Preconstruction in the Cloud

The architects did not understand how an estimate is created. Estimators were sometimes referred to as “the department of thaumaturgy”, one of the definitions of which is white magic.

Thaumaturgy Has Greek Roots

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The magic of thaumaturgy is miraculous. The word, from a Greek word meaning "miracle working," is applicable to any performance of miracles, especially by incantation. It can also be used of things that merely seem miraculous and unexplainable, like the thaumaturgy of a motion picture's illusions (aka "movie magic"), or the thaumaturgy at work in an athletic team's "miracle" comeback. In addition to thaumaturgy, we also have thaumaturge and thaumaturgist, both of which mean "a performer of miracles" or "a magician," and the adjective thaumaturgic, meaning "performing miracles" or "of, relating to, or dependent on thaumaturgy."

I was part of a team that did a presentation for the Corporate Board of Directors of HOK (an international architectural firm), sometime in the early 2000s. The presentation was based on the masonry takeoff for a hospital in Minnesota that was in design. I did a takeoff that took over a week and a half. The architect, using Revit, did a takeoff with the program in about an hour and a half. The quantities were virtually the same. So, you can see, the time saving was substantial. However, it still had flaws in that it was basically material quantities. You did not know where the quantities were located, so it was not useful for pricing. Revit and others were working to develop BIM programs.

I have been away from the industry for over 10 years and I am confident that things have progressed beyond what I ever dreamed of. My only regret in retiring is that the future of estimating is moving at warp speed. Moving to a point where everything will be taken off through computer programs and the estimator can think about ways to be more efficient—both in the work process and the way that things are built. I will not be able to be a part of these phenomenal changes.

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Frank Kutilek, FCPE St. Louis Metro - 19 fakcats@sbcglobal.net