I keep hearing and reading about all of this fuss and hullabaloo about this BIM thing – Building Information Modeling (or Management). Architects, engineers, and owners are singing the praises of information in 3D, 4D, or even 5D! So what is the fuss? BIM hasn’t even caught up with estimators and the estimating profession. Architects [...]
I have heard people state that 100% of accidents could/can be avoided. I don’t believe this one bit! I think this is another example of how schooling does not reflect the real world. In theory and hind sight a person could eliminate all accidents but in reality accidents will happen. My brother-in-law recently received 6 [...]
Is it time for a few of the lower end contractors to fold up shop? I think the resounding answer to the question is YES. I have heard horror stories from all over the country about how the low bidder is taking the job for less that the material and subcontract costs! Also there is [...]
Are you protected if the contractor has a payment and performance bond? I would be willing to bet a majority of people in the construction industry would answer yes without a single hesitation. Owners are willing to bet their own money on these bonds under the assumption it guarantee’s the protection of their project! I [...]
Every estimator I know would rather be a weather forecaster than an estimator. True! Weather forecasters are paid a handsome amount of money. They get all of the attention with headlines when right and little when wrong. They are not expected to be right all of the time. If they were right most of the [...]
When starting an estimate you can make a checklist from the specification and go through the checklist while you are doing the takeoff. When you are done with the takeoff you can compare the items that you have checked off of the list with the estimate and see where any holes in the documents might [...]
The other day I was in a conversation with a friend that is involved in banking, he wondered how Tempest Company was doing. I said it was tough but we were still in business. He said we were better off than a lot of other companies that were out there. Many were in the process [...]
The proposed Cap and Trade legislation is costing jobs in the United States even before it gets approved. Yes, just the potential of it being enacted! Why, because projects slated to start over a year ago to a few weeks ago have been postponed and shelved due to the proposed Cap and Trade on carbon [...]
The total dollar amount for a construction project can be a hard number to swallow by owners. When preparing budgets for owners, the first thing they look at typically is the bottom line and then there is a moment of silence followed by some remark about the project can’t possibly cost that much. Detail is [...]
Politicians will try about anything to remain in office and to get marginal projects approved so they can proceed. Chicago or New York style is not just a pizza and it is not limited to these two cities. One of the favorite ploys of the politician is to understate the costs on proposed projects. Another [...]
