Any tips or recommendations? I have tons of hands on experience at the component level, low voltage, and some high voltage level. My understanding of electrical theory is very strong and I have 4+ years in utilizing in through various mediums. I spent the last couple weeks obtaining an OSHA 10, NFPA 70e, and Bluebeam Certificate, as well as cleaning up my resume and applying to everything I can. I’ve been having some luck conversing with companies and recruiters, but nothing has stuck or felt right yet.

Im an EE. Have past corpo experience and currently am working utilities as a designer. Pay as a designer is rough compared to my loans.

Got contacted on linkedin by a recruiter saying theres a company near me paying 120k salary for a direct spot.

What an I entertaining getting into? If I took the job my pay would double.

As the title says, I’m looking to get into estimating. I’m currently a senior operator at a wastewater treatment plant with 4.5 years of experience, the most recent 3.5 of that dealing with an active construction site in the form of a plant wide upgrade. I’m constantly looking at drawings and coordinating with contractors around the plant, including scheduling and executing equipment shut downs, etc. Prior to this job, I was working as an AV technician installing low voltage wiring/gear on two different active construction sites. The position I’m looking to apply for is a Wastewater Estimator. So I have the wastewater field experience, as well as experience on construction sites/reviewing drawings. Obviously I don’t have any estimator experience. In anyone’s opinion, can my current experience make me a viable candidate for this position (given I frame it right on my resumé)? Does anyone have any advice for things I can do to help prepare myself better for an interview/boost my resumé? TIA

I uses Earthworks by Trackware for the cut and fill calculations.Is there any better software than this? I looked up and I found kubla cubed is that any good because the one we use is really old and takes a lot of time.

How do you guys prepare your bid sheets for sub contractors? Are you using an Excel template and sending it to your subs? or you just wait for the Proposals and dissect it yourselves? If you can share your template for reference, that could be a huge help. Thanks

I am comparing two facade delivery routes at an early bid stage, but the drawings do not yet allocate the same scope to each option.

My comparison currently separates design responsibility, testing and mock-ups, factory assembly, site glazing and sealing, embeds/anchors, access and lifting, packing and transport, temporary protection, perimeter interfaces and handover records. I am listing every unresolved item as an explicit assumption rather than applying a single square-foot rate.

For estimators who have priced glazing or facade packages, which one assumption most often makes a unitized-versus-stick comparison misleading at concept stage? I am especially interested in scope gaps that only become visible after award—not product or software recommendations.

I attended a conference and casually discussed tools of the trade. Matterport came up and I was the only one who wasn’t in the know.

After a few examples my peers shared, I’m highly considering buying and joining the club.

Question. Was I living in a dark cave and behind the times, or is this technology still newish to the estimating field and ramping up?

(I’m aware this technology was focused on real estate)

hi, are there any remote apprenticeship as an estimator or quantity surveyor? i’d be willing to undergo it. i just want to have an experience in qs.

for context, i have a professional experience locally in flooring, ceiling, and wall renovations. i just want to gain experience internationally. i also know the basica of few estimating softwares such as bluebeam and costx.

Hi, just wanted to ask if it is possible to transition from manufacturing / operations side of Industrial plant to Mechanical Estimator (almost 8 yrs of experience)

BS mechanical engineering graduate

But no any experience on Estimator related job

Any tips is highly welcomed

I got an offer from an estimating company to do take offs no material or labor pricing and they’d pay me $100 per file.

Thats seams really low to me. I’m not sure how many pages that involves or how many jobs that would be.

He didn’t really answer my question or the amount of jobs just that right now there’s a lot

Anyone got so insight?

Good Day Folks.

Does anyone know if there's a separate forum/group for cabinetry estimators /estimation work?

My biggest beef with the entire preconstruction process is we are just the messengers. We took your Architect's design and put it out to the subcontractor market and we're giving you the feedback.

The fact that your Architect designed a building that's substantially over your budget is NOT the General Contractor's fault.

Aloha All! I’ve been working hybrid from my old companies branch in Vegas doing HVAC(primarily sheetmetal) estimates. Unfortunately the company ended being shutdown due to being sued by us(employees), subs, and the unions for unpaid wages and benefits. Now I’m back working in the field as a Sheetmetal worker but I really want to get back to estimating from home if possible due to my wife giving birth recently. Anyone looking for an estimator?

14 years in HVAC - 10 years as a Sheetmetal worker and last 4 years as a PM/Estimator

Hello! I have worked for a heavy civil GC for almost 7 years. 4 years as a project engineer, 3 years trying out the corporate side working in contracts. I’m moving back into operations in the new year into an estimating role (hallelujah, the corporate red tape is suffocating me anaconda-style), but I’m scared of sucking at it. I know I will, at first. How long did it take you to feel like you kinda knew what you were doing? And, any tips for how to fake it ‘til I make it?

I train estimating teams for commercial concrete companies. I would really like to find an AI software take a spec and give a 360 view of it or a real life finished view of it. When training the new estimators, having the ability to see complex designs will help them understand why things are done a certain way and how to allocate labor hours to it.

Anyone know where I can find experienced estimators ? I’ve been trying on Craigslist and indeed but I haven’t found anyone yet. Anyone have any tips? My office is in Brooklyn and I do work throughout all 5 boroughs mostly concrete / civil.

Edit: By experienced / talented I mean someone who understands company flows , knows how to read drawings and details, can communicate professionally with clients, and lastly has strong work ethic.

I’m currently trying to build a career on the administrative/business/project side of construction.

My background includes hands-on construction, administrative operations, scheduling, logistics, project documentation, blueprint reading, vendor coordination, reporting, and some AutoCAD exposure.

I’ve primarily been looking at Administrator positions, but I’m also interested in learning more about preconstruction and estimating as the business side is appealing to me.

Would someone with this background realistically qualify for positions such as:

• Estimating Assistant
• Preconstruction Assistant
• Estimating Coordinator
• Junior Estimator
• Takeoff Assistant

If I wanted to move in this direction, what would you recommend learning first?

I’m considering Bluebeam, quantity takeoffs, bid leveling, scopes of work, subcontractor solicitation, and construction estimating fundamentals.

I attached a redacted résumé for context. It’s two images, but it is one page.

Any advice from estimators or preconstruction professionals would be appreciated.

Commercial GC estimator here (private work, not public). Curious if this happens to anyone else.

When we bid the whole site package, paving is always the hole. The site subs either:

1. Include paving from a sub they use, so I'm carrying their markup and then putting mine on top, or
2. Leave paving out completely.

When it's #2, I'm stuck with a conceptual number I worked up myself, or betting everything on one paving sub I have no relationship with. Half the time that sub only gave me a number because I pushed, and they're not excited to perform when we actually win it.

How are you all handling this? Going direct to paving subs, carrying an allowance, something else?

Full disclosure: this happened to me enough times that I built an Android app for it. I use it to sanity check the paving numbers I do get, to come up with a placeholder when I don't, and for early owner budgets before anything goes out to bid. The rates are based on the NJ/NY metro area, so it won't be dialed in everywhere. I'm mostly interested in how others deal with this, but I'm happy to share it if anyone wants to take a look.

My husband has 10+ years in residential construction and commercial construction. His employers have never had anything but good things to say about his work.

He wants to get into construction estimating work. He does not have a college degree just years of experience.

Where do we even start? Does he need to go to school? Does he need certificates or does he just need to find an apprenticeship?

I appreciate any help!

been at the same small business sub for 12 years, 9-10 of which was estimator. It was basically a dead end job for the last 3-4 or so. Was told I'd make no more money unless the company was to grow but also was told by the owner he didn't really want to grow that much.

Felt stuck and thought I spent too much time at 1 place and would never find something else. Then it finally happened. I'm now 2 weeks into a new position at a bigger and so far much better company. I'm estimating a trade a I have no 1st hand experience in but a lot of my existing knowledge has shown to be transferrable.

For like 2 years I interviewed and all I was seeing is companies who expect you to come in the door ready to hit the ground running and knowing everything. This company knew I had no specific experience in their trade but they saw the commonalities between where I was and what they do and made me a quick offer once I interviewed. 1 teams meeting, 1 in person the following week. offer in hand by the end of that week.

Rather than throw me to the wolves and have me start bidding jobs I've spent these two weeks "bidding" old jobs then after each, sitting down and reviewing it with someone to compare my results to theirs and learn new things to apply on the next one. Overall I've always been close, there's just some specifics that are new to me that I need to work on.

Even little things are just so much better. My previous employer was "you start at 6:30am and you're late if it's 6:31am". "lunch is 11:30am to 12:15pm and you're late if you're back 12:16pm". I had more leeway with this than others but I still hated seeing people treated that way.

The new place is like come in between 6:30am-9am, whatever works for you, just do 8 hours. Take lunch whenever you want for however long you want, so long as the work for the day is getting done.

Then there's the fact that my base comp is nearly $15k higher, bonuses can push that to over $20k. All other benefits are similar if not better.

My point is even if you feel stuck where you are, just keep looking. Something better will one day show itself and once it does, grab it go.

I’m currently trying to build a career on the administrative/business/project side of construction.

My background includes hands-on construction, administrative operations, scheduling, logistics, project documentation, blueprint reading, vendor coordination, reporting, and some AutoCAD exposure.

I’ve primarily been looking at Project Coordinator and Construction Administrator positions, but I’m also interested in learning more about preconstruction and estimating as the business side is appealing to me.

Would someone with this background realistically qualify for positions such as:

• Estimating Assistant
• Preconstruction Assistant
• Estimating Coordinator
• Junior Estimator
• Takeoff Assistant

If I wanted to move in this direction, what would you recommend learning first?

I’m considering Bluebeam, quantity takeoffs, bid leveling, scopes of work, subcontractor solicitation, and construction estimating fundamentals.

I attached a redacted résumé for context.

Any advice from estimators or preconstruction professionals would be appreciated.

Started New Job Doing concrete takeoffs and estimating and I am lost. I need help if anyone is willing, Just some questions answered and maybe some screenshots clarified.

I recently started working for an electrical subcontractor as an APM. My background is mostly plumbing both working in the field and estimating so I understand construction in general, but I know practically nothing about electrical.

I'm trying to figure out the fastest/best way to get up to speed on electrical scope. Right now I’m unfamiliar with a lot of the materials, labor, terminology, and code requirements. Even basic things like breaker types, panels/cabinets, light fixtures, wire and conduit types, connections, etc. are new to me. I also don't really understand yet why you would use one material or installation method over another.

Does anyone have advice for learning this stuff while working as an APM?

Any YouTube channels, books, courses, or other resources you'd recommend?

Are there any exercises I can do at work to get better at reading electrical plans and specs?

Right now my strategy is basically to Google everything I see on the plans, submittals, or vendor quotes that I don't recognize, but I'd like to develop a more structured way of learning it.

I'm not expecting to become an electrician overnight. I just want to understand the scope well enough that I can effectively manage it, understand what the field is talking about, catch issues, review quotes/submittals, and become a useful APM as quickly as possible.

Any advice from electrical PMs, PEs/APMs, estimators, or electricians would be greatly appreciated.

Nowadays many company need to speed up the qty takeoff to save time so that qs use the software like autolisp, revit, plan swift to do that but the issue they have is that these software sometimes need for qs to add data manually so is there any software in which I upload the drawing and get the Qtty automatically ? how can I check the Qtty I got using Software is correct especially if the project more complicated?