How to Use AI in Construction Estimating Without Losing Control of the Bid A construction estimate is a commitment: we can build this scope for this price, in this time, from documents we’ve often only had for a couple of weeks. That’s why handing the whole bid to AI and hoping for the best is a terrible idea. I think there are three sensible levels: - Start with risk reduction. Use AI to check your estimate for missed requirements, gaps, double-counting and formula errors. - Use it to structure information. Build requirements and clarifications registers, then review them before they feed into the next step. - Once your data is organised, use it for more of the heavy lifting like assemblies, line-item pricing, subcontractor quote comparisons and submission documents. The important part is keeping human review between each workflow so errors don’t compound. Where are you currently using AI in your estimating process?

There are five categories of tools we need to think about for estimating: - Take-off software - Estimating software - Document management - CRM and bid tracking - AI tools Some platforms do all of them, some only do one small, specific thing. Do I think you need five expensive construction-specific platforms? No. A smaller contractor could cover most of this with a purpose-built take-off tool, Excel, SharePoint or Google Drive, a simple CRM, and Claude or ChatGPT. As your team grows, dedicated estimating software or an all-in-one platform might make more sense. The important thing is choosing tools that suit your process and let you export your data. I broke down the different options in this video: https://youtu.be/AyL3tXCtz18 What does your current estimating stack look like? Which tools would you recommend?

Curious what everyone’s running. Here’s mine: • JobTread — PM, estimating, budgets, and the file system: plans, drawings, receipts, job docs all live here • QuickBooks — accounting • Notion — business brain / SOPs + cost history • Airtable — Contractor OS data layer • Claude / ChatGPT — the glue. Skills + MCP connectors so I’m not re-entering the same data three times Google Drive is still in there, but honestly it’s redundant — it only exists as a staging spot until I get receipt capture running properly through the agents. Once that’s clean it comes out. What are you running — and what’s sitting in your stack that you know you don’t actually need?

I tested the same prompt in Higgsfield using Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 SOL to compare how each model handles AI video generation. While both produced impressive results, they differed in areas like motion consistency, scene composition, prompt interpretation and overall visual quality. Running the same prompt across multiple models is one of the best ways to understand their strengths and choose the right tool for different creative workflows. 💬 Which model has impressed you the most for AI video generation lately and what differences have you noticed in your own tests?

Hey everybody, thought I would kick off a new post for August. What are your goals for this month and what are you trying to get out of the community? Mine are pretty simple and straightforward 1. Keep experimenting with AI and sharing what I'm learning 2. Keep making a ton of youtube videos 3. Keep learning about construction project management and working out the best way to deliver projects and run a construction business Keen to hear what you're goals are and what you want to get out of the community