Construction projects and ideas.

[bagymol]

Hi people, am doing a bachelors degree in construction management and i was starting to brain storm:rolleyes: on some possible construction projects. If you have any ideas, i am all ears for any you may wish to share. please help... thanx:D

[Rich]

Ummm... let's see. A hospital, a house, an office building, an airport, a road, waste water treatment plant..

[bagymol]

It can be anything related to those but it has to be unique. Am supposed to carry out research on a topic and develop or come up with a solution for it. an example would be; Why do construction projects fail? or Improving project estimating in the construction industry. If you can get me any other topics i can work with, i will be very greatfull. please help. thanx.

[Rich]

That's not really construction projects. More construction philosophy. How about How to improve tracking of overseas projects?

[bagymol]

Ok, any ideas on construction philosophy? oversease projects is a good topic but i can't really work on it coz of my limited resources.

[bagymol]

Hello Rich, i saw a link you had posted earlier concerning project estimating. can you please help me with any estimating data bases or software yo may be having coz i have great interest in that area of work. thanx.

[Rich]

Project estimating is a huge subject.. from simple excel spreadsheets to something that imports cad files for take-offs. Each has its use depending on what is needed.
Could you narrow it down to a facet of project estimating?

[bagymol]

@ Rich, Am totally new to project estimating and i barely have any knowledge about it. Am actually a student, doing a bachelors degree in construction management. What would u recommend i start with as far as project estimating is concerned? I really want to master this area coz i find it very crutial for project success.

[Rich]

I guess the first part of estimating is understanding construction fundamentals enough to "see" what the drawings and specifications are telling you. You should be able to construct it in your mind just by looking at the drawings. Now that you have the understanding of what is required you should be able to perform a material take-off fairly easily.
In this whole process, experience will account for more than what any person or book will tell you. Knowing what increase or decrease in markup you should have to assure you will have a good chance of getting the job without losing money - considering bidding against 5 other contractors. Production history is something that you can't get from somebody elses database or rules of thumbs... so you have to be pretty savvy with what labor rates you are charging.
Then there is a whole other issue with profit and overhead and what is right for your company. I hear of so many contractors charging 20% because that's what everybody tells them to do. 20% may work for some contractors but it certainly won't work for all contractors.

[homehelper]

When I was in the army a knew a guy who survived mustrad gas and pepper spray. He is now a seasoned veteran.
I am new to this forum, but another kind of seasoned veteran. And obviously, so is Rich. Bagymol, you should ask better questions if you want better answers.
Estimating is done one of 2 ways - unit cost pricing, or time and material pricing. Unit cost pricing is quicker and easier, and lends itself to a spreadsheet analysis very well. So that's the way I would pursue learning about estimating. The thing is, you have to know enough to firgure out what the unit costs should be; and you have to know what the appropriate overhead and profit percentages should be added on at the end of the costs.
What I would do is look at other bids (maybe some old ones) at whatever company you can access - you will need breakdowns of the units. In other words: don't just see that an electrical bid was $20,000; find out how much wiring; for each outlet; each switch; each light; etc. Compare several and determine averages.

Regarding the question about why construction jobs fail, there are 2 things that make jobs run smoothly - information and money. Without either one, you will fail. Regarding information, must be comprehensive and continuous from end user to architect to contractor to subcontractor. Weekly review meetings and daily walk-thrus are vital.
Regarding money, the construction industry seems upside down to me. The little mom & pop subcontractor usually ends up being the bank. Without enough financial resources, their efficiency breaks down and many close their doors. Subcontracting these days is typically an unhappy place to be.

If you want more discouraging insights, let me know.

homehelper
www.continuous-home-improvement-help.com.

[Tomn]

How about managing the buyout process...