Month: May 2019

Construction Takeoffs From Pdf Drawings

Construction blogger

Todays construction estimator does the majority of their estimates by measuring directly from PDF drawings. Blueprint measuring used to be primarily from paper plans and was measured typically by hand or by using a GTCO digitizer. When plans switched to a digital or PDF format, companys like Tally Systems, Inc. transitioned to PDF plan takeoff using the mouse on the estimators computer. Construction estimating software comes in a shapes and sizes but the simplicity seems to be the growing trend in the construction software industry. Dominated by Microsoft Excel, products like QuickMeasure OnScreen help construction estimators measure directly from PDF plans and eliminate the need to print PDF blueprints to paper. The advantage of doing takeoffs from PDF plans with software like QuickMeasure OnScreen is the ability to zoom in on the drawing to see small detail and improve the accuracy of the measurement. With the majority of construction estimators relying on Excel as the primary piece of software to build estimating templates, a program that feeds takeoffs into an estimators existing spreadsheet has become key.

With the emergence of online plan rooms and emergence of general contractors who distribute their plan by linking subcontractors to plans stored on their servers, the ability to download and begin measuring from a PDF image instantly becomes more important. Since the estimator no longer is working from paper blueprints, the ability of software to calibrate using a known dimension from the PDF drawing is crucial to generating an accurate takeoff. Companies like Tally Systems have integrated high accuracy takeoffs with simplicity to give the estimator full PDF plan takeoff capabilities while working within Excel the estimator has designed in-house rather than purchase a construction estimating software package that was designed the way someone else estimates.

The other advantage of using PDF plans for blueprint takeoff is that it eliminates the expense of printing plans to paper. This saves not only on wasting paper but the wasted time of driving all over town picking up blueprints. The ability to measure on the screen of the computer is really an exciting technology and will be the standard for construction blueprint takeoff for some time. Those who think that paper blueprints will make a comeback are hoping for something that will not happen. PDF blueprints and other digital plan formats will continue to dominate and those who dont migrate to digital plan takeoff software like QuickMeasure OnScreen will find themselves wasting time and money doing takeoffs manually.

Where is construction estimating and blueprint takeoff going from here? BIM takeoff is on the horizon where the architect will design a building that contains a list of the material quantities but until that technology becomes more commonplace, PDF plan takeoff software will be a staple for every estimator.

Health and Safety in the Construction Industry

Construction blogger

Health and safety in the construction industry simply means identifying various types of risks and controlling or totally eliminating them to prevent accidents from occurring to the work force. All construction site work must comply with UK health and safety rules and regulations. Health safety consultants including a CDM coordinator have a great deal of tasks to carry out when it comes to health and safety of workers in the construction field.

When accidents occur, companies have to go through human life losses as well as treatment costs. Potential impacts that can arise due to accidents also include higher insurance premiums, lost of precious time and also materials, as well as compensation claims and legal costs. Indirect costs such as possible damage to the good name of the company which can later create problems towards attracting probable customers. Hence it is necessary to have good health and safety practices in order to display respect for employees, clients, customers etc. According to reports, the construction industry has one of the highest rates of accidents out of all the employment sectors. Therefore by hiring a professional safety consultant your company can minimize the risks.

Everyone who is involved in construction is somehow or the other responsible for health and safety on site. Designers and planners should ensure that their designs provide a safe and healthy environment to the end user and while constructing the design, they should also be cautious that none of the workers are affected by hazardous implications. Construction workers have legal rights to safe working conditions and safety equipment should be used at all times to protect themselves rather than blaming the company all the time for not having a safe environment for them to work in.

Risks involved in the construction industry include mainly falling from heights, objects falling from high places atop workers or striking them being the most common. Workers can be injured by being caught or trapped within small construction units, get hit by moving vehicles, get electrocuted by loose cables, fires and explosions, lifting and carrying heavy objects as well as health hazards such as chemical gas leaks, dust, heat, noise, vibration, radiation and compressed air etc. So it is important that as a company that you should construct a proper health and safety plan before you start off your construction phase.

After-sales Services Boosting Construction Equipment Industry In India

Construction blogger

Global mining and construction equipment companies receive above 15% of its revenue from spares and services, which strongly support their profitability and smoothens revenue volatility. As a result, manufacturers are enabled to competitively price their offerings and efficiently manage their product life cycles. However, in the Indian scenario, the situation is nowhere near the global trends. At present, spares and services contracts contribution to revenue is very low and its growth is also not very encouraging, which can largely be attributed to relatively small size of equipment and the availability of non-OEM spares.

However, as the economy is recovering, the Indian construction equipment industry is showing positive growth potential. Further, according to a recent research by RNCOS, Booming Construction Equipment Market in India, after-sales services associated with the construction equipment industry are showing stupendous growth ahead with various global and domestic companies already planning to acquire this untapped market.

Our research also approved high growth possibility in the equipment rental industry and financing market. Over the past few years, a comparatively, impressive growth results in small construction equipment rental market have been noticed. Various states in the country adopted initiatives to smoothen inter-state movement of equipments, which benefited rental companies the most. A number of rental companies collaborated with equipment suppliers for equipment maintenance.

Our report provides a profound research and rational analysis of the Indian construction equipment industry. It not only presents information and statistics related to all prominent market segments like earth moving and material handling, but also analyzes the historic, current, and upcoming trends in the market to provide balanced market intelligence of the industry. The report also shed light on the Indian rental equipment and the equipment financing markets.

Besides, the report provides industry forecast, based on the correlation of past drivers, challenges, and opportunities for expansion. In this way, it depicts an unbiased picture of the Indian construction equipment industry which will prove decisive for the clients and help them devise sound investment strategy.

For FREE SAMPLE of this report visit: http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM277.htm

Some of our Related Reports are:

– US Cement Industry Analysis (http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM346.htm)
– Saudi Arabia Housing Sector Outlook (http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM213.htm)
– China Housing Sector Outlook 2013 (http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM212.htm)
– Vietnam Housing Forecast to 2013 (http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM257.htm)
– Brazil Housing Sector Analysis (http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM221.htm)

Check Related REPORTS on: http://www.rncos.com/Other%20Industry.htm

Protecting Trees During Construction

Construction blogger

Whether it is new home construction or an extensive renovation, minimizing the impact on the surrounding landscape takes careful planning and commitment from both homeowners and contractors working at the site. Experienced builders are becoming increasingly sensitive to preservation of the natural beauty of a home site and many have perfected methods to minimize construction damage to trees, shrubs & other vegetation.

An Educated Consumer
As with most significant changes in industry, the move towards preserving natural beauty during construction is consumer driven. Most homeowners are very much aware of the positive effect that mature trees & shady areas have on their quality of life . . . not to mention property values. In new housing, buyers are increasingly requesting that their homes be positioned to take advantage of rock outcroppings & mature tree specimens. They are disenchanted with developments that offer dozens of homes scattered on a barren landscape, with just a couple of forlorn trees left standing strangely out of place.

It is no coincidence that home sites that border wooded areas are most sought after. During renovations & foundation work, there are often many landscape considerations. Often times trees & shrubs are planted near a home when it is built and they grow to be a perfect compliment to the structure. When that structure is expanded, it takes a talented builder and committed homeowner to retain the services of an experienced tree mover for relocation of living specimens.

It’s All in the Planning
In new construction, builders will typically develop a topographic map to show land grades, slopes, streams & areas of large rock. Homeowners can request that builders include the location of specimen trees, wooded areas & rock outcroppings on these maps, allowing for optimal placement of the home in relation to the natural beauty of the property. Dwight Mossman of Hobbs, Inc., a builder of distinctive homes in the northeast, recommends including trees greater than six inches in diameter on the topographic map. He also includes the species of the trees involved in order to maintain maximum outdoor visual appeal during all seasons. “My clients pay the same attention to outdoor details as they pay to indoor specifics,” Mossman explained, “They place a high value on landscapes that include mature trees since trees provide natural cooling & a buffer to the wind. My clients understand that specimen trees cannot be replaced and should be taken care of during construction. Careful mapping & injury prevention provides an enhanced product.”

Site management plans can include specifics on traffic flow & parking to minimize the impact of vehicles on the environment. In addition, construction fencing should be placed at the dripline of the tree, anchored as far from the trunk as possible. Visualize the tree as if the canopy were an umbrella- the drip line is where the water droplets would fall to the ground. According to Mossman, “Cabling & bracing may be needed when the stability of a large tree is compromised. It improves the tree’s chance of survival.”

Sources & Symptoms When tree roots are removed or damaged, or fill is placed on the soil surface, trees may show decline symptoms within a few months. Trees on construction sites are injured by: Lowering of groundwater

Compaction of soil

Removal of top soil

Loss or damage to roots

Damage to trunk & leaf crown.

Symptoms include small or off-color leaves, premature fall color, extensive water sprout development on the trunk & main limbs, dead twigs and eventually dead branches.

Naturally, the best way to protect trees on a construction site is to prevent, or at least minimize any changes that may cause injury. Trees that have been injured are best treated by first stabilizing their environment. Next, deliver the appropriate amount of moisture & avoid additional stress factors caused by insects & disease with an accredited plant health care program. Follow up with maintenance pruning, cabling, bracing & the implementation of a nutrient program designed to recolonize the soil with beneficial mycorrhizae and provide the nutrients required for healthy growth.

When homeowners & builders are committed to preserving natural beauty, they can work together to minimize the impact of construction & renovation, creating a home to be enjoyed both inside & out.

For more info about the company, visit the website SavATree.com

Using Time-Lapse Photography to Save Money on Construction Projects

Construction blogger

Time lapse photography and time lapse footage can help save money and increase profit on both large scale and small scale construction projects. Its a bold claim, given that timelapse photography seems remote and far removed from the construction world, but lets think about this together, and see if we can reach any conclusions.

Time-lapse photography is a lengthy and difficult process, but essentially its where a series of photographs are taken from a fixed point at prescribed intervals, and then the individual shots or frames are edited together. When this edit is played back at 25 frames per second, it has the effect of condensing the passage of time into manageable chunks, where the viewer can easily see and appreciate large scale changes in only a couple of minutes.

How can this be of benefit to you if you are the construction manager or project manager on a building site? Well, any sufficiently complex construction project will have a well-defined, and rigidly adhered to, schedule of work. This schedule of work will tell the management team everything they need to know in terms of getting materials, plant and labour to the right place at the right time.

But how closely is this plan monitored against actual events? And how reliable is the information you have received? Having time-lapse footage of the entire project can give you an invaluable resource to compare against your schedule of work. You will be able to tell, visually, whether the materials, plant and labour arrived at the correct location, in the right order and at the right time. It will obviously be too late to do anything about it by this point. However, next time you have to write your schedule of work for the next project, you will have better knowledge and will be able to make a more informed choice about when to order what you need. That timelapse footage will enable you to get the equipment, materials and labour on site just-in-time, meaning that you wont be tying up valuable resources wastefully. That means more profit on the job, or the ability to offer services more cost effectively than your competitors.

One other way in which such services can not only save you money, but are very useful, is in the area of ultra high definition site monitoring. The best time-lapse companies offering time-lapse services also allow you to view your project through on-line viewers from desktops, smartphones and tablets. This means that you, your surveyors, architects, etc can view very clear images (much better than any webcam) to discuss and share etc. You can also offer this service to your clients and stake-holders etc. These images, taken with the correct HD equipment (Again NOT just webcams) can allow you to zoom into particular areas of your site/project to scrutinise particular detail. This makes any monitoring and discussions about the site very convenient, even for those who cannot get to the actual location of the project.

Plus.If all this wasnt enough any marketing people can use either the individual still frames, or even the live feed to websites in order to communicate to broader publics.