Discover the intricacies of construction estimating, a crucial element of the construction industry that determines the total costs of a project. Learn about the skills required, career opportunities, and various training methods available for this challenging but rewarding career.
Key Insights
- Construction estimating involves assessing and calculating the total costs for a construction project, including materials, labor costs, equipment, permits, and overhead.
- Construction Estimators play a critical role in determining the feasibility of projects through detailed budgeting.
- Skills required in this field include handling budgets, understanding areas of the construction industry, reading and understanding blueprints, and estimating potential costs involving labor, equipment, and materials.
- Various training options are available for construction estimating, including in-person classes at local colleges, live and on-demand online courses, and free online options for self-learning.
- Learning construction estimating can lead to working on a construction team and help with taking a proposal from the page to reality.
- While formal training is essential for learning construction estimating, real-world experience through trial and error ultimately contributes to proficiency in the field.
What is Construction Estimating?
Construction estimating is the area of the construction industry that involves assessing and calculating the total costs on a construction project. These assessments include any potential expenses such as materials, labor costs, equipment, permit, and overhead for putting together a detailed budget for a construction project before the first nail gets hammered. Estimating is critical in determining the viability of an undertaking, which requires experience and research for being able to calculate obvious expenses as well as anticipate unexpected events that can add up and eat into profits. Construction estimating is essential in determining the feasibility of projects through detailed budgeting to make sure that all who contribute benefit.
What Can You Do with Construction Estimating Training?
Becoming a Construction Estimator requires being able to determine the costs, value, and feasibility for a proposed construction project. Training for construction estimating opens up career opportunities for becoming a Construction Estimator with responsibilities for analyzing and assessing costs on proposed projects that include labor, equipment, and materials, that involves working with General Contractors in bidding on projects by making informed decisions that ensure safety and productivity while focusing on ROI.
A successful Construction Estimator helps companies withstand economic volatility by ensuring profitability after labor, equipment, and materials costs because even during tough times, structures will still need to be built or remodeled. A construction project’s location also factors into how much an undertaking may end up costing due to unions, work regulations, municipal codes, zoning, costs of living, seasonal conditions, or weather events that may be particular to an area.
Learn Construction Estimating
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What Will I Learn in a Construction Estimating Class?
Students learning construction estimating must gain skills with handling budgets in several categories for determining costs on construction projects. Training for becoming a Construction Estimator requires developing knowledge in several areas of the construction industry, for being able to estimate potential costs involving labor, equipment, and materials.
Additionally, being able to read and understand blueprints is crucial with anticipating costs on a proposed project. Decoding blueprints helps with making sense out of the details of a plan for not only how a building will look but also for determining structural integrity. A blueprint provides a floor plan that spells out where walls go, how rooms get sectioned, the height of ceilings, and how various systems are laid out, which provides a good place to start for figuring out how much basic materials may cost before estimating labor and equipment.
What Kinds of Training Options Are Available to Learn Construction Estimating?
People can take several paths to training for construction estimating. Those interested can find in-person classes at local colleges or live and on-demand online courses as well as free online options for teaching themselves the skill.
Some people prefer learning inside classrooms for a comfortable environment that allows them to physically interact with others. In-person training offers the opportunity to casually ask questions spontaneously as well as conversing with classmates about difficult topics. Classrooms are the perfect place for exchanging ideas.
However, online courses offer the convenience of not having to go anywhere else after a day at work. Online training includes live and self-paced learning for skills like construction estimating that includes video tutorials and practice exercises. VDCI, for example, offers on-demand classes such as the Construction Estimator Course Online that trains students in the fundamentals of determining costs on proposed construction projects.
Learning construction estimating can open paths to working in the construction industry by knowing a little about a lot of things involved with the costs of getting things built. Skills in construction estimating can lead to working on a construction team to help with taking a proposal from the page to reality. Additionally, an internship or apprenticeship with a construction company can help gain experience in cost estimating by getting immersed in a working environment alongside professionals.
Choosing the Right Training Method for You
As with learning anything related to working in the construction industry, training as a Construction Estimator has advantages and disadvantages. Of course, among the biggest advantages with gaining skills for cost estimating would be for figuring out the financial viability of a proposed project by determining how different factors like labor, equipment, and materials, along with site location and climate, factor into how much a project might end up costing.
Training as a Construction Estimator means learning to figure out how much it may take to move a project from the page to actuality, which includes mastering financial tools like Microsoft Excel and QuickBooks. Assessing how a structure will look along with determining structural integrity and feasibility play a key role with estimating the total costs on a construction project.
Among the disadvantages with learning construction estimating is in coping with the difficulties of trying to predict the future with housing market volatility, labor, materials, and equipment. Becoming familiar with weather conditions for a geographic location adds another difficulty with cost estimations.
How Hard is It to Learn Construction Estimating?
Training in construction estimating will not be easy. Working in the profession requires having math and project management skills along with an understanding of the construction industry. Experience with labor costs, the price for materials, and the expense for renting or purchasing equipment are other keys in the profession. Additionally, Construction Estimators have to know a lot about where they live and work for determining how seasonal conditions and severe weather might interfere with a construction schedule. While formal training is essential with learning construction estimating, real-world experience through trial and error ultimately helps to complete learning construction estimating.
What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Construction Estimating?
The biggest challenge with learning construction estimating may be in combining skills for math and accounting with knowledge in project management for being able to anticipate the costs for a construction project. Areas of training include learning how to estimate labor costs, which will involve different categories such as Designers and Modelers, Data Analysts, and Project Managers, as well as Subcontractors and Construction Workers who have to physically construct the proposed facility. Other areas of learning construction estimating include understanding the cost for materials and equipment, as well as how weather conditions and seasonal changes might affect a schedule.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Construction Estimating?
Learning the fundamentals of construction estimating may take a few months for understanding the basics, but will likely take up to a year for gaining proficiency. College students majoring in programs like construction management, civil engineering, or structural engineering will usually enroll in courses related to the cost for materials, labor, and equipment involved in construction. Ultimately, prospective Construction Estimators will have to develop expertise with any area related to the construction industry for being able to determine costs and feasibility on a project.
Can I Learn Construction Estimating for Free Online?
For those who don’t feel ready to pay for classes to learn about construction cost estimating, there are a variety of free options available from several online education providers. This includes Coursera, which offers the free Construction Cost Estimation and Cost Control video tutorial that teaches new learners the basics for making cost estimation during the initial stages of construction projects. Udemy offers the free Delivering the Perfect Construction Project course for learning how to determine costs on a construction project with information for making decisions on whether or not to move forward. Alison has the free Basics of Estimating Construction Costs course. Anyone interested can also find the free How to Estimate Jobs for Contractors | Estimating 101 available through YouTube.
What Should I Learn Alongside Construction Estimating?
The skills needed for a career in construction estimating include training in finance and bookkeeping for handling money as well as staying on top of costs with hiring and managing employees. This includes learning project management that can help with creating, organizing, and managing how projects get developed as well as training in data analytics for being able to collect, analyze, and act on information related to trends in construction industry for optimizing a return on investment, which is crucial for working in an area as volatile as the housing market. Additionally, learning financial-related tools like Microsoft Excel and QuickBooks is also essential.
Industries That Use Construction Estimating
San Francisco is a city that provides opportunities for working in the construction industry in many capacities, including construction estimating. Because the Bay Area is among the most popular cities in the United States for people to move to for work, the construction industry has flourished as a result of demands for building both residential and commercial structures. Careers in construction estimating include working in data analytics for securing information in determining a construction project’s feasibility. Cost estimating involves figuring out expenses related to residential and commercial construction, including landscaping, HVAC systems, electrical systems, plumbing, as well as structural analysis, equipment, and labor costs for ensuring ROI.
Residential Construction
Construction estimating on residential building projects typically requires figuring out costs for labor, materials, and equipment as well as determining conditions for construction sites, permits, and weather forecasting that can affect scheduling and increase expenses. Estimating costs on a construction project includes breaking down variables as well as anticipating how issues in one area might affect another. Construction Estimators have to remain informed about the state of the housing market, especially with pricing for materials and equipment as well as wages for people working in design, project management, and physical construction.
Commercial Construction
Construction estimating on commercial building developments hinges on the type of business involved with the project as well as the size and dimension of the proposed facility. As with residential construction, the cost for labor, equipment, and materials also factors into total costs. Additionally, with commercial construction, a project’s zoning location, design, and size for the proposed structures will also affect the cost of construction, especially if the locale is a highly trafficked and popular commercial area.
Construction Estimating Job Titles and Salaries
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment outlook for careers related to cost estimating in construction looks to decline slightly over the next decade. Although opportunities for working in professions such as Construction Estimator may not be as widespread, there will continue to be a need for people capable of appraising the costs for building things and accurately determining whether a construction project will be financially feasible.
Construction Estimator
Construction Estimators calculate total costs involving several areas of construction. Construction Estimators analyze documents in determining what type of materials and equipment might be needed on a project, as well as the costs for the type of labor required such as Architects, Engineers, Project Managers, and Subcontractors. Since time is money, other factors involved with estimating costs include hiring people, purchasing materials, and buying or renting heavy equipment. The annual income for work as a Construction Estimator in San Francisco ranges from $74,000 to $139,000. Construction Estimators must be able to identify issues that could affect expenses such as geographical location, seasonal conditions, and potential weather events.
Pre-Construction Manager
Pre-Construction Managers are responsible for putting together various areas for a construction project during the pre-construction stages. A Pre-Construction Manager’s job includes setting up a construction schedule, construction site analysis, finding subcontractors, negotiating contracts, and setting up a budget. Preconstruction Managers working in San Francisco can earn between $120,000 and $207,000 a year.
Project Manager
A Project Manager spearheads planning, employment, and budgeting in the construction industry for keeping construction projects within budget and on schedule for accomplishing goals in fulfilling deadlines with getting things built. Project management requires more than simply being well-organized or a good planner. Project Managers have to feel comfortable working within a team, along with possessing the ability to organize complicated construction projects through preparation as well as learning how to control what can be controlled while adjusting when confronted with obstacles. In San Francisco, the annual income for Project Managers can range from $79,000 to $177,000.
Construction Estimating Classes Near Me
Anyone living in San Francisco who is interested in learning Construction Estimating has the choice of training inside classrooms throughout the city or through online courses. Whether learning inside classrooms or virtually, either provides valid options for training in how to determine costs involved with construction projects. Live online and on-demand courses can provide the same level of education that a person would get from sitting inside a classroom without having to leave home. And while there are plenty of online courses for learning technology and methodologies related to construction estimating, some people prefer learning inside classrooms.
VDCI offers the self-paced Construction Estimating Course Online for learning basic skills in determining potential costs related to residential and commercial construction. This course introduces you to estimating costs for construction projects with the goal of becoming a Construction Estimator. Lessons focus on addressing different areas related to expenses such as labor, equipment, and materials required to move forward on a construction project. Training in construction estimating can provide you with knowledge on the costs essential for building things by providing clients with data for making wise decisions about expenses and profits.
VDCI also has the on-demand Blueprint Reading & Construction Course Online that focuses on being able to read blueprints to estimate potential expenses involved in construction projects for ensuring ROI. This three-course program teaches you how to read blueprints for being able to anticipate initial costs with appropriate materials, along with including other expenses such as labor and equipment. This course aims at preparing you in how to interpret blueprints as a starting point for figuring out what materials will be needed on a construction project, along with what professionals will have to be hired for making the plans on the pages of a blueprint into a physical reality.
You can also enroll at Noble Desktop for the live online Project Management Level 1 course that allows you to train from home. This single-day course introduces you to methods, strategies, and terminology related to managing projects in different industries, including construction. Lessons cover learning project management in five stages beginning with how to initiate and plan projects. Upon completing this course, you will have gained knowledge of modern project management theories and methodologies as well as being ready to take on project management certification exams related to specific industries like construction and manufacturing.
UC Berkeley Extension offers the self-paced Preconstruction Estimating: From the Design Development Stage to the Final Bid Process that introduces students to various areas of construction estimating. Training focuses on the preconstruction stages of potential projects from design development through the bidding process. Students will work on projects using case studies as well as working on step-by-step techniques that include learning current contract procedures and delivery methods.
Certstaffix Training offers the Project Management Fundamentals course that provides students with a concise program for learning how to organize and manage projects in a variety of industries. In this single-day course, students will learn about the project management life cycle that includes scheduling and sequencing, cost estimating, and change management along with best practices. This program trains prospective Project Managers for taking on the Master Mobile Application Developer certification exam (MMAD) that verifies expertise in project management.
Construction Estimating Corporate Training
Construction companies can benefit from training employees in basic skills for estimating costs associated with construction to help with ensuring feasibility and profitability on projects. Construction estimating requires being able to anticipate expenses involved on construction projects to protect profit margins. VDCI offers Corporate Construction Estimating Training that can either be conducted onsite at a company’s location or remotely using a teleconferencing platform.
So, if you’re ready to upgrade your staff’s abilities with cost estimating related to construction projects, contact partnerships@vdci.edu for more information or to request a free consultation.