It’s one of the biggest questions owners have: how to get good estimates for your construction project, and how to choose a contractor. Everyone knows it’s important, but most people have no idea where to start, or how to determine whether the answers they’re getting are good, bad, or ugly.

So…I decided to do something to help: a 5-part series - 23 pages! - covering this topic! As many of you know, I was a construction estimator and project manager at a general contractor before I became an architect, so I know firsthand how to read construction estimates - because I did them myself! These days, in my architectural practice or GC-ing my own projects for my real estate investments, I see that experience now through the eyes of an owner.

So what will we be covering?

• Chapter 1: Creating a Bid Package That Gets You Solid Estimates

• Chapter 2: Finding and Interviewing GCs

• Chapter 3: Comparing Estimates: The Basics That Get You 80% of the Way There

• Chapter 4: Comparing Estimates: Creating a Bid Normalization Spreadsheet

• Chapter 5: Contract Structures: Fixed Price or Cost Plus?

This will be mostly geared towards residential projects, and small-medium multifamily/commercial projects. Larger projects have a language all their own, and while the concepts I’ll be discussing still apply, there are often special considerations.

As usual, be sure to discuss any of this with your project professionals and/or legal advisors – things can vary widely depending on what jurisdiction you’re in. This is meant to be an overview, not a comprehensive analysis. Believe it or not, there is a lot more to all these topics than I’m able to cover even in five chapters. But this is a great start!

NOTE: This material originally appeared in my newsletter, as a 5-part series. You can read it for free on mwmoedinger.substack.com if you prefer. This version is reformatted for easier reading, as a single 23 page PDF.