Some exclusive software for construction cost estimating

D4COST
D4COST is a professional preliminary cost estimating system useful for preliminary, conceptual design development square foot cost estimates as well as cost feasibility, valuation study, or budget.

The software is designated for thousands of building professionals ranging from Architects, General Contractors, Design Build Firms, Sub-Contractors, Estimating Firms, Appraisers, Engineering Firms, Valuation Companies, Insurance Companies, Consulting, Government Agencies, and Universities.

This estimating software contains a database of 1,100 historical projects, cost escalators and regional modifiers. These historical projects are broken down in the CSI MasterFormat™. The users can also effortlessly import their own proprietary company building cost data to generate own historical project library. This estimating software also consists of integral cost escalators.

The software is available in three different versioins :-
D4COST (full system)
D4COST Express Pro
D4COST Express

Free downloadable link
http://www.d4cost.com/down.html

Estimate Master
This unique estimating software can provide a great benefit to general contractors as well as trade-subcontractors. The software includes some excellent features like simple navigation and installation process, admirable help documentation etc.

The software contains a huge built-in database that accumulates all of your project details on materials, parts, labor work units, estimates and bid information to produce assemblies. By applying this estimating software one can also replicate cloned estimates.

This application empowers user to generate a new estimate, with related specifications as a previous estimate, by altering the estimate names and items rapidly to outline the new estimate.
This estimating software can create an annotated work orders to and formal bid / proposal documents from your estimates to split the estimate down into individual sections for smooth allocation to workers and subcontractors Estimate. Master is compatible with QuickBooks as an incorporated application.

The software comes up with in-built backup and restoration utility to take regular backup against data loss and synchronizes multiple databases.
Estimate Master's reporting capabilities are limited to one bid document having the final costs demonstrating markups, taxes, shipping and other costs. The bid document is customizable with incorporating the company logo and defining the bid body text.

Downloadable link
http://download.cnet.com/3001-2064_4-10207070.html?spi=a6de99e6a4d7185c37b9ed704aa2e0bc

CBD Estimating
CBD estimating software can be termed as a functional program especially for home builder program intended for small residential general contractors. It is a pre-programmed spreadsheet for Microsoft Excel This estimating software contains some unique feature like ease in navigation and installation and excellent help documentation.

In order to start quickly the users can apply the predefined categories and line items within the program.

This estimating software contains an open cell for special entries and pricing to be applied in the final calculations of the project. The program also come up with pre-defined formulas to compute lumber, roofs, sheetrock, foundations, stucco, brick, countertops and many other items mechanically with minimal input.

At the bottom of each screen there exist navigational tabs which direct you in carrying out numbering of cost codes, printing schedules and analyses, tracking all costs, and printing costs to complete and summary analyses.

Downloadable link
http://yourbittorrent.com/?q=cbd-estimating-3-0b

Estimaster2
Estimaster2 is a very basic construction estimating program beneficial for fulfilling the requirements of small construction and sub-contracting companies from all of the various trades.
This estimating software is utilized for simple estimate or a very detailed estimate and puts in various mark-ups, tax situations and waste allocations. The users can copy previous proposals from other projects to edit and make a new proposal promptly.

The software includes a library containing parts seamlessly combining labour and contract information to produce complex Quotes and proposals for detailed projects. The users is also able to create a small and simple part library to establish an estimate by simply summing basic item costs. This will help you to submit bids accurately and easily.

The first step in the estimation procedure is defining the materials database, categories and sub-categories. This estimating software allows users to provide great detail while defining categories. After the categories are defined, the software facilitates you to put in individual items concerned with each category. For every individual item, one is able to identify the quantities for which calculations for unit, material, labor, subcontract and equipment costs are calculated. At this time, the software let you to supply job information and monitor the estimate total. The next step to be followed is the actual building of the estimate. Initially, go through the estimate screen and calculate each item in the categories. Then choose each desirable category to be comprised in the bid. Once the estimate is built, this program hosts a builder's calculator which can compute quantities of specific items to be transferred to the estimate. When the estimate is completed, the program offers a choice of five report formats. These are pre-defined reports which can be selected to display your information.

Downloadable link
http://estimate.com.au/ellen1.htm

Posted by Rajib Dey
Business Development
Global Associates
A pioneer company in construction estimating
Join our estimating forum 

TeamLink Portal will facilitate contractors and home builders to distribute project information with their external team members

Corecon Technologies, Inc., a leader in web-based construction software, just launched new TeamLink Portal along with its flagship product Corecon V7. This new solution is free to Corecon V7 subscribers and others involved in the project. This new product is intended for contractors to distribute project information with their external team members. The project owner, consultants, subcontractors and suppliers will get secure, real-time access to project information. This will enhance the project execution and communication system alongwith all parties involved in the project.

This Web-based service plays an important role in growing productivity, mitigating risk and realizes project success in an industry where volumes of information are exchanged and communicated among project team members during the course of a project.

The Portal is compatible with all browsers ranging from Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox) and no additional plug-ins are needed to be installed. After log in to the portal any external or in-house team member can get access to project information related to all stages of the project from preconstruction and bidding through project completion.

As for instance at some stage in preconstruction and bidding, the TeamLink Portal is applied to capture project drawings, accumulate RFPs and facilitates subcontractors and suppliers to present pricing remotely. Throughout construction, team members will be able to access and make comment on information they are given permission to observe together with Journals, RFIs, Submittals, Punchlist items and Schedules. Besides, Corecon's Project Calendar and Alerts features track time-sensitive material and alert staff to overdue items or team member responses. Team members will get the ability to upload and distribute project files on the TeamLink Portal as well as drawings, CAD and BIM files and photographs. Building owner can easily download project documentation like as-built drawings and product manuals from the portal.

Benefits :-
o Totally scalable
o Free unlimited logins for customers, consultants and vendors! For example, if you have 100 active customers/projects going on with 300 participating vendors then 400 logins could be added, one for each contact!
o TeamLink Security Roles provide granular access rights for each project and company. Thus, a company can have different security roles for each specific project.
o Most portals on the market are basically a glorified FTP site where the user creates some sort of file (i.e. pdf, jpeg, doc, xls etc.), uploads it to a shared site and then grants access permissions

Downloadable link

Posted by Rajib Dey
Business Development
Global Associates
A pioneer company in construction estimating
Join our estimating forum 

Latest software for estimating & designing architectural projects

Estimating for architect is required to find out the price of projects before the commencement of bidding process. If the price surpass the budget then the architect have to make redesign until it come up with the budget.

At the time of design phase, accurate estimation can help architect to cut costs, remove RFI's, potential change orders and other supplementary costs that may arise throughout the actual building stage. Thus the architect get benefitted as they can solve the complexities before the drawing are sent to the General contractors. The owner will get an ideal of overall cost before general contractors even send in bids.

IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Instant Architect
This software is ideal for generating floor plans, cost estimates, landscape designs, and masterful 3D illustrations. This software empowers architect to simply choose a general building shape, put up building dimensions, and set up your floors and foundations. It can precisely calculate square footage, costs and material requirements in familiar spreadsheet format.
The software can easily customize your design with basic floor plan. Just add paint, furniture, appliances, electrical, lighting, plumbing and more. Opt from hundreds of color and material combinations to apply to every surface to make the design your own. The software can quickly transfer 2D floor plan view in realistic 3D. The architect can look at every detail by walking through their design. One can also fly around or look around at everything up close.

Chief Architect Home Designer Suite
This sophisticated tool is intended for designing and remodeling houses, kitchens, baths, decks, landscapes, and interiors. It also includes calculators for estimating the cost of your project. The software can automatically produce a complete spreadsheet for your project costs, broken down by category. compute the amount of lumber for your deck or concrete required for that new patio. The software consists of more than 1,500 Sample Plans for design inspiration. Also includes powerful building tools like automatic roof generation, dormers, stairs, framing and foundations.

IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Home & Landscape Pro
It is a souped-up version of their Instant Architect software. It comes up with powerful CAD tools and many extra features for advanced users. The ease and adaptability of Home & Landscape Pro make it an especially good buy. The users can select from 2,000 plants to form beautiful landscapes with lush gardens, fences, pathways and more. The software is ideal for outlining your dream home to exact specifications.

DesignWorkshop Lite (FREE)
By applying this cost-free DesignWorkshop Lite software program, the architect can create their own 3D models of buildings, landscapes, exhibits, or any kind of spatial design. The software contains standard material and 3D object library. The complete documentation, tutorials, and additional example building models are also available. The software has a dual platform for both Macintosh and Windows operating systems.

Posted by Rajib Dey
Business Development
Global Associates
A pioneer company in construction estimating
Join our estimating forum 

Latest electrical estimating software can smooth the work process of electrical engineers and electrical estimators

Before the commencement of any construction work, electricians and construction managers should estimate the amount and cost of electricity essential for a specific location. Now-a-days technological innovations have forced electrical contractors to adopt innovative methods to estimate the amount and cost of electricity in a better, faster and accurate way. This leads to the development of new and advanced electrical estimation software in different version for electricians, electrical engineers and electrical contractors.

These new software increase the speed, accuracy and consistency of electrical estimation. The software also makes the electrical contractors bidding process faster as it can easily find out labor costs, material costs, equipment and subcontract expense precisely equal to the particular system to appear at a bidding amount and make faster electrical pricing and estimating calculation of the job cost.

These electrical estimating software are proved to be very helpful for project manager also to establish labor resources, equipment and subcontractor requirements and schedule and track job progress.

The software also provides some great benefits to electrical estimators also to fine-tune labor units mechanically by calculating the installation difficulty factor for each item. The software is also capable of amending conduit sizes, and fix installations according to laid down format.

Benefits of electrical estimation software :-

• Includes a huge database of electrical-specific items for electrical contractors and estimators
• Availability of Pre-built electrical assemblies
  Detailed lists of electrical pricing of the items
• National Electrical code tables to enable the electrical contractors tools automatically reconfigure requirements

Different kinds of electrical estimating software :-







 

Other useful electrical estimating softwares

Electrical Takeoff

Posted by Rajib Dey
Business Development
Global Associates
A pioneer company in construction estimating
Join our estimating forum