A construction estimator’s job is to create an accurate estimate of the costs of a project. They do this by studying plans and specifications.
They also must know how to factor overhead expenses and profit into their estimates. That’s a skill that comes with experience.
Building Construction Cost Book
The Building Construction Cost Book is one of the most popular books for commercial construction estimating. It provides data on materials, equipment and labor costs for building projects. This book can help you save money on your estimating jobs and also avoid costly mistakes.
This book has been used by countless estimating contractors and consultants in the US. It features reliable construction cost data in CSI format that makes it easy to understand and estimate any type of project. It has sections for installation costs, material costs, labor rates and equipment rates. It also includes adjusted allowances for profit.
It is an invaluable resource for constructing buildings, roads, and other infrastructure projects in a timely manner. It is ideal for building owners, designers and engineers who need to develop accurate cost estimates for commercial construction projects.
The cost of building materials keeps changing, so you need to know the prices before you start a project. You need to make sure that you do not overspend on your construction projects, which will affect your profits. This book helps you figure out the right prices for your project and keep you updated on the latest trends in construction.
Besides, this book also helps you figure out the costs of equipment and supplies that are required for your project. This book will also help you determine whether or not you should hire a crew for the job, and if so, what size.
You will need to factor in labor costs, which are the biggest expense on your construction projects. They can be affected by various factors such as weather, pay rises, and so on. The cost of labor is important because it accounts for around half of the total costs on a building project.
A lot of cost estimating guides or databases are created by organizations that gather and report construction cost information from different construction projects throughout the country. These organizations then average the costs of all these projects and create cost indexes that represent the average national construction cost.
These indexes are published and then modified for each new year. They are useful for figuring out how much money will be needed to finish a construction project, but they may not be as precise as you need them to be.
This is because a lot of cost indexes are based on historical data. Then, when you use these indexes on a new project, they will be averaging the same historical cost data.
Many of these cost estimating guides also have city indexes that are specific to the city in which the work is being done. These city indexes are helpful if you have to alter the cost of the work on a project based on where it will be performed.
The best way to ensure that you are using the correct cost index for a project is to verify that the RS Means data you are using is the same as what you would see on the cover of the guide. This means that the cost data in the guide is updated to be consistent with the current RS Means BCI.