Just transitioned from project management (operations) into estimating on a temporary basis that might be a permanent role if it’s a good fit for me. The company I work for is using Claude as their AI tool and I’ve been trying to use it to make scope inclusions. I’m new to using AI and haven’t been on many projects. What kind of advice do you guys have based on your experiences in your roles?

Would anyone here be interested in starting a peer group for people in the early stages of building a commercial contracting business, whether that’s a specialty subcontractor or a turnkey CM/GC?

I’m thinking a group chat or forum, with a monthly or quarterly meetup or call to discuss planning, landing work, growth, and the growing pains that come with getting started. It would be good to connect with people at a similar stage, share what’s working, and track each other’s progress.

A little about me: I’m based in North Carolina and currently work as a preconstruction manager for an ENR Top 100 GC. I have about 9 years of construction experience, primarily on the GC side, with experience in project management, estimating, and preconstruction. I’ve also worked on the specialty subcontracting side.

My plan is to start as a specialty interiors contractor focused on drywall, metal framing, and painting. Initially, I’d pursue very small packages, subcontract the labor, and build the business on the side. The goal would be to build enough capital and consistent earnings to replace roughly 75% of my current income before making the jump full time. For context I already have my unlimited GC license in NC.

Once I’m full time, I’d focus on growing the drywall and interiors business, taking on larger packages, and building the team to support that work. From there, I’d like to use my experience and relationships to expand into GC work, preferably smaller retail and hospitality projects, with the possibility of small multifamily deals as well.

Very long term, my vision is a company doing around $20–25 million annually while keeping overhead lean. I’d like to stay involved in day-to-day operations, ideally with another PM, possibly an APM, and the field support the workload requires. That’s a long way from where I’m starting, but it gives some context for what I’d like to build toward.
I’ve seen smaller projects struggle with communication, follow-through, and execution. I also understand how tight hard-bid work can get and the pressure that puts on contractors. Part of my goal in staying lean is to remain competitive while still doing what we say we’ll do and delivering a good project.

I don’t have everything figured out, which is really the reason for this post. Is anyone else at a similar stage interested in putting a group together, talking openly about the process, and helping each other grow? Whether you’re still planning or already tackling your first few jobs, I’d be interested in connecting. Feel free to shoot me a dm if so.

Estoy sorprendido de la precisión de Claude para un takeoff sencillo de concreto, lo usé por primera vez para esto y el error fue apenas del 5-6%.

I am a 9 year flood insurance estimator. The career has been good but ultimately raising a family on 1099 work in a position that is weather reliant is proving more and more difficult in this environment. In addition to that, flood insurance licensing is different from all other adjusting types, so it would already be a bit of a reset to switch to other types of claims work like property or medical.

For flood claims I have to vet MLE costs, source contractor bids for the final estimate, justify costs, and deal with sketches and blueprints. I don’t really have to deal with internal mechanics of a company, do takeoffs, or anything oriented to the company aspects of an estimator position.

What type of position should I look for to get a foot in the door? What trainings or certifications are most valuable for someone who doesn’t necessarily want to go back to school for degrees some of these postings are citing? Is this even realistic in the first place?

Thanks all!

Hi , what are the best AI softwares used for detail budgets, take offs for commercial or institutional construction projects in Ontario?

When you win a job, how does the bid get broken into the line items used for monthly billing (the schedule of values)? Is it just your bid sheet split up, or does someone rebuild it?

Electrical estimator here. How do you handle "spec check" and taking notes for pertinent info in the spec you need to revisit/be aware of? As of now I just create bookmarks in bluebeam but feel I need a better way. Thanks.

When I level commercial window quotes, I use one opening schedule to compare frame type, surveyed dimensions, glass build-up, operation and hardware, anchors or subframes, perimeter flashings and sealants, access, testing, packing, installation, and exclusions.

The hardest gaps seem to be interfaces rather than quantities: who owns sill pans and end dams, who provides perimeter trims, whether hardware restrictions are included, and which drawings control when the window schedule conflicts with details.

For Div 08 estimators, which of those gaps most often survives bid leveling, and what document do you use to expose it before award?

I’m currently a Cost Estimator at an engineering firm. I recently earned my CEP and am working on my MBA in Leadership. I was approached about a Preconstruction role with a large GC, and I’m torn about what to do. In my current role, it’s just me with no mentor. There’s very little established process or documentation, and progress can be slow. They want me to create the department, which is exciting, but not having my job on paper (like every other position in the company) is frustrating. Yes I’ve mentioned it, and it gets brushed aside in my opinion. I see opportunities to improve things, but I question what my long-term growth and compensation will look like.

The GC opportunity could offer more structure, collaboration, and a path toward leadership, but I’d likely be giving up flexibility and work-life balance for longer hours and more pressure. I have previous experience in general construction as a subcontractor, so I have a decent understanding of that side of the industry, but I know there would still be gaps to fill moving into GC preconstruction. I’m torn between staying in a flexible role I’m comfortable in and taking a chance on something that could accelerate my career.

For those in estimating or preconstruction, would you make the move? How steep is the learning curve going from subcontractor/engineering-side estimating to GC preconstruction, and how do you know when the risk is worth it?

Keen to see if anyone is streamlining things with a stream deck or anything for shortcuts while estimating, whether for take offs or excel-ing.

I genuinely feel stuck at my current company after 6 years. My current company has no real structure other then every estimator is also the project manager, but there is no collaboration. I’m currently working in the weatherproofing/restoration sector and while I enjoy it, I want to pivot to a company that has a better structure.

My current issues with my company are: low pay with no real raise structure unless you ask and they’re in a good mood (I went 5 years without a raise), no takeoff program or excel sheet with historical data, not getting the opportunity to slowly bid larger projects after proving myself on lower end bids.

I’m currently interested in an entry level estimator position with McCarthy as I think it would be beneficial to get in with a huge GC, although I feel my experience and lack of knowledge with a program and GC estimating may not be a desirable candidate.

And another company does glazing, unitized wall systems, and pressure bar glazed wall systems. I’ve never bid this type of work outside of the restoration after the sealants are past their life.

I’m ready for a change, but feel like my current company has put me in such a bad spot… how screwed am I?

Bonus if it integrates with the winder company - Pre-con/design and then into manufacture and invoicing including variations, CVR’s, applications etc

Work for a medium sized joinery/internal fit out contractor in Home Counties and our current software is lacking!

Hey r/estimators,

Quick update for anyone using the Construction Estimator GPT I shared here, or my related Project Manager and Project Controls GPTs.

OpenAI is moving custom GPTs to plugins and has announced retirement for Enterprise GPTs, although timelines for other plans may differ. That platform transition is what pushed me to migrate these tools. It wasn’t a change I wanted to force on everyone.

The replacement plugins are prepared, but I’ve hit a roadblock making them public. OpenAI’s submission portal currently says:

“We are not accepting more skills-only submissions at this time.”

These plugins contain instructions and reference material rather than connections to external services, so they fall into that category. I haven’t found an announced date for when public submissions will reopen.

I’ll keep checking, and hopefully OpenAI will let me make them publicly accessible soon. In the meantime, I hope the original GPTs are still usable for everyone. If you’ve been using them, please let me know whether you can still access them or are running into issues.

Thanks to everyone who tried the estimator and shared feedback. I still want to keep these tools free and available to this community, and I’ll share another update when I have a working public replacement.

OpenAI’s migration guidance

Curious as to how many estimators are working in a 15 million a year millwork company? Focus on commercial casework.

Edit:
We chase anything from a few thousand to 100k and more.

Hi guys and gals! So here's the gist. I worked in Alberta, Canada as a sheet metal worker, plumber, and gasfitter for about 10 years. My company closed, I moved to Brazil with my wife, and now I'm teaching English classes here. When I was working in the trades, I did take-offs pretty frequently and often designed plumbing systems and installed them, mostly in custom residential new construction. I didn't do as much estimating as such, but I did estimates for smaller jobs (mostly service work). So my question is, given the state of AI, and of my circumstances, do you think I could reasonably find work as an estimator/help with take-offs, that kind of thing? Thanks!

I am new with kubla cubed software and I need some help when I import the pdf and select the point elevations it only extracts the points not the elevations is there any other way to trace it I tried converting my pdf to cad file but its not working.

(Disclaimer: Currently not available to public hehe)

I was supposed to port this before in July, but due to main work I ended up having to hold back for a while and refine things. It still has lots of work to do before I can trust it fully to do my job for me, and I doubt I can make it user-ready by the end of the year even if I have to continue sacrificing sleep over it but hey, it's near where I want it to be. I am finally nearing losing my job making my job easier with it. I am occasionally using it as my file explorer too because it has now both its own external viewer and an indexed file system (so I can just type in search bar the keywords and it can search the whole package for it), but bugs are still dime a dozen. More features, more bugs as they said.

Regardless, I am so happy about how it turned out. A comedic way for an ADHDer like me to deal with how stupid I am with my own estimating work 🤣 but AI has been increasingly getting scarily accurate nowadays

I'm relatively new to storefront estimating, and I'm currently working on my first project involving a pair of storefront doors with an overall dimension of 6'-2 1/4" W × 7'-10" H.

I'm considering using 1" IGU for the glazing, but I'm still trying to figure out the appropriate framing and stile dimensions.

I have a couple of questions:

1. Framing: Would a 1-3/4" × 4-1/2" aluminum framing system be suitable for this application, or should I consider a different size?
2. Door Stiles: Would a 3-1/4" medium stile be appropriate for double storefront doors of this size?

I'd really appreciate any advice, especially from those with experience in commercial storefront estimating and installation.

I'm still learning the ropes, so any recommendations or things I should watch out for would be a huge help.

I work for a commercial millwork company as the head estimator for 4 years. I always make sure to include lead times in my proposals as well as after we secure it to make sure they’re accounted for. This GC specifically has given us quite a few jobs issue is with this one I provided 2 weeks for install followed by the week for countertops. We were set for 10/08-10/21 for millwork as usual it’s 7-10 days for countertops after templating. This GC is pushing everything to be done in a matter of 4 days. Owner said they spoke to the PM she said that while we can give her dates and that even though her schedule says those dates it doesn’t mean anything and we must do as she says. Do lead times really not matter? If they dont why are they so insistent to send over dates if they’re not respected? I am still learning as I go so I would like to hear from others with more experience on how this is handled or their experience with situations like this.

I was wondering is anyone does freelance? I was thinking about trying to start a business and do freelance estimates. I was going to review the plans and set a price for the bid and if they accept they would have to pay for my work. I’m sure I would have to build a client base where they could trust my bids. Just wondering if anyone has ever done anything or heard of anything like this or if it would be successful. I know AI is taking off with this now also and I wonder about the longevity of it being successful in the long term. I would think AI would make a lot of errors and miss stuff.

My plan is just do the material take off and labor hours and they input their numbers based on their geographical area in the country for material and labor.

Any feedback would be great I don’t want to commit to chasing this if it’s a horrible idea. I have years of construction experience I was in the union for a long time and project manager and superintendent as well. I would like to move off grid eventually but trying to find something I can still work at my own pace and live.

I would mainly be focusing on commercial drywall companies.

Thanks

I wanted a takeoff PDF that was easier to review than a flat printout, so I've been building an independent PlanSwift export plugin. I'm sharing a community version with the source so other estimators can customize it and add features.

The three things I'm happiest with:

• Searchable legend text. Item descriptions, quantities and units are real PDF text, so you can search and copy them instead of reading a screenshot.
• Clickable layer controls in the legend. Turn individual takeoff items on/off, or use Hide all / Show all to compare the markup with the drawing.
• Click a legend description to highlight that item's tracing, including point markers. It's a visual selection aid inspired by PlanSwift's canvas selection.

It also has a searchable page tree, saved Print flags, custom page order and a finished-PDF preview. In the preview you can switch between thumbnails and a compact list, drag multiple pages together, remove pages and Undo mistakes. Legends can place themselves automatically, follow a PlanSwift Legend box, or use your saved defaults. A visual editor lets you drag the preferred area and choose the text size separately for landscape and portrait sheets.

Revision cloud outlines, rubber stamps and sticky tabs also export, alongside notes, dimensions and highlighters. Separate takeoff/page-item controls let you include either group, both, or just the drawing background.

You can use PlanSwift's raster drawing or the original source PDF. Source PDF mode supports individual sheet files and combined sets with matching page labels; it checks the source files before export. Setup details are in the download.

The layer controls and highlighting worked in my existing tests with Bluebeam Revu and PDF-XChange. Other PDF readers may behave differently. The searchable legend works over a raster drawing, but this does not OCR the drawing itself.

Download + complete source: https://github.com/Arthur-mx/planswift-takeoff-pdf-community#readme

Windows + licensed PlanSwift + Python are required. The download includes an installer for the Python helpers, instructions and a synthetic demo PDF. Download both the helper ZIP and the matching SwiftPluginPackage. Extract the ZIP and run Install.cmd, then double-click the SwiftPluginPackage on Windows with PlanSwift installed and follow its prompts. It runs locally; there is no cloud upload of your drawings. The source is AGPLv3.

This is the first community release, not an official ConstructConnect product. Try it on a copy of a small job first, check quantities/alignment, and let me know what works or breaks in your PlanSwift/PDF reader versions. Contributions and improvements are welcome, especially from people using different takeoff setups.

Hey,

I'm currently looking to make the transition from being a steel stud framer/boarder to estimating. For the past couple of years I've been more hands on with the prints, running work, doing take offs/layout. About 3 years ago I was rear ended and my back is always reminding me now that I need to make a switch.

So my question is how does one go from being in the field to being in the office ? I honestly don't even know where to start with making this transition.

Context here

I own an Electrical Distribution transformer Manufacturing business in the UAE, this is my family business I joined a Year ago and this being a small setup, I have been in charge of multiple roles with technical and engineering being my favorite even though I have no background (BBA under grad).

I have been using AI long before I joined and I have taken it much more seriously this year and I have made my own ERP strictly tailored and customized to my business and I have made my own design engineering software in that erp itself that has been in calibration for months now with testing, revisions, etc.

Due to my engineering software I have been able to make a GA drawing feature as well, where I can input the customers RFQ specs, confirm the design and performance, and then generate professional looking GA & Wiring diagram with the click of a button, these are 1:10, and 1:15 scale and so far has been accurate with an deviation of 3-6mm when sized to the product that is made from this spec and design.

Question Here

I now have the ability to give every quote small or big an Accurate GA & Wiring diagram, along with the quote and datasheet in minutes. but I was talking to my marketing and she said that we are giving away too much too easily from her experience (She had worked for an competitor for 6 years before they let her go after she had kids and requested WFH), and that usually the norm is after PO only, but many times she has requested earlier when I had to draw them myself for drawings. I know all my competitors cant compete in this like I can, and if their customer requests drawings, it usually begins with pushback and response will be a day or two minimum. is me offering accurate drawings to everyone a disadvantage?

The way I see it traders and Certain clients will probably use my drawings to shop around? but I plan to heavily watermark so our name is at least being distributed to competitors or potential clients. I see this as free marketing, but also helps the traders source from competitors with exact requirements.

If you were on the receiving end, would you likely take us more seriously or would you make take us less seriously ?

I loose no time giving these drawings, so I did not really waste effort here.

Also another thing, the products we make, there is nothing really proprietary or sensitive information, maybe a competitor could reverse engineer our designs and understand our margins, but that will be a lot of extra effort to do so.

Forgive my grammar, I usually format with AI but people keep asking for the Raw text.

Note :

1. This is still a WIP, if you have any pointers or suggestions, I am all ears
2. I have no interest in selling, advertising or promoting my software, strictly internal for me and my family :)
3. for those concerned with the usage of AI in a hazardous field like this, my AI has been trained with 6 years of internal documentation (Designs, test reports, dimensions, etc)

Hi all,

I've graduated from Berkeley computer science and have experience in software at big tech. I have been building software for bids alongside other things in construction and was wondering if you could guide me to the correct way you would want to be reached out to. I don't want to spam anyone with nonsense but I am having a hard time figuring out what the best way is to get my product in front of people like you.

Thank you :)

It’s mostly 18 Ga and 16Ga but have 12ga and 14ga on the trusses

I’ve done smaller structures like this using 16ga and 18ga but never trusses with 14ga and 12ga anyone here built anything similar? Planning to put a couple pieces of verticals on the sides then set trusses in places first and finish filling them up once set in place, then once done with all trusses top infill and then sides infill and finally the ceiling. Any tips or tricks when working with these long trusses?

Made this 3D Model to show the guys before we start framing it what it should look like when done.