An Expert’s Pricing Guide For Masonry Estimation
Understanding the masonry estimating process is essential for gathering the right materials, human resources, and final construction project costs.
By assessing what’s required for the job through accurate calculations and price estimates, we can give our clients an exact quote so the next phase can begin.
In this masonry pricing guide, we’ll show you what’s involved in our estimates, including an example list with some key prices for materials, labor, and more.
With a better insight into the masonry estimation procedure, you’ll grasp what our team does and what you can expect when you work with us in this cost guide.
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The Information We Need Before We Start An Estimation
Before we get started with any masonry cost estimate, we run a little analysis for each job to give us an idea of the project’s overall scope and what will impact the final costs.
Here are some of the factors we consider.
The Type Of Masonry Required
Every cost estimation has to have a specific list of materials to complete it. No project is the same; each has its own requirements.
For example, if you wanted to build an apartment block, the job would need a variety of materials like concrete, lintels and sills, mortar, and much more. In comparison, someone getting some roofing work done wouldn’t require as much.
This list includes some of the masonry materials we estimate for:
- Concrete blocks
- Bricks
- Stone
- Lintels and sills
- Mortar
- Grout
The Material Measurements And Quantities
Upon gathering the types of materials needed to start building, we have to estimate each piece’s exact measurements and quantities.
This is arguably the most important part of the program because if the wrong measurement material is ordered and the construction has already started, it could ruin the outcome.
Our team will estimate each material’s size, design, and quantities, and the figures will then be added to the final takeoff.
Equipment Costs
Accounting for any equipment that may be used, like machinery or tools, is another cost that our masonry estimators account for.
We’ll include everything from rental fees to fuel needed to operate certain machinery.
See below for some machinery costs we factor in:
- Tools (hammers, drills, etc.)
- Heavy machinery (diggers, trucks, etc.)
- Hoisting machines (cranes etc.)
- Generators
- Fuel for machines
- Rental costs
To get a better idea of what our material list looks like, here’s an example.
Location Of The Project
The location where the building of your project will take place will have a huge effect on the final cost of the estimate. Between transporting the materials and how accessible the site is, factors like these can add extra fees.
Let’s take a look at some of the location factors that will affect the final price.
- Transportation of materials – Suppliers will charge a sum for transporting the materials from A to B.
- Construction site location – Suppliers may charge an extra fee for sites that are in an isolated area.
- Regulations – The use of some materials may be regulated, or how the materials are used may carry extra fees.
- Environmental laws – Certain places have extra fees for adopting certain building methods or using materials that could impact the environment.
- Time of construction – Urbanized areas like cities or towns only allow construction at certain times, which could drag out the job completion time and result in paying workers longer.
Workforce Costs
To carry out any form of construction, you need the manpower to do so. It’s vital to establish the workforce costs to get a correct estimate.
Some of the fees associated with a workforce:
- The wages of each employee
- Holidays/sick leave pay
- Overtime
- Insurance
- Safety gear
- Uniform if required
- Payroll taxes
Additional Costs
With every building endeavor, accounting for additional costs or an unforeseen event that may occur in advance helps with future price planning. The last thing you want is to run into a problem on-site and not be prepared for it.
Our team approaches all projects differently, which you’ll get a picture of more as you read through this masonry pricing guide. During the estimation process, the estimator can outline any potential risks or extra costs associated with the construction phase.
By doing this, they can plan ahead for whatever might be required, whether it’s extra materials or security surveillance needed on-site overnight.
Some additional costs you may be subject to:
- Building permits
- Temporary facilities for staff
- Around-the-clock security
- Extra materials
- Disposal of leftover materials or waste
- Administration costs
- Machinery storage space
How We Conduct Our Estimate For Building Materials
Two methods of cost estimation can be used: manual and digital.
At Mo Engineers, we digitally operate all of our estimates on computerized software, giving us the most accurate results.
Using digital software cuts out the chance of an inaccurate estimate occurring and saves us a lot of time, so our clients can receive their takeoff within a couple of days.
However, if we were to conduct our estimates manually, that would leave us open to a bigger risk of miscalculation and messing up the calculation, hence why we avoid using them.
The Positive Impact Of Using Digital Software For Our Estimates
Your project will benefit massively from us using digital software for your estimate. Don’t believe us? Here are just some of the ways it will:
- Fast turnaround time so that the construction stage can begin as soon as possible.
- More accuracy, which avoids any possible human errors.
- They’re more customizable, leaving it open for any adaptation you or the estimator might want to make to save money or make the design more creative.
- Most software will show the estimator any potential risks that may arise, avoiding any threats to the project’s success.
With our high-tech masonry estimating software, we’re able to calculate the total costs for your project, factoring everything, including workforce, equipment, materials, and any additional features that you may require.
What are you waiting for? Use Mo Engineers for your masonry cost estimating today!
Reviewing Your Estimate
Once we’ve determined the overall costs of your job, we’ll be in touch with you to talk about the results of the estimate and advise you where to go from there.
The process is simple: one of our team members will break down the cost of each aspect and explain everything you need to know about it.
Before we can proceed to the next step, we’ll need some information from you about your budget. It’s to make sure both the estimate and budget align with each other.
If you want to make any changes to the estimate or have any ideas you’d like to add, this is the perfect time to do it because after the contract is signed, you can’t go back.
What You Need To Know About The Review And Adjustments
Review
So that we ensure our clients don’t run into a financial mess, we’ll review their masonry cost estimation with them by double-checking their budgets and the estimate that matches each other.
It’s a system that can point out any areas where the client can save money, or they may have to increase their budget more than they thought.
One thing we guarantee our clients is that our estimates will be 100% accurate the first time around. You’ll see the costs of all aspects of the project, including materials, resources, etc.
Below is a real-life masonry example of what you can expect with one of our estimates and how they look when we present them to our clients in the review stage.
From what you can see in our cost projections, the cost of the job is high and could be more than the client anticipated, which will result in them either having to increase the project budget, make some changes, or pack the job in altogether.
Adjustments
The easiest thing to do for both us and our clients is to try to make some adjustments somewhere so we avoid spending unnecessary funds when we can swap some things around to make the stars align.
Figuring out what to adjust is our responsibility, but we won’t take any action until we have consulted the clients.
Some of the adjustments we can make include:
- Changing certain materials to cheaper substitutes.
- Bringing down the cost of wages for certain jobs.
- Order materials in bulk from suppliers willing to drop the price for large orders.
- Adopt specific building methods that reduce waste, so less expensive materials must be ordered.
With proper planning, bringing down costs is doable, but some sacrifices have to be made to do so. Fortunately, our team of estimators have been in this business for years and have worked on all kinds of projects, from intricate construction endeavors on a large scale to small local ventures.
Hiring A Bid Manager
After you’re happy with the final estimate, you’ll have to hire a bid manager to take care of the bidding process.
If you’re unfamiliar with bidding in construction, it’s when a project is made available for building firms to bid on. The job owner (you) and the project manager will select from the pool of applicants the most suitable contractor to negotiate with. After rounds of negotiations and hopefully two happy parties, the contract will be signed, and the work can commence.
There are a couple of bidding methods that you can adopt based on the scale of the project. These are:
- Open Tendering – The project is open for public bidding, where any contractor can bid as long as they have the relevant qualifications.
- Selective Tendering – The job owner and project manager select certain contractors that they want to apply to rather than leaving it open to anyone.
- Negotiated Tendering – The job owner and project manager select one contractor and negotiate with them directly.
Finalizing The Agreement
The final thing that has to be done after finding the right contractor for the job is putting pen to paper and getting the contract signed.
Remember that the agreement must benefit both yourself and the contractor and has to have the following included:
- An agreed date of completion for the building.
- A clear analysis of the costs and payments for all aspects.
- A paved process on how to handle any adaptations in case something may arise.
- Confirmation of insurance to cover both you and the contractor.
- A statement of who’s in charge of organizing permits.
- Plans to resolve any conflict or disputes between both parties.
- An outline of which parties can terminate the contract in specific circumstances, e.g., breach of terms.
You shouldn’t have to worry about this if you hire a bid manager because they will ensure that all of these requirements are included in the contract.
When everything is confirmed, all that’s left to do is sign it.
How To Get Your Very Own Takeoff With Mo Engineers Today
You’ve got a clear grasp of our operations now after reading our estimating guide, so let’s show you how to get your takeoff with us so you can get started with your plans.
Step 1 – Visit the top of our homepage.
Step 2 – Find the “Quote” section, fill in your email address, and upload a copy of your CAD drawings or PDF files of the illustrations.
Step 3 – Press the submit button.
Step 4 – Give our estimators 24 to 48 hours to view them, and we’ll be in touch with your free quote.
If you have any other additional questions for us about our services or this masonry pricing guide, head over to our Contact Us page, submit a message, and our team will contact you as soon as we can.
