A construction estimate is a calculation which enables a
person to see what expenses are likely to be incurred during
a particular building project. The expenses that are often
included within any construction estimate and which will be
provided either to a company, developer or homeowner include
such things as:-
1. Labor - In this estimate they will need to include the
types of workers they will be using and how many will need
to be employed in order to complete the project on time.
2. Materials - They will need to estimate the amount of
materials and what types of materials will be need in order
to complete the project.
3. Contingency Sums (an amount to cover for any untoward or
unforeseen expenses that may arise during the construction
project).
As well as providing estimates for the above also estimates
will need to be provided for any plant that will be used
during the construction process.
In most cases the construction estimate provided by the
construction contractor will be close to the actual costs.
However this will always depend on just how accurate the
contractors estimating methods that they use are and if they
have correctly evaluated and visualized what the project is.
So as you can see from above that a correct estimate is very
important when it comes to construction work.
Certainly this is the most important job that will need to
be carried out by any construction manager for his
company
as it could in fact cost them the chance of actually getting
the job.
So a construction estimate provided by a good construction
manager will provide a person with a reasonable idea of just
how much everything is going to cost him and whether the
work is undertaken or not.
Normally a construction contractor will use one of two
different estimating techniques to provide to their client.
These are approximate estimates and detailed estimates.
An approximate estimate is normally provided in a very short
time span. Or it may be used by a small outfit or
construction company when carrying out various minor works.
Whilst the detailed estimate is prepared by actually
determining the quantities as well as the costs of
everything that the contractor will need in order to
complete the construction to a satisfactory standard.
Certainly of the two construction estimate techniques being
used today the detailed technique is the much more reliable
and also the one that is more commonly used.
