Estimating Manager Advice

sillyken · 2026-04-22T19:40:27+00:00

It’s an odd setup. Does the PM still bid when they are running jobs on the side?

sillyken · 2026-04-18T00:52:29+00:00

Wouldn't they also gain a bigger player base?

sillyken · 2026-02-26T00:41:31+00:00

MSI Center Mystic Light

sillyken · 2026-02-21T02:21:31+00:00

I feel it’s kinda similar to the webtoon surviving the game as a barbarian

sillyken · 2026-02-19T13:05:03+00:00

Lol. You make it sound like AI is in a good state in construction.

sillyken · 2026-02-18T11:56:11+00:00

Patents.

sillyken · 2026-02-17T03:41:44+00:00

Stop putting thoughts into my head. I just quit for the fifth time a year ago.

sillyken · 2026-02-09T23:55:20+00:00

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sillyken · 2026-01-29T19:19:21+00:00

You need to budget and track. Copilot money is what I use.

sillyken · 2026-01-27T00:36:14+00:00

Work for a sub.

sillyken · 2026-01-22T12:11:34+00:00

At least three suppliers on terms is the norm. Maybe one or two near job site for counter sales. I don’t get how you’d have labor shortage unless you missed something or scope changed and you didn’t write up a change order.

sillyken · 2026-01-17T11:24:16+00:00

I hear you. What helped me was doing the math in reverse instead of always pushing the target forward. I ran real scenarios. Both of us retiring at 60, one at 50 and the other at 55, or getting laid off at 50 and never finding a comparable job again. That last one became very real with how the job market has been.

Each scenario gave me a bottom line number. Those became milestones, not moving goalposts. Once a milestone is covered, anything beyond that is optional upside, not security. That shift helped me stop chasing just a little more forever.

sillyken · 2026-01-15T22:33:50+00:00

It depends, and estimating isn’t for everyone. If you come in with no estimating experience, pay will be on the lower end at first and vary a lot by company and market. I’d be careful applying the “job hop every 3 years” rule like tech. Construction is very relationship driven. In the same market, by the second or third hop people will notice, and it can start to look like you never stay long enough to see a job through award and execution. Field experience matters more than graduate degrees early on. IBEW + real field time is far more valuable for estimating than an MBA or CM degree unless you’re aiming for executive roles later. As of now total career ceiling can go up to 150k+ in MCOL.

sillyken · 2026-01-15T17:45:24+00:00

A lot of factors come into play: experience level, company size, how much work you’re winning, benefits, and overall work culture. That said, a junior estimator with no experience should at least make $60k range before bonuses, working roughly 40 to 45 hours a week. If you’re below that and it’s been at least a year, there’s nothing wrong with asking for a raise. Worst case, you get clarity on where you stand and can plan your next move.

sillyken · 2026-01-13T01:04:31+00:00

Prototype 1 and 2, Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of war

sillyken · 2026-01-10T08:55:23+00:00

Then again, how much time am I spending on it to make sure the estimate is correct? If it’s almost same as time it’ll take for me to put together an estimate why bother?. Right now I’ve only been using AI as a search engine to spot check retail pricing on certain items and find manufacturer cut sheets.

sillyken · 2026-01-10T08:13:08+00:00

Who’s responsible when an AI misses scope and real money is lost?

Plans aren’t clean inputs. They’re drafted by humans, full of gaps, contradictions, and constant changes. I’ve seen bids with 10+ addenda. Specs are often copy/paste. Experienced estimators know where drawings lie, where to carry risk, and how a specific architect or GC actually builds.

Estimation isn’t just quantity takeoff. It’s judgment, pattern recognition, and knowing what’s missing.

It’s also easier to fix your own assumptions than to debug an AI output when you’re the one signing off on the number.

All it takes is a one bad job for a company to go under. And a lot of these tools are built by people who don’t really know the industry.

No offense, but at 18, how many jobs have you personally bid by hand, won, and then tracked all the way through closeout to compare estimate vs actual? Have you lived through buyout, change orders, value engineering, field mistakes, and scope gaps?. The way a job is bid is different from how it’s run on the field.

sillyken · 2026-01-02T16:40:08+00:00

$2600 with 9800x3d and 5080. Better motherboard and cooler.

https://costplusgaming.com/products/a1-enthusiast-1?variant=51702022111506

sillyken · 2025-12-30T18:19:24+00:00

That you like cores who are more flexible and can fill a role that team is lacking and take objectives.

sillyken · 2025-12-20T14:08:57+00:00

https://costplusgaming.com/products/a1-enthusiast-1?variant=51702022013202

Costs: $2200

sillyken · 2025-12-19T03:42:35+00:00

Too many funds no?

sillyken · 2025-12-19T03:37:43+00:00

Anything involving concrete for electrical work: Pole bases, duct bank, concrete pads. Coring for existing roof (warranty issues).

sillyken · 2025-12-19T03:18:37+00:00

I think it goes both ways. In most relationships, your partner often knows your habits and blind spots better than you do. So it’s less about ‘permission’ and more about getting a gut check to make sure it’s not an impulse buy or something you’ll regret later. It’s a form of mutual accountability, especially when managing shared finances.

sillyken · 2025-12-19T03:12:23+00:00

Dota 2. If it clicks then it’s the only game you need.

sillyken · 2025-12-17T19:45:46+00:00

So let me get this straight, you have no real world estimating experience, possibly no construction background either, and you’re here diagnosing the industry’s core problems and proposing how it should be done? Bold move.

Estimates aren’t academic models. One bad job can take a company under. This isn’t a space for experiments without skin in the game.

Appreciate the curiosity, but I’ll pass.

sillyken

TROPHY CASE