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Estimator’s Edge

Compensation Fixation

When I say compensation, I’m not just referring to amount, but also the method of distribution.

Caution: Speed Bump Ahead

As much as I hate to continue on a narrative of pessimism, some pretty authoritative voices are compelling me to do so

Health Care, If You Dare

With a new year opening up before us like a yawning portal into a new and daunting dimension, I am compelled to succumb to a reflexive tug for throwing out a pithy prediction or two...

Out of the Office

While this current decline in office space activity may prove to be a serious blow to commercial drywall contractors (and their estimators), it needn’t be a fatal one.

Different Strokes

Of the many favorable features that our vocation offers, I think that none distinguishes us better from our management level peers than the many different approaches we take to our work.

Simply Drywall Only (Well, Sort of …)

During a recent perusal of topics that I have previously explored through this column, it struck me that most of the content is written from the perspective of a commercial drywall adherent. I think that...

The Dreaded PTO, Part 3

Yes, there is a consensus belief among estimators that vacations, or even PTO in general, should be avoided like the plague—held with the same regard as a root canal sans Novocain. For most bidmeisters, the...

The Dreaded PTO, Part 2

Yes, I think dread is the perfect word to describe my feelings toward taking time off from my estimating duties. Fear and loathing run a close second and third (with a tip of the...

Fear and Loathing of the Dreaded PTO (Reprised)

Gonna have a fine vacation. I’m gonna take my problem to the United Nations…—Eddie Cochran, Summertime Blues It’s been more than a couple of years since I introduced the “vacation blues” to these...