Masonry Magazine July 2012 Page. 29
MASONRY COMPUTER ESTIMATING
TRADESMEN'S SOFTWARE, Inc.
OS3DE
ON SCREEN 3D ESTIMATOR
The power of paperless
BY USING SOFTWARE to eliminate slow, cumbersome paper processes and perform more precise takeoffs, C&G Concrete Construction in Illinois saves valuable time and increases its accuracy, which allows the company to bid and win more jobs.
Bruce Cox is charged with developing the estimates to win C&G Concrete's jobs, ranging from as small as $3,000 to as large as $2 million. When he joined C&G Concrete in the late-1990s, the estimates were still done using pen and paper, an extremely time-consuming process. It was a challenge to check on job costs for materials and labor, because it required flipping through many pages of blueprints to find the details needed to estimate a job.
The company realized that it must move from paper-based processes to an efficient method with software. Today, C&G uses Maxwell Systems ProContractorMX, a seamless takeoff and estimating software solution that helps contractors to quickly and accurately quantify, price and bid projects.
ProContractorMX provides the option for contractors to perform digitized takeoffs using a digitizer to generate accurate measurements and quantities from traditional blueprints; or to go completely digital by performing take-offs from electronic plans. Cox explains that he uses both methods, depending on the size and scope of the specific project.
"For a simple job, it can take just a couple clicks of the mouse, and the estimate is done," says Cox. "A smaller job can take as little as 10 minutes to estimate. For a more complex job, we save a lot of time by not having to flip through papers, and we can find details much quicker.
"With ProContractorMX automating the calculations, we are able to save additional time and increase accuracy," Cox continues. "It also helps us to keep a job organized.
Masonry Computer Estimating
That Does It All ... in 3D!
Utilize Tradesmen's 30 masonry take-off for BIM models.
Just point and click on the digital blueprint and see your walls displayed. Our On Screen 3D Estimator makes it simple and fast.
Runs on Windows PCs and Bootcamp/Windows on Intel Macs.
Support available 7 days a week.
See the actual building being displayed in 30 as you do your take-off in either PLAN mode, PERSPECTIVE mode, OUTSIDE mode, INSIDE mode or at any ELEVATION.
Complete your take-off, then walk through or around and see the actual finished building(s).
Calculates CMU: HALF and FULL BULLNOSE, DOUBLE BULLNOSE, CHAMFER, or SASH for any or all OPENINGS, JAMBS, CORNERS, CONTROL JOINTS and any SPECIAL CUTS.
Integrate with Accounting Software and transfer data to Microsoft Excel,
30 day money-back guarantee.
Negotiating projects with a 3D image
will win you more contracts and enhance your professional image
TRADESMEN'S SOFTWARE, Inc.
1-800-494-4899
See for yourself at:
www.tradesmens.com
READER SERVICE #163
July 2012
MASONRY 27