Educational Course Offerings In The Fundamentals Of Construction Estimating
When entering the construction business, one should consider taking a course. Most schools offer excellent data and tools to help you on your way to a successful construction business. One of the scariest aspects of the construction business is the estimating part. One of the textbook / course book utilized by most instructors is a book called Fundamentals of Construction Estimating. You can find this book online for a little under $100. The book approaching construction estimation from a comprehensive approach. It gives you good fundamentals as to what it entails and the pros and pitfalls people encounter when first starting out and not taking cost of material and guarantees from suppliers as priority. This book would be one that will be used as a reference guide as long as you remain in the construction business. If you are in the East Coast, Rutgers University Continuous Education offers a 14 week course called Fundamentals of Construction Cost Estimating. The course will help you understand and apply simple cost estimate strategies, how to develop a contract document, plans and specifications while taking into account the condition of the site you will be working at. The course will cover how to get the different cost to help you estimate your cost to complete the project. Not only cost of material and labor, but how your overhead, administration can be factored into your estimate to determine your true profit. This course is available in the evening and on weekends to accommodate those who will be working while they learn. But for beginners entering into this field, this is a good place to start and get a good working knowledge of this field. I have personally found that just having the book without the instruction handicapped me and cost me thousands of dollars. When I took the course and revisited the book, I was able to gain a wealth of applicable and practical knowledge that the cost of the course proved to be invaluable for years on end. It is a continuing education course available in most State Universities and well worth the cost to help those starting out gain an advantage and equip them to compete in this industry. In this day and age of contracts, the last thing you would want is to bid on a job without an expiration date and then cost increase and be held to a contract that you must perform and lose money. Too many variables in this industry to risk it all you can earn by gaining the fundamentals.
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