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I employ carpenters fulltime so we get the boys into the office to go through the next job, sometimes even before I quote the job as it helps us all get on the same page. Yes, sharing the load when it comes to solving problems and building more efficiently is part of what our construction business does. Do you collaborate with engineers, Architects/designers and subcontractors? On the other hand, if a client has no plans yes I will get my hands dirty on the design, obviously, I charge to do this. Sometimes, if a client comes to me with a set of plans I trace them, sometimes I will make suggestions Eg doors colliding or ways to reduce cost but I try not to change things that I am not getting paid to change. My clients love seeing what I’m going to build before we built it, I walk clients through each room in 3D so they know what they are paying for, it helps me communicate with them but for me it helps me understand the cost associated with the project.
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What do your clients say when you show them a PlusDesignBuild Model in SketchUp? I add prices as I go because my priority is to get the quote out, Once I add a price its remembered them for next time, so really the time to add in prices to material and labour is very fast and isn’t a time consideration.Ĭhanges are easy, basically, click on anything and I can change the size pitch/ratio or even construction method in minutes inside of Sketchup, this is a huge benefit and saves me so much time.I did not add all of my prices in one go so I couldn’t give you an exact time.I was sceptical about the promise of accuracy so I used the takeoffs to cut the frame, headers, order floor roof and cladding and I must say it was not just close it was exact. The first job I did was a small two-bedroom granny flat and I built it from start to finish with PlusDesignBuild, I really wanted to test it out before I did a large project. I purchased four hours of training but I only used one hour as it is pretty easy to get your head around if you are a builder and you’ve used Sketchup. my second project was done in half the time it would have taken to do in Sketchup and my estimate was 100% time-saving, now I can get quotes done in hours as opposed to days.I continued to save time as the Plugin reads the Sketchup geometry which saves me countless hours when a design change or a change order comes though as the estimate updates automatically. The first job I did took less than the time it would have just to draw Sketchup, the bonus was I got an estimate at the same time. Video tutorials are built-in so I learned as I went.How long did PlusDesignBuild take to learn? The PlusDesignBuild plugin does all of the above and more including estimating, now I never leave Sketchup. I needed to import Pdfs, trace plans, solve problems, see structure, quantify, deliver quotes to clients, generate purchase orders to suppliers and subcontractors and I needed to do it inside Sketchup. There are hundreds of Plugins for Sketchup, the issue is that none did what I need for residential construction or estimating.
#SKETCHUP PRO PLUGIN HOW TO#
I needed a Sketchup Plugin that knew how to build, how to estimate, one that was easy to use so I could do it myself and then eventually employ new staff. I could employ salespeople and supervisors from the industry with minimal training, yet employing a Sketchup user that knew how to build & estimate wasn’t realistic. As my construction business grew I needed to pass on tasks to new employees. With all of these day to day task to juggle, I needed a solution to enable me to get things done faster and more accurately. My job is to build homes: Sketchup combined with the PlusDesignBuild plugin enabled my business to grow.Īs a small builder, I wear many hats, I am the salesperson, the supervisor, the coordinator, the estimator, designer, problem solver. I needed an accurate estimating Plugin that worked inside Sketchup so I could understand material price, labour cost, waste, margin and overheads, it had to be easy to use and it had to be affordable. I love Sketchup yet unfortunately estimating in Sketchup and adding structure wasn’t a feasible reality, especially after change orders or design changes by the architect. I’m a building contractor, I used to use Sketchup for the basics, now I use the PlusDesignBuild plugin inside Sketchup to estimate all of my jobs and it’s changed the way I quote and build homes.Īs a builder, plan interpretation and client communication are the most important things I can do to win a job yet estimating and calculating cost is what pays the bills. Drawing & Estimating using plugins inside Sketchup, A builders perspective.