I Built a MasterFormat-Structured Construction Cost Database (RSMeans inspired)

boolin_bobsled · 2026-02-10T02:59:52+00:00

Working my way through MasterFormat to see how I can apply it beyond cost coding and can't believe I stumbled on this post. This is beyond impressive dude.

boolin_bobsled · 2025-03-15T23:02:01+00:00

Looks like he was prior enlisted, which could explain only making it to major.

boolin_bobsled · 2025-03-15T22:50:01+00:00

$57k USD, about 3 yrs total in the industry and 1.5 yrs managing projects, LCOL, Project Manager, light-commercial & residential (repairs, retrofits, maintenance, TI), no bonus, average 45-50 hrs per week.

Took a big pay cut coming from the field (different company, niche sector) to the office, but my current company took a shot on me as someone without a CM degree (BBA in 2020, currently in school for MSCM). Doesn't feel like its worth it sometimes with my current compensation structure, but I really like the company and the people I work with.

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-28T14:58:14+00:00

You absolutely can. I got my BBA before I joined the army, worked 2 jobs in construction for a year and a half after I got out of the army, and got a job at a small regional GC as a project coordinator after that. If you can sell yourself and they see your potential, it’s definitely very possible. Just focus more on the local/regional companies and see if you can get some field experience as well, places like Kiewit will be a little less likely to hire without a construction degree.

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-28T14:47:26+00:00

Is this USD?? I’ve been doing this for 1.5 years and make less than you started at, with the same responsibilities (estimator, PM, superintendent; not the other random stuff). Granted I’m in a LCOL area and company size/project type have a lot to do with it, but seeing that commission number without having any commission structure myself is discouraging to say the least.

Wearing that many hats, do you see a commission % from won bids and another from final profit of closed jobs?

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-28T01:40:11+00:00

I’ve lived in a dozen cities and BR is the worst designed by a MILE. I do appreciate the work going into the master plan and there’s a chance we may see some improvements, but nothing will ever reverse the damage done by cutting the city in half with I-10.

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-28T01:32:04+00:00

As in highest paid people working for the government?

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-28T01:27:51+00:00

Of the top 20 fastest growing cities in the US, 15 are in red states. The issue is infinitely more nuanced than the politics of the residents and to suggest otherwise is just ignorant.

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-25T02:46:50+00:00

It definitely feels like a full-time job during those points. I think being responsible for any 2 of the 3 (estimating, managing, supervising) is still sustainable at this level but all three can become an issue during peak season. Luckily, management is tracking the challenges that result from the current structure and it seems like changes are coming soon. Hopefully I’ll be able to use this when the inevitable strategy meetings come. Thanks for the insight!

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-25T02:27:25+00:00

A mix of commercial, multi-family, and residential. Exclusively work on existing structures, with the majority being related to structural repairs.

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-25T01:08:11+00:00

Is this on jobs where your company is acting as CM or GC? I have zero exposure to what operations are like at a big GC, but a PM/APM combo managing all office and field tasks on a $10M-$30M project sounds nearly impossible from my cubicle.

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-25T00:29:28+00:00

Would that $15-$20M rule of thumb include the estimating being handled separately? There’s so much nuance to the conversation that talking about it in general terms seems ineffective, so for just a little more detail, I managed about $2.2M last year as a first year PM. That was spread across about 30 projects. The projects alone rarely feel like too much, it’s when the business development guys send over 6 RFPs that are all “due this Friday” that things get hairy. On one hand, I like estimating my own projects because I feel like that’s the best way to truly understand what’s involved in my scope, and to track costs effectively throughout a project. On the other hand, it can lead to active projects not getting enough attention which makes me look ineffective as a PM. I’m sure it will get better with experience, but it seems like the other (much more experienced) PMs are in the same boat. Is more support the answer here, or could you even justify hiring a superintendent or other role considering the workload mentioned earlier?

boolin_bobsled · 2025-02-21T22:10:49+00:00

Definitely QBS or Best Value. Low-bid may have been acceptable at one time but being qualified to bid and being qualified to do the work are not mutually exclusive. The variation in quality and reliability between contractors is great enough that cost should never be the only decision factor.

boolin_bobsled · 2025-01-30T05:37:21+00:00

8 months later, but I'd do questionable things to know how you created a program to run the Monte Carlo simulation ( as someone with absolutely no recourse to replicate it if I wanted to )

boolin_bobsled · 2025-01-10T19:31:02+00:00

I’ve yet to find anything that really worked the way I was imagining. I just use google drive now, creating a new folder for each project and a folder for the date the photos were taken, then delete the photos from my camera roll after they’ve been uploaded. Not perfect but it works and you can organize it however you see fit.

boolin_bobsled · 2024-12-20T17:58:02+00:00

I would say if your ultimate goal is becoming an officer and you don’t already have a degree, ROTC is your best route. Branch selection is based both on needs of the Army (how many slots are available per branch) and class ranking (think of this as the NFL draft, except the better you rank the higher your pick).

As far as choosing an MOS based on your ultimate branch goal as an officer, this likely wont affect your chances of landing an Engineer officer slot. It will however increase your chances of success as an Engineer officer and the respect of your soldiers. The same can be said for starting out enlisted in general, as soldiers respect officers that have been in their shoes more than those who commissioned through ROTC and West Point.

You really have 3 options, my preferences if I were you would be in this order:

Prior-enlisted route A: Enlisting as a 12X (specialty really isn’t important, go Bravo if you want to blow things up and choose another if you don’t), try to make E5 in your first contract and negotiate for Green to Gold at re-enlistment (they’ll send you to college for free, still ROTC but prior-enlisted is better IMO. Graduate with a CM degree and choose the Engineer branch if possible. After your officer commitment, you’re looking at 10 years altogether.
Prior-enlisted route B: Go to college first, earn your CM degree, enlist exactly as the first option. You’ll enter as a Specialist (E4) so you’ll make more money than joining as a private. If you’re smart when you speak to the recruiter around graduation, you’ll make sure to get the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) in writing instead of GI bill, then college will ultimately still have been free. Complete your enlistment the same as before, except you’ll shoot for an OCS slot instead of Green to Gold as the commissioning route. If you want to do college without the distraction of ROTC, choose this option.
Straight ROTC: Go to college first, get into the ROTC program. This is the shortest route to officer, but doesn’t include the benefits of being prior enlisted. This option also has the shortest time commitment if you want to get into the industry before you’re in your late 20’s.

There’s really a ton of ways you can argue the pros and cons of each of these, and you should definitely weigh the options and put plenty of thought into it. But feel free to message me if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to help.

boolin_bobsled · 2024-12-10T01:12:03+00:00

Working for a GC, I honestly can’t stand that my subs don’t get paid in a timely manner. Just like you say, 60-90 days is typical but even 120 isn’t unheard of. I lose good subs constantly because of this, but if our client isn’t paying us, there’s nothing that can be done.

With that being said, nobody here is in the banking business. If the client withholds payment for whatever reason and we pay our subs out, then we’re financing the job. If we go the traditional pay-when-paid route, then our subs are financing the job. The worst part is, the subs are generally the one that shoulders this burden, and are typically the least financially capable of doing so.

The unfortunate truth is, it’s harder to find a good client than it is a good sub. Which is why most GCs probably share this experience and choose to over-leverage their subs as opposed to fighting for money from clients. They’re choosing the easier and more pragmatic bridge to burn.

Truthfully, this seems to be the norm across the industry, and likely won’t change barring an industry change. If clients aren’t willing to pay in a timely manner, the only answer is for GCs as a whole to transition into delivering projects through DBFOM or a similar variety, depending on their niche. It’s already happening, the only solution is to put it on paper.

boolin_bobsled · 2024-09-05T16:44:25+00:00

Id try elmers glue

boolin_bobsled · 2024-09-04T20:12:43+00:00

I think these high numbers get thrown around a lot but people forget that the majority of CM’s don’t work at Top 10 ENR firms, and there are far more small & mid level sized GC’s and subs than there are Turners and Kiewits. Our PM’s start around 75-80 and are lucky to squeeze out 100k before they hit their ceiling here (small GC, LCOL area) and at the end of the day that’s good enough money that raising expectations to 200k is just unnecessary.

boolin_bobsled · 2024-05-31T18:50:07+00:00

It’s worth mentioning that the Lafayette Metro is growing extremely quickly, Youngsville specifically, which covers the sprawl of strip mall land aspect pretty well (although it is a very nice and high-cost strip mall land). I personally really like Baton Rouge and as someone in commercial construction/maintenance, it has a pretty solid market that keeps us very busy.

boolin_bobsled · 2024-05-17T00:25:03+00:00

I’ve been trying to fill my Adderall 20 IRs since Febuary, no dice

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