r/estimators

I’m an estimator who mainly uses PlanSwift, but in commercial projects I keep seeing everyone (GCs, architects, engineers) relying heavily on Bluebeam Revu.

From what I understand, PlanSwift is way better for structured takeoffs and BOQs, but Bluebeam seems to dominate in real project workflows.

Is it mainly because of collaboration and drawing management?

Or am I missing something bigger here?

For things like cut/fill and grading, are you guys using dedicated software or just sticking with your usual takeoff tools?

Also, when contour data is required, how do you handle that part?

Are you working with survey files in specialized software, or managing it manually somehow?

Trying to understand what’s standard in real commercial workflows.

Has anyone tried ScrubPlan? Saw an ad for it the other day and seemed interesting

Hey whatsup guys,

Ive been doing my takeoffs on bluebeam.

I got a good grasp of making custom count tools for my hardware etc. But I want to set up a tool that measures my ext walls and interior wall assemblies. Id like to make all my standard assemblies so I can just pull lengths and use those for ext envelope and drywall studs etc.

Right now I just pull a measurement and then label it “ext wall” under the settings tab. id like to avoid having to type that every length I pull.

Then that length goes into my excel that auto breaks out the takeoff of studs drywall nails etc.

Is there a way to do this or is the way im doing it pretty much the way you guys do it to.

Any other workflow ideas would be appreciated too

Thanks fellas.

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I understand everyone wants to push cloud so they can get their recurring subscription vs initial license purchase and (hopefully) periodic license /maintenance update; But planswift did it without cloud so why won't more companies develop a HYBRID 64 bit solution that lets users take advantage of high powered workstation hardware and enjoy the benefits of cloud functionality when needed?! I'm going to demo Tradetek soon. Fingers crossed.

Estimator working on steel & concrete. Anyone else seeing bids slow down lately?

Feels like since the US–Iran situation escalated, clients are hesitating more — fewer RFQs, longer decisions, some projects just on hold. Material prices (steel, fuel) are also getting unpredictable.

From what I’m seeing:

• Costs going up, but demand feels weaker
• Owners delaying instead of canceling
• More competition on fewer jobs

Anyone else experiencing this? Or still getting steady volume?

Hi there, 32 year old with construction experience across multiple disciplines ~10 years with a mastery in nothing. Been interested in getting my cert for estimating because it looks like everyone makes a bunch of money and doesn’t have to swing a hammer. My biggest concern (foolish at my age but whatever) is how much time I would have for things I love WAY more than any job outside of my weekly routine. I’d like to start a creative project or two, spend time with my partner, take dogs for beach walks and continue to play music and make art. Down to take on a reality check, but would also love to hear tips or advice on how to manage this balance or if that balance could even exist in this line of work. Thank you!

I’m in structural and misc. steel erection and I’m constantly in the field now where I try to bid on jobs but can never keep up with the bids coming in so I’m in a constant state of work slows down and don’t have much to do so bid on a bunch of work, then get slammed and don’t have time to even look at new bid requests and it’s just a rinse and repeat and it’s a real struggle to keep quality guys and I’m trying to stabilize my work flow and progressively do bigger projects. Im constantly getting emailed by guys claiming to be able to do my estimating for me but can’t ever really get a grasp of how that works and how they charge. Can someone on here please explain to me how an outsourced detailer would even bill for that because if they send out 100 bids and only win 10 do I have to pay for the entire hundred or only the won bids? Also how would they know how to price it as every job is different and can require more detail work on one. I’m just trying to wrap my head around this as I’ve been contemplating this for about 6 months now and it’s been hard to wrap my head around how this would work and any help is much appreciated.

About me:

I have been in the trades for 18 years. I started as a Drafter and moved ultimately to my position of VDC/Estimating Manager at a big Division 22/23 Contractor.

Currently I manage 3 other BIM Modelers/Coordinators and 2 "Estimators" (take off guys, 1 mech pipe and plumbing, another Sheetmetal).

The estimators simply strip jobs via Accubid. They do takeoff and provide reports to the PMs. The PMs are "Sales engineers" who do the final bid and collect all the numbers from subs and vendors.

The struggle is that the 4 PMs are treated like sub contractors. There is no thought about each other when they are screaming for bids. Last year we did 160 take offs, and this year we are on track to break 200. Since they also PM they don't have the time to look at these reports and make VE choices. I am told that our numbers are too high but that's its also not my jobs team to be competitive. The estimators also do not have time, especially on the plumbing/mech pipe side, to check all the material costs. We have factors. I came from a company that would send PVF out to vendors and not carry the material costs from the program.

What are some common workflows to help be more efficient? Is two take off people understaffed for 4 PMs? Do you have vendors Quote PVF or do you manage a database to try to keep it as accurate as possible? Do you export multiple report types to look at certain data types or do you just have a catch all?

I appreciate all the feedback and advice.

I currently work for a steel supplier and my job is to provide takeoffs for foundations. My question is how close is AI to being able to take this job? I expressed to my boss how an AI model reading a pdf could mistake a number, causing a huge cost. Thanks for the info

Rant warning:

39yo Senior Estimator at a general contractor.

Boss came into my office to review an estimate and, as usual, tore into it. Pretty standard at this point.

What’s funny is he was calling out things I already flagged in my original submission. There’s no real review process or benchmarking here. I usually ask to sit down and go through estimates before bids go out, but that tends to get ignored. Then after the fact it’s, “I ended up redoing the whole thing… but the bottom line didn’t really change.”

In my last role, we actually reviewed estimates together, made adjustments, and refined them before anything went out. Here, I send it over with notes and it’s expected to already be flawless.

On top of that, he was annoyed I prefilled my timecard a day early. I’m working the same estimate and already know what tomorrow looks like, so it didn’t seem like a big deal.

It’s been a grind for six months and I’m pretty over it. Between the lack of structure, office bs, and constant commentary, it’s getting old. I respect the company, but I’m done with the daily circus.

I’ve got a few GC interviews lined up, but I’m also starting to question whether GC life is even the right long term fit. It feels less like estimating and more like quote management from subs. I do like when my numbers land within 1–2% of subs though... nice little “yep, I still know what I’m doing”.

At this point, subcontractor estimating is starting to look pretty appealing. I know a former sub who’d take me back in a heartbeat. Honestly, it might just come down to when I’m ready to stop participating in the GC version of professional group therapy. I'll need to burn a few more bridges in the GC world first.

I work for a mid size electrical contractor doing takeoffs on projects 10k-6m, most fall between 1-3m. I'm struggling to get rid of pen and paper takeoffs. We have livecount included with Accubid but I've never been able to make use of it. It just feels so tedious and clunky.. Every single item I input has to have the color manually changed to make everything visible. Otherwise I have 400 items on one page that are all blue squares. Same thing with length measurements too. If I have an assembly for 3/4" EMT 3#12, 5#12 and 7#12, every instance is the same color without manual input. To change the colors on these length measurements I'd have to do it for every single run. If I have 100 circuits on one page, Id have to edit the properties 100 times. It looks like a pile of monocolor spaghetti. Surely if so many of you are using this program, I have to be doing something wrong.

Getting out of the field and into an estimator job. I was wondering like are you guys looking at spreadsheets and blue prints all day or are you like watching YouTube while you do it? What’s the word?

37M Just curious what average pay is for estimators and project managers for small companies like 8 employees total. I’ll give some details.

I started as an estimator about 2.5 years ago. I had zero experience. When I say zero I mean I didn’t know a single damn thing! lol I got offered the opportunity as kinda a favor if you will after being laid off from my last job unexpectedly.

I did about 210 bids for the company and we received about 40 total jobs. Now my first like 30 jobs I never won so after learning a bit more I seemed to have gotten closer to the market and my proposals probably made more sense.

Now 2.5 years in I am estimating for 2 project managers and running projects myself as well. Most of my jobs are under $100k jobs.

I’m curious what estimators/PM typically make in these divisions?

Division 8 is a beast and a lot of time went into researching things. I had zero experience but

I've always confirmed schedule and will work through my time, often not taking lunch. I'm pretty punctual, and my agreement is 730 to 430.

But it sometimes get to me when I leave and they say shit like "Half day?!", or "must be 5 o'clock".

Like dude, the work will always be there tomorrow guy. Leave work on time, get home to the family. Work can always replace me but my family can't.

I guess people have different work ethics/ priorities. I don't hide mine.

I’ve spent the last 7 years as a union ironworker and I think I want to transition into an office job. I recently took an estimating fundamentals course through my union, but that alone doesn’t give me the experience or qualifications needed to land a job as an estimator. Would it be worth it for me to get a certification like the CPE or AEP? I don’t have a degree in engineering/construction management so I’m looking for a way to boost my resume a bit.

My employer would like to send me to an estimating conference. Is there any conference better than Advancing Preconstruction?

I'm not looking for training on any specific software, just to hopefully learn something new that can improve our processes.

Hey guys,

I’m trying to get better at construction takeoffs and estimating. I’ve been practicing on plans, but I don’t really have a way to check if my numbers are actually right.

Does anyone know where I can find sample (or even fake) blueprints that already have a takeoff done?

What I want to do is go through the plans myself, do a full quantity takeoff, then compare my numbers to see how close I am. Just looking for quantities like SF, LF, CY, counts, etc. Not worried about pricing right now.

Even partial scopes like concrete, framing, or site work would help. Or if anyone has old plans/examples they’re willing to share, I’d really appreciate it.

Just trying to learn the right way and get accurate.

Thanks. 🙏🏼🙏🏼