Types of Residential Buildings – Homes to Build, Rent or Lease

There are many advantages to building and having your own house or residential property. In this regard, there are two types of property owners – the homeowner who wants to have their own custom designed home and the property developer who builds residential buildings for selling or renting. If you intend to build a house …

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What is the Cost of Building a House & Other Types of Residential Units?

  The cost to build a house depends on specific factors which may not be obvious to a client but clearly laid out by a construction estimator. Building a house is a complex process which takes into account the client needs to begin with, but during the planning stage, when feasibility studies are done, a …

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Unit Method of Estimating – Advantages and Disadvantages [Building Construction]

The unit method of estimating is the simplest and quickest method of estimating the cost of a proposed construction project. In this method, the quantity surveyor counts the number of units which are going to be accommodated in a building, for example the number of occupants or main furniture objects used by an individual. The …

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How to Find Tenders – Part 4 | How To Win a Construction Tender

How to Find Tenders The previous chapter (Getting Experience) dealt with various ways in which new contractors can get experience which apparently addresses various ways of getting jobs. This chapter is going to focus on finding construction tenders. Tenders are projects where multiple contractors compete to win a building contract through a bidding procedure. The …

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12 Features of the Best Construction Cost Estimating Software – Quantity Surveying

A serious construction estimator needs a good program to calculate the estimated cost of building a property. A window shopping trip on the internet will reveal a number of cost estimating software, which upon testing, it becomes apparent that the developers didn’t incorporate the input of a professional quantity surveyor, who knows the take-off process …

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Tender Preparation and Documentation – Part 6 | How To Win a Construction Tender

Tender Preparation and Documentation Tender preparation involves long term planning and short term planning. If systems for long term planning are already in place in your construction firm, you have already done half the work that is required to secure a tender. Systems for long term planning have already been discussed in chapter 2 (Planning …

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Planning and Organization – Part 2 | How To Win a Construction Tender

Planning and Organization Your chances of winning a tender will increase if you plan ahead. I am sure you are aware of that typical contractor who is always complaining about not getting jobs despite bidding for several projects each year. The problem may lie in lack of planning. Planning starts with your construction firm, it …

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How To Win a Construction Tender – Part 1 | Introduction

Introduction Winning a tender is not as hard as you think and it’s not as easy as you think. You need to have knowledge, have the right information, attitude and above all you need to be ready, not forgetting that you should pay attention to project details. You must meet the prerequisites, and if you …

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Office Tools and Furniture for a Construction Cost Estimator / Quantity Surveyor

A Construction Cost Estimator is a qualified professional who spends time in the office working on papers as well as in the field, taking site measurements at each stage of a construction project. So basically, an estimator needs two types of tools – office tools and site tools. Office tools allow the consulting estimator to …

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Getting Experience – Part 3 | How To Win a Construction Tender

Getting Experience It is risky to employ a construction firm with no building experience and it is risky to employ a contractor with a sketchy track record. One of the reasons for advertising a Tender is to get a pool of experienced contractors and choose the best contractor who will do the job efficiently, economically …

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