study these videos, texts, and interactive websites at their own pace, whenever they are available.

Self-directed study is a type of self-paced study that retains some of the benefits of live instruction. Although students primarily view pre-recorded lessons, they have regular access to expert instructors who can provide additional explanations, answer questions, or review their classwork. These contacts are reached by video or text chat, phone, or email. Self-directed courses can also include private mentoring sessions and career support. Most self-directed courses use a time-blocked schedule to keep study organized and coordinate progress with instructors but still allow students the freedom to choose exact study times.

On-demand Study

Another kind of self-paced study, on-demand, permits students even greater freedom. On-demand students can access course materials at any time or in whatever order they prefer. Students can even skip familiar topics or add extra modules. On-demand schools may charge separately for each lesson, sell sets of lessons as packages, or allow unlimited access to all lessons for a subscription fee. These courses are the least expensive paid option but offer only limited contact with an instructor or mentor. Some schools offer chats or message boards for discussion between students.

Choosing the Right Training Method for You

A student’s ideal training method depends both on their preferences and personal limitations. In-person training is usually the most effective format due to its extended, direct contact with an instructor. This face-to-face contact provides fast, clear, and thorough feedback. Students can request alternate explanations, ask questions, and get critiques. Students can also work together without barriers, practicing communication and collaboration. For students with attentional, motivational, or sensory difficulties, physical presence can help them absorb more information and maintain focus. By contrast, online classes sometimes suffer from technical problems like poor audio and slow connections. Some students lack computers and rely on physical classrooms for access to technology.

However, other students find in-person attendance difficult to manage or less beneficial. Anyone who cannot travel to a classroom site due to limited transportation or disability will need an online option. Even for those who can travel, its time and expense can be prohibitive, especially if they have other responsibilities. Additionally, in-person training is limited to nearby schools and classes; online training provides more options. Finally, some students find classroom attendance uncomfortable or distracting and learn better online.

Live online classes share many of the advantages of in-person training, particularly the frequency and speed of instructor feedback. Self-paced classes lack this advantage, and some students’ progress is slower and less certain. For complex tasks like construction estimating, it can be difficult to check one’s understanding without an expert’s guidance. Self-paced study also challenges students to maintain their progress without the guidance of a fixed class schedule. Self-directed study reduces these disadvantages through regular check-ins with an instructor but still provides less feedback than live instruction. Both self-directed and on-demand courses also lack direct contact with other students. 

Still, for diligent, motivated students, self-paced courses can match live options and sometimes even finish faster. The chief advantage of self-paced classes is that students can study whenever they are available, avoiding conflicts with work, family needs, or other education. Self-paced study is also considerably less expensive than live instruction.

How Hard is It to Learn Construction Estimating?

Construction estimation is a complex task, but its core skills can be learned relatively easily. Students should understand its fundamental ideas and methods after a few short classes or a comprehensive bootcamp. Being able to apply these techniques to actual construction projects and produce complete estimates is much more challenging. At a minimum, accurate estimation requires familiarity with construction processes and materials, a grasp of reasonable pricing, and the ability to understand and itemize a complete building project. This knowledge takes time to learn, varying depending on the type(s) of construction being estimated. A novice might manage with a few weeks of study on general construction and common residential and commercial structures, assisted by the informational resources provided by software. However, for more complex or specialized projects like industrial or civil construction, further and more specific study is necessary. Still, workers with significant construction experience may exceed this requirement and only need to learn more about estimation to apply their existing knowledge. 

Other aspects of construction estimation require further study and on-the-job practice to master. While modeling and construction estimation software greatly assist estimators, these programs take some time to learn and even longer to achieve full fluency. Students may need to take separate courses to learn specific programs or improve their skills. Also, abilities like effective communication, work organization, and a strong focus on detail have to be trained and improved before a worker can achieve the thoroughness and efficiency of a professional Estimator.

What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Construction Estimating?

Many of the toughest challenges when learning construction estimating are also the most difficult parts of estimating work. In particular, estimators have to assume prices for goods and services that are unstable and influenced by many factors. Pricing labor is particularly complex, as it depends on multiple global and local variables. Material costs, too, can change depending on factors like local supply, global trade, and transportation. Further, estimators may have to gather and evaluate quotes from subcontractors before they can establish labor and material costs. Construction estimation students must understand, anticipate, and allow for these variations in their estimates.

Similar challenges occur when considering costs beyond the physical construction. Some costs, like building regulations, license fees, and insurance, are predictable but must still be identified and itemized, while others, contingency costs like lost work due to weather or on-site accidents, cannot be specified but must be built into an estimate. 

Some challenges are greater when first learning construction estimating but do reoccur occasionally in professionals’ work. Students must gain significant expertise about construction processes and materials and learn how to translate building plans into complete, detailed lists. Even after gaining some knowledge and experience, new types of construction or complex designs can require further study to break them down fully. Students must also learn how to “speak the language” of construction, enabling them to explain designs, request information, and structure their estimates in clear, shared formats. 

Finally, construction estimation students must become fluent with several types of software, each of which requires study and practice. BIM software is especially complex, with many different views and layers of information to consider, but construction estimation programs are also information-rich and require extended study. 

How Long Does It Take to Learn Construction Estimating?

A construction estimation student’s actual training duration varies depending on whether they are studying to become a full-time Estimator or learning construction estimating as an addition to their existing expertise. Traditionally, an aspiring Construction Estimator will first complete a four-year Bachelor’s degree in a related field such as engineering or accounting. Construction management programs include some estimation training, but other graduates will need additional coursework specifically on construction estimation. This added training can be accomplished through several weeks of study or during work experience as an intern or entry-level Construction Estimator. Experts recommend about one to four years of on-the-job training and experience in the construction industry before a worker can become an independent Construction Estimator. This experience teaches the trainee more about the methods, considerations, and challenges of active construction projects. 

By comparison, those who have already worked in construction for a few years may only need three to four weeks of added estimation training and a few months of practice to master those skills. Several weeks of further training in areas like reading building plans, working with building modeling and estimation software, and cost management also reinforce important skills.

Certification as a professional Construction Estimator can take around five to eight years of combined training and experience. These credentials are especially important for Estimators seeking more competitive positions or higher-paying employers.

Can I Learn Construction Estimating for Free Online?

Given the consistent need for construction estimation skills, various free resources are available. These tutorials include video lessons, textbooks, and interactive websites. Sources include: 

• Social media sites, including YouTube channels like ‘VDCI cadteacher’
• General education sites like Udemy and Coursera
• Publishers of construction estimation software
• Colleges, especially continuing education programs
• Professional organizations like the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE). 

Free resources are convenient, available whenever students are available, and cost-effective. However, these sources vary in terms of quality, reputation, organization, and completeness. Some tutorials are only early introductions, often offered as demos of a longer paid course. Other guides are meant to address specific challenges or boost the skills of working estimators. 

However, even the most complete, well-structured, and well-taught free courses have several disadvantages that limit their value for professional training. Most limiting is the lack of any instructor interaction: without feedback, students may get stuck on difficult topics, making progress slower and less certain. For a complex subject like construction estimation, small challenges can accumulate over time. Free lessons are infrequently updated, as well, so their information can become out of date. Even when students make good progress, they receive little confirmation of their achievements, either for their reinforcement or for reference when seeking employment.

What Should I Learn Alongside Construction Estimating?

The primary subject students should pursue alongside construction estimation training is general construction, especially if they have no prior construction experience. Estimation classes can cover construction broadly, but the bulk of this knowledge must be learned separately. Adjacent professional skills like reading and drafting construction plans and construction financing and accounting are particularly valuable. Students may want to focus further on specific types of construction or study skilled trades like plumbing as specialties they can apply to their estimation work. Or, they could explore construction management, especially if they are interested in working toward a management career. If an aspiring Construction Estimator is concerned about the adequacy of their general skills, they might also want to add classes in business communication, mathematics (especially geometry), or workflow organization.

Software training is another important complement when studying construction estimating. If a training course does not directly teach these programs, a student will need to study them separately. Students particularly need to master specialized construction estimation software to meet the efficiency and accuracy expected of a professional Estimator. Building Information Modeling (BIM) software represents buildings in significant detail and is often integrated with construction estimation systems. Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) software is even more common in construction planning, and construction estimators should be fluent with these programs so that they can use them to view, annotate, and edit digital building plans. Simpler 3D sketching and modeling programs are also valuable tools for exploring building designs.

Industries That Use Construction Estimating

Within the construction industry, the businesses that most frequently employ Construction Estimators are general contractors, subcontractors, and trades like carpentry. These businesses survive on their ability to produce accurate estimates for bids and budgets. Estimators also help these builders anticipate, monitor, and control expenses. 

Clients who commission construction also need construction estimating. These organizations include real estate developers, businesses building new facilities, and government agencies like urban development, transportation, or public works. For these employers, Construction Estimators anticipate the costs of proposed projects to guide decision-making, budgeting, and financing. In-house Estimators also evaluate contractor bids and monitor ongoing spending.

Other businesses involved in construction design and planning need estimators for similar reasons. These companies include interior design, architectural, and engineering firms. Estimators for these designers may help clients estimate costs at early conceptual stages, assist contractors to better specify their designs and estimates, or consult with either to suggest more cost-effective design options.

Construction Estimating Job Titles and Salaries

The primary professionals who provide construction estimates are called Construction Estimators or Construction Project Estimators. Salaries for this position currently average about $81,000 per year for Construction Estimators in the United States. However, jobs in this category are on a temporary decline in Philadelphia, largely due to a recent downturn in new building construction. Increasing efficiency from improved construction estimation software also means that fewer Estimators are needed to handle the same workload. Still, these tools allow more Estimators, especially freelancers, to work from home and earn more by accepting more work or offering additional services like subcontractor research and cost monitoring.

Construction Estimators may focus on a particular type of construction, hired under titles like Commercial Construction Estimator, Industrial Construction Estimator, or Concrete Estimator. These roles require more specialized knowledge and resources and may have higher average salaries and freelance rates. For example, a Concrete Estimator in the United States earns $108,000 annually, on average.

Construction estimating is also a necessary skill for several other construction jobs. A Bid Manager or Bid Coordinator assembles and submits bid proposals for a business, working with designers, estimators, management, and clients to gather all necessary information, present effective bids, and address client concerns. A Bid Manager in the United States earns an average annual salary of around $132,000. 

Construction (Project) Managers and Preconstruction Managers also need to understand the estimation process, either to create estimates themselves, to evaluate estimates produced by their Construction Estimators, or to generate budgets and other financial planning from estimates. Construction Estimators sometimes transition into management roles, since their skills and studies cover much of what Managers need. Construction Project Managers in the United States earn an average annual salary of $94,000.

Construction Estimating Classes Near Me

Visual Design and Construction Institute (VDCI) offers self-directed online classes that teach the skills Construction Estimators need. In addition to classes on construction estimation, their curricula include general construction skills and construction and visualization software like 3D modeling, Computer-Assisted Drafting (CAD), and Building Information Model (BIM) systems. For each class, students complete one or more portfolio-quality projects, receive a certificate of completion, and can retake the course within 1 year. 

Students new to construction estimation should start with VDCI’s Construction Estimator Course, a three-week self-directed course including video lessons, practice exercises, training projects, and supplemental reference materials. The course assumes no prior experience and explains the primary skills of a Construction Estimator: reading construction drawings, translating those plans into component lists, calculating component costs, and accounting for various other expenses. 

For students without previous construction experience, VDCI’s self-directed Construction Fundamentals Course Bundle provides a thorough introduction to the processes, systems, and materials of building construction through video lectures and active projects. This series of six class units, spanning 19 weeks, covers site surveying and foundation work, steel and concrete building structures, the components of the building envelope (including walls, floors, and roofing), interior and finishing work, utility systems like electrical and plumbing, fire protection, and final cleanup steps. The bundle also includes a one-hour, 1-on-1 mentoring session with an expert instructor.

Community College of Philadelphia, in partnership with ed2go, offers a self-paced combined course in Fundamentals of Blueprint Reading & Construction Estimating. This course teaches students how to read construction documents with an emphasis on using these documents to summarize a construction project’s requirements and estimate its costs. It first covers a survey of traditional 2D documentation plus 3D building models, discussing how different views connect to describe a complete project. The estimation section covers takeoff, quantity and price estimation, organization of estimates, and additional considerations like contingency costs and profit margin. Students have three months to view the course’s 50 hours of lectures and complete its exercises and projects, and they receive a certificate upon completion.

Bucks County Community College in Philadelphia presents multiple self-directed online construction classes through its Career and Professional Development program, in partnership with Construction Experts, Inc. Each class lasts for ten weeks, allowing students time to view its video lectures and complete practice work, discussing progress and questions with other students and instructors via an online discussion board. Construction estimation students can start with Introduction to Construction Estimating, followed by two classes on Estimation and Bidding. These courses are combined with Essential Construction Math, Construction Blueprint Reading, and Construction Materials and Processes to create a comprehensive certificate program in construction estimation. 

Construction Estimating Corporate Training

For organizations that need construction estimation training, VDCI can provide live onsite or online instruction. Live classes can be fully customized, with lessons tailored to your needs and projects matched to your typical work tasks. You can even use real construction designs and information resources like local vendors, pricing, and building codes. Class length and scheduling can also be modified as necessary. Alternatively, groups can purchase vouchers for VDCI’s existing public enrollment classes, with a discount for bulk purchases. You can then distribute these vouchers to members to register for the selected classes per their availability. 

Contact partnerships@vdci.com for a free consultation to address your training needs, create a custom training plan, and discuss pricing, or to purchase bulk course vouchers.