Video: A Surprisingly Low-Cost Estimating Tool for Small Contractors

In this episode of The Dirt, host Bryan Furnace demonstrates software he stumbled across that has been a big help to his small residential construction business.

He and his business partner were estimating a job for site work on a residential lot and needed software to calculate the material quantities being excavated from the site for bidding on the project. They also didn’t have much money to spend. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, he came across a product that only cost $300 a year. It was simple, easy to use and more than paid for itself on the first job, a single residential lot.

The software creates 3D images of the site and the finished grade and does all the calculations for material removal and balance. The numbers can then be plugged in on the bid sheet.

Just on one lot, it saved on trucking and excavation costs, fuel and time. It also works on commercial projects as well.

Though not as intricate as the more costly job management software, this product might be all a smaller contractor needs, without breaking the bank. Furnace calls it “game-changing.”

To learn more, watch this episode of The Dirt.

“We have absolutely loved it since we have gotten familiar with software,” Furnace says.

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