Building & Estimating Advice
Building & Estimating Advice
Learn more about why our estimating service excels above others, and how being apart STARK Group helps us grow and be apart of something bigger.
How Many Jobs Are You Actually Winning? The Quote-to-Win Ratio
Most builders can tell you how busy they are. Far fewer can tell you how many of the quotes they send actually turn into paid work. That figure, your quote-to-win ratio, or quote conversion rate, is one of the most useful numbers a sole trader can track. Work out how many quotes it takes you […]
In-House Estimator vs Outsourced Estimating: The Real Cost Comparison
There comes a point in a growing firm when estimating stops fitting into the evenings. The work is there, but pricing it properly takes hours the owner no longer has. That is usually when the question comes up: do you hire an in-house estimator, or outsource the estimating per project? Either way the decision turns […]
How to Win More Building Work Without Dropping Your Price
When work goes quiet, the first thing most builders reach for is their price. Take a few hundred off, undercut whoever else is quoting, and it feels like you have done something to win the job. Sometimes that works. More often it wins the wrong jobs at the wrong money, and it teaches customers to […]
How to Price Building Work Without Guessing by the Square Metre
Most builders learn how to price building work the hard way, by getting a job wrong and carrying the cost. The quickest method, and the one that catches people out, is pricing by the square metre. You take the floor area, multiply it by a rate from an earlier job, and you have a figure […]
How to Price a Building Job: A Repeatable Method and Building Quote Template
Price one building job well and you can price the next one the same way. The trick is a method you repeat every time, plus a building quote template that does the maths so nothing slips and every quote looks the part. Get that right and pricing gets faster and steadier. Your margin is there […]
How to Price a Construction Job Without Losing Your Evenings
Quoting is where your money is made or lost. Most builders reckon a job starts on site. It doesn’t. It starts at the kitchen table, at night, with a mug going cold and a set of plans you are pricing after a full day on the tools. Getting how to price a construction job right […]
Win More Work: Putting your best foot forwards
From reluctant trainee pastry chef to Which? 5-star rated builder, Key Choice Builders’ managing director Gareth Cox reflects on a construction journey over a quarter of a century in the making. Read on to discover how Gareth discovered his passion for construction, the importance of first impressions, and how Project Estimator has helped him save […]
STRIKING A BALANCE
A successful business isn’t just about the bottom line. It’s about getting the balance between work and home life, too. Tom Moloney, founder of Oxfordshire Building and Stoves, shares how he’s used Project Estimator to get the perfect mix. My journey in the construction industry has had a few twists and turns. I left school […]
Introducing Project Estimator
Andrew Ellis, Managing Director explains the reasoning behind changing our name, branding and re-launching as Project Estimator and what that means for the future… Re-launching as Project Estimator could be considered as Andrew says a fresh start for our business, over the past 12 months we’ve changed and adapted the services so much and we […]
A Winning Formula
A winning formula Kerry Webley, founded KSW Developments in 2020 and over the past four years has more than doubled his win rate. Kerry explains some of the reasons behind his winning ways. Kerry Webley began his building career fresh out of school at 17. After completing his apprenticeship in bricklaying, working for several firms […]
Numbers Game
Numbers game Jatinder Singh Hunjan of JS Legacy has never been one for numbers. When transitioning from a plumbing & heating engineer to running his own construction company, finance was a major concern. Below, Jatinder describes how Build Aviator has helped protect his profit while impressing clients. In 2000, I began my career in the […]
A Sustainable Model: Building more sustainably with Build Aviator
A SUSTAINABLE MODEL Karl Nicholson is one of the founders of Next Gen Luxury Homes, an evolution of K Design and Build that focuses on premium, technologically advanced, sustainable homes. Karl tells us the how and why of this latest venture and how estimating services have supported the process. “We’d created a successful business […]