Nowadays, many students show their willingness to become freelance estimators. Why is it so and how to become one? Let’s explore this blog post to get the answer to all your questions related to making your career as a freelance cost estimator!
The Increasing Demand for Freelance Building Estimators
The demand for freelance budget estimators is increasing in the market as many building contractors need help managing construction projects perfectly. They experience delays, cost overruns, unexpected expenses, miscommunication, and inefficient outcomes. To solve all their issues, they need the assistance of project estimators who can help them in calculating construction costs while perfectly managing all building activities. Moreover, freelance cost estimators do not only calculate accurate expenses required for construction, but they also identify the potential mistakes in the construction plans and mitigate them by implementing customized strategies. Simply put, they efficiently pave the path for contractors and their clients. These are some reasons behind the increasing demand for freelance construction estimators in the building industry. You can check the proportion of freelancers in the construction industry below;
Roles Freelance Estimators Play
In the construction industry, estimators offer freelance estimating services to contractors, builders, and homeowners. They play different roles to fulfill their desires and expectations.
- The major role that estimators play is comprehensive construction cost estimation. They calculate the overall construction expense and prepare their clients to plan their activities perfectly.
- Secondly, you can hire construction estimators for bid preparation services. They can provide you with detailed and reliable bids that you can use to win more and more building projects and increase your revenue.
- Likewise, budget estimators assist contractors and builders in controlling the overall construction budget. They implement strategies to reduce the project’s cost while maintaining the 100% efficiency of a construction project.
- Estimators also support contractors and builders by equipping value engineering services. They use alternative construction materials and techniques with lower costs and the same quality to optimize the building budget. Besides optimizing construction costs, they also optimize project efficiency and functionality by using value engineering terminology.
- Suppose a contractor does not have enough time to plan and schedule construction activities. In that case, he can freely contact freelance estimators to get the advantage of their precise and accurate estimating services.
- Above all, estimators identify potential errors in initial construction plans and solve them by creating and applying customized strategies according to the requirements of their clients.
Criteria for Becoming Freelance Building Estimator
If you have made up your mind to offer estimating services as a freelancer, you must be eligible for it. Check if you are suitable for the job by scanning the following criteria;
- Age: You must be above 18 to offer your estimating services as a freelancer.
- Qualification: You must have a bachelor’s degree in accounting, engineering, physical sciences, mathematics, or statistics.
- Clear Criminal History: Your criminal history must be transparent to work as a freelance cost estimator in the construction industry.
- Work Experience: You must have a good estimating record in your history.
How to Become Freelance Budget Estimators?
Well, to become a freelance building estimator, you need to follow an organized method. It will enable you to come out as a professional and get success in your career. Let’s start!
Step #1: Get a Degree from a Reputable Institute
Depending on your expertise and interest, first, choose your degree and start your bachelor’s at a town’s reputable institute. The degrees that you can opt to become an estimator include;
- Bachelor in Finance
- Bachelor in Accounting
- Bachelor in Civil Engineering
- Bachelor in General Business
- Bachelor in Industrial Engineering
- Bachelor in Architectural Engineering
- Bachelor in Construction Management
All these degrees take 4 years to complete and after completing your 120-180 credit hours, you will be able to start working as a fresh freelance manufacturing estimator. If you cannot fulfill the qualification criteria due to any reason, you can also go for a certification program in building estimating services.
Pro Tip: Get high education! The more will be your educational history, the more chances you will attain to start a freelance estimating job with reputable construction companies.
Top 10 Sectors With Tuition Fees to Become Freelance Cost Estimators
Institute | Tuition & Fee (In-state) | Tuition & Fee (Out-of-state) |
New York University | $58,168 | – |
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | $15,859 | $35,099 |
Virginia Tech | $15,208 | $34,838 |
Clemson University | $15,558 | $39,502 |
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | $9,266 | $20,916 |
University of Tennessee, Knoxville | $13,244 | $31,434 |
Thomas Jefferson University | $44,400 | – |
University of Oklahoma | $9,312 | $25,880 |
Michigan Technological University | $17,614 | $39,574 |
San Diego State University | $8,198 | $20,078 |
Step #2: Built Your Skills & Expertise
While moving towards the completion of your bachelor’s degree, search for an estimating job in the construction industry to boost your expertise and get initial experience. You also need to do internships to apply your knowledge as a practical estimator and elevate the level of your proficiencies.
Pro Tip: Try to choose the best company to work with professionals, and increase skills, and industry knowledge!
Skills Required for Freelance Budget Estimators
You must have extraordinary skills so that you can impress maximum construction companies during interviews and increase your chances of selection at the top building firms. The expertise that you should have as a construction estimator are;
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Time Management
First and foremost, your time management skills should be perfect because there is no space for delays when you work with construction contractors. They mostly work within strict time boundaries to provide accurate estimates to their clients. So, always keep the level of your time management skills up!
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Technical Skills
Once you have become a budget estimator, a couple of things you need to work with are computer machines and numbers. You must be able to calculate comprehensive estimates using these sources. And it is only possible if your technical skills are extraordinary.
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Good Organization Skills
In the building industry, cluttered information and unorganized documents can lead to cost increases and sudden loss during construction. It means that being unorganized can cause different issues. Therefore, the organization is necessary for an estimator. It is a significant factor that can decide whether you will submit durable estimates or not.
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Impressive Communication
Manufacturing estimators work with multiple contractors and stakeholders. They also perform the negotiation task while working on material takeoffs. It means that your communication should be polite and impressive for your clients. Your words and tone will decide how much you can succeed as a construction estimator.
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Attention to Detail
Skipping minor details while calculating a construction budget is a common problem among contractors. It seems ineffective but actually causes significant issues during construction. Your client can experience cost overruns, extended construction time, mismanagement, etc. However, your duty is to pave his path for flawless work. And to fulfill your job, you must be an expert in covering all details during estimation.
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Problem-solving Abilities
A professional estimator must be good at problem-solving. His industry knowledge must be extraordinary so that he can solve different issues during estimation, particularly when the cost is going up. Simply put, you should be able to maintain the high quality of the project while solving budget issues or lowering overall construction expenses.
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Analytical Skills
Sometimes, contractors come with incomplete construction information and ask estimators to calculate precise and accurate estimates. It is a point where your analytical skills play a significant role. In simple words, you can say that you must be able to cover all concerns, measure accurate material quantities, and calculate exact estimates even when there is no complete initial construction information available. Lastly, you can understand the importance of exact material takeoff by exploring The Impact of Commercial Takeoff Services on Your Estimation Business.
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Mathematical Expertise
As you have to work with numbers and formulae, your mathematical expertise should be 100%. With all other expertise, you must be good in this subject so that you can hit the precise and accurate budget for your contractors.
Step #3: Start Working in the Industry
Once you have completed your degree with an internship and experience at a small construction company, shift your attention to getting a reputable job at a famous construction company. This will increase your worth as a freelance estimator and add value to your CV.
9 Best Job Options with Per Year Income for Freelance Building Estimators
Job | Pay (Per Year) |
Senior Estimator | $98,000 to $142,500 |
Senior Construction Estimator | $92,000 to $136,000 |
Commercial Construction Estimator | $71,000 to $107,500 |
Electrical Estimator | $74,000 to $105,500 |
Cost Estimator | $60,500 to $98,000 |
Commercial Roofing Estimator | $68,000 to $93,500 |
Steel Estimator | $59,000 to $83,000 |
Building Estimator | $51,000 to $80,000 |
Junior Estimator | $49,000 to $69,000 |
The Range of Services You Can Offer to Your Clients as a Freelance Manufacture Estimator
According to your bachelor’s degree and expertise, you can choose any estimating service to offer your clients. The range of services you can offer to your targeted audience includes;
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Best Platform for Freelance Estimating Services
Besides construction companies, you can also offer your estimating services to your targeted audience via different online platforms. The leading platforms where you can offer freelance cost-estimating services include Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, SimplyHired, Guru, and People Per Hour. When choosing a platform to offer freelance budget estimating services as a freelance electrical estimator, always keep the following considerations at the top;
- Read the terms and conditions of the platform you are going to choose to offer your services.
- Check how much their customer support is active to solve the queries of their users.
- Analyze their payment and withdrawal methods to ensure a flawless payment cycle.
Challenges You Can Experience as a Fresh Freelance Construction Estimator
Whatever field and job you choose, you will experience some challenges as a fresh freelance cost estimator. What could be these challenges? Let’s discuss them in detail.
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Not Gaining First Project
When you start working on online platforms, you can experience difficulty in winning your first estimation project. It is all because of high competition. Your expertise and skills should be incredible so that you can stand out among your competitors. Well, you can win the first project by optimizing your profile, marketing your services on different social media platforms, keeping your rates low as much as possible, targeting low competitive services, and sending quality proposals to your targeted audience. Simply put, your bid quality should be perfect. Lastly, check out the difference between good and bad bids in the table below;
Good Bid | Bad Bid |
✔️Be personalize and use the Client’s name | ❌ Avoid using Sir or Madam |
✔️ Always read complete project details and tell how you can help your client | ❌ Never load your bid with your qualities and talk about the project |
✔️Ask questions as more as possible to understand the project perfectly | ❌ Never go for a photo-less profile or a cartoon image |
✔️ Always write the short bid and every time write the new one according to the project description | ❌ Avoid copy-pasting practice while bidding on a new project |
✔️Share similar projects with your clients that you have worked on | ❌ Never write the skills that are irrelevant or suitable for other projects |
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Access to Limited Resources
At the initial stages, most estimators cannot arrange all resources, such as paid software and tools for accurate estimation. You can cover this issue by expanding your business circle and connecting with multiple estimators. Moreover, you can buy group packages to get access to different software at a reasonable cost.
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Frequent Modifications in Projects
Frequent modification is a common practice in the construction industry. When a contractor or his client makes changes in a building plan, it arises a need to make changes in the budget estimates. As a fresh budget estimator, you can experience difficulty while remodeling a construction estimate. But it is your duty and only flexible and adaptable estimators can only succeed in the construction industry. Make customized strategies to deal with such conditions and work like a pro!
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Unable to Manage Multiple Projects
Once you have gotten your first project and submitted it with a 5-star review, your non-ending lead of construction projects has started. Now, you have to cope with multiple projects at a time. It is a difficult task for a fresh estimator. But one can manage numerous construction projects at a time through a professional organization, taking advantage of technology and estimation software, proper planning, and working on a priority basis.
The Best Construction Estimating Software for Freshers
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Tips To Become a Successful Freelance Cost Estimator
There are always better ways that can lead you to your success. Here we discuss some tips that you can use to pave your career path and make many things easy and flawless for you. Let’s explore them;
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Build a Professional Network
When you start your experience-gaining phase, try to connect with more and more people working in the same industry. While doing so, do not ignore the quality of people. Always target the professional ones who can make a difference in society. Use social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn to expand your business circle. Always be ready to help your clients with quality services and give your best input for 100% efficient outcomes.
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Create an Impressive Portfolio
Before offering your freelance building estimating services on any platform, set up an impressive portfolio. First search for the leading profiles offering the same services you are targeting. Scan them and look at how they present their offerings to their clients. Pick the perfect template with engaging colors and font styles. Add your best estimation projects to your profile. Always upload high-quality images with perfect sizes and pixels. Moreover, write the reality-based features and content on your portfolio. Target the high-demanding keywords so that you would get your first project within the shortest duration.
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Market Your Estimating Services
Marketing your freelance construction estimating services is a good option to expand your business and enter your name in the top estimators. Effective marketing techniques can increase your revenue and benefit you in many other ways. Well, how can you market your estimating services? You can send direct messages to your potential clients. You can take advantage of your content-building team to target your audience. Likewise, you can share your services on social media platforms, including Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can also take advantage of an email marketing strategy to advertise your estimating services. Whatever method you choose, always create customized strategies according to the requirements of your business and implement them to execute perfect outcomes.
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Offer Lower Pricing
Clients always go for reliable and cost-effective estimating services. If you have confidence in your expertise, then attract your initial clients with lower rates. You might earn less revenue in the start but once you have won the trust of your clients, you can increase your rates. After decreased charges, your expertise and skills will play the game. Remember, never go too low and take care of market trending services charges.
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Deliver Exceptional Outcomes
If you want to become a successful estimator, never compromise on the quality of your services. Always start estimation after deeply analyzing a construction project. Choose the best estimation method, such as the bottom-up estimation technique. Ensure the quality of material while working on the material takeoff sheet. Never skip the labor cost since it can significantly increase the overall construction expense. Use Estimating software to ensure the preciseness and accuracy of your estimates. All these approaches will enable you to equip your clients with the best estimating services.
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Continuously Learn & Improve
The construction industry keeps on moving and changing with advancements. It is mandatory for a freelance budget estimator to keep himself updated with these changes. Enrich your estimating services with new technologies and innovations. Keep yourself on a learning track and improvement. As you make improvements and adapt to new technologies, update your portfolio so that your clients can learn that you are also getting updated with industry trends. This practice will shift you on a path surprisingly moving towards your success.
How Much You Can Earn by Offering Freelance Cost Estimating Services?
How much freelance estimator rates or how much a freelance budget estimator can earn? Like other jobs, earnings and revenue increase with experience in the related industry. When you start your career as a fresh freelance manufacturer estimator, you can earn $19962 to $22180. After gaining a few years of training and experience, your revenue will go around $22180 to $38815. And once you become a senior, chartered, or master estimator you can earn $38815 to $44360. You can further overview this career by scanning the following picture.
Conclusion
The demand for construction estimating services is increasing in society. Contractors get assistance from freelance budget estimators to quantify construction materials, calculate building costs, plan manufacturing activities, and manage overall construction projects. If you also want to become a freelance building estimator, follow a three-step guide; get a qualification, boost your expertise, and start working in the industry. Once you complete your degree or certification, you can go into many sub-fields to offer your services. And to offer your estimating services, there are various platforms in which you can choose the one according to your preferences. While offering your services, you can experience numerous challenges, but you can manage all of them by smart working and technical steps. You can also follow the best practices to become a successful freelance budget estimator.
Thus, do not delay and make your career as a freelance estimator to earn revenue between $19962 to $44360. Lastly, do not forget to visit the website of Nedes Takeoffs for more interesting and detailed blog posts.
FAQs
What is the bottom-up estimating method?
The bottom-up estimating method is a technique that estimators use for calculating the construction project cost. It starts by dividing a big manufacturing project into smaller parts and ends with summing up all the individual expenses. The method enables estimators to solve the estimating issues without significant modification in construction plans. Moreover, it increases the chances of accurate estimates that ensure the success of a construction project.
Which is the best platform to start freelance estimating services?
You have many platforms to start working as a professional freelance cost estimator. However, the best option is Upwork which provides unique features and tools for the best project management.
Is a freelance building estimator a good career?
Yes, freelance building estimator is a good career since it is high in demand and you can earn a good income as a freelance cost estimator.
What certification can I attain to optimize my portfolio?
When you work as a freelance cost estimator, certifications play an important role in your profile. The certifications you can apply for include;
- Master Project Manager (MPM)
- Air Conditioning Service Certification
- Certified Construction Manager (CCM)
- Engineer In Training Certification (EIT)
- Certified Estimating Professional (CPE)
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst (CCE/A)
- Master Collision Repair & Refinishing Technician