Learning about estimating

[DavidA]

I've been working as an electrician for 4 years now but have yet to learn anything about estimating and pricing other than "yeah I think we'll finish the job today..." I can only imagine that learning how to estimate will only add to my value to my company and will be extremely useful when I someday get my license.

So, has anyone had any personal experience with the Mike Holt product line for estimating education? Just the textbook sounds attractive but I'll (eventually) spring for a DVD/workbook package if it would be more useful.

 

[jmsbrush]

Its a very good place to start.

 

[masterinbama]

Estimating, as with most aspects of the trade is an acquired skill. Knowledge of the trade however does not make you a top notch estimator. 1 company I used to work for had an estimator that had done little if any electrical work, but he could put good numbers on projects and his profit ratio was on par with others in the company.

 

[ishium 80439]

There are a lot of companies who don't want their estimators to have anything more than a general knowledge of electrical work. They figure that a well trained journeyman with lots of field experience will try to overanalyze the prints. They get stuck thinking about every possible thing that it takes to a task done rather than ticking off an assembly and moving to the next one. I can think of 2 estimators that I've known for fairly large EC's that turned in great numbers but neither one was an electrician- they had some field experience but weren't j-men.

 

[MarkyMarkNC]

The Mike Holt estimating handbook is the perfect place to start. I bought mine ten years ago, and it has probably been the most beneficial book related to the trade I've ever bought.

 

[dmagyar]

Estimating applying cost to a element of work

Estimating applying cost to a element of work

Estimating is putting a cost to an element of work that needs to be preformed, it's scope can be as little as what's necessary to install a 20 amp 120 volt receptacle next to a panel to a complete nuclear power plant. I don't subscribe to the thought that you can be good at estimating without knowledge of what it takes to install electrical work.

My experience has been that you'll be more appreciated for the skill you can demonstrate installing electrical work out in the field vs anything you can accomplish as an estimator. With no slight intended to all of the estimators out there, one adage that was referenced all the time while our team estimated a job was: "The biggest mistake wins".

One thing you should keep in mind with your stated goal of becoming and estimator is that the job comes with more than it's share of stess, and it being a mostly thank-less job. Learn to become a good electrician first, then you can do anything even fall back into it if you find that estimating isn't your "cup of tea".

 

[DavidA]

Yeah I can see what you mean about estimating being a stressful job. I watched my boss gain even more grey hair overnight as he was trying to bid a job that was somewhat larger than what the company normally handles. It seems to be part art, and I can definitely see getting so caught up in the details that it just gets frustrating. It looks like some kind of systematic approach would be best especially on larger print sets.