When a plan comes together

03/08/2009 20:39:00

Article appeared in Professional Builder, July/August 2009

It’s during times of adversity that people look for ways in which they can survive and get ready to grow their business.

History shows that during times of recession is when new ideas, products and services are thought of and developed, fast becoming the next best thing when the state of the economy improves.

So as the worst recession since the second world war continues to add woe on an already beleaguered building sector, so many small to medium sized building businesses up and down the country are wondering how they are going to ride out the downturn and set themselves up for recovery.

According to Anthony Botibol, marketing manager at HBXL one way builders can look to survive is by diversifying the range of services they provide their customers.

And one area Anthony believes builders are missing out on and could potentially explore is offering a design and build service.

For those builders who already provide design and plans for their clients invariably employ the services of an architect which then costs hundreds of pounds. But according to Anthony, this is one service builders could quite easily do themselves, potentially charging for the service and making more money.

Backed by the results of a survey conducted by HBXL of over 100 builders it seems Anthony and the team at HBXL is on to something when it comes to offering plans, drawings and elevations.

Of those surveyed 39% said they currently do not offer a design and build service for clients with 33% saying they use an architect to provide plans for them.

Over a third said they pay between £300 to £600 for a set of plans and over 40% paying £600+ per time and is why Anthony is convinced builders wanting to save on the cost of paying an architect for plans need to consider offering this service themselves.

Anthony said: “It’s at times like these that builders need to think about providing services they perhaps didn’t consider possible or within their technical ability, such as offering a design service.

“What HBXL is doing is helping builders make the most of opportunities that before they might not have thought possible.”

For those considering this as a potential revenue stream HBXL’s PlansXpress software is well worth a look.

The first of its kind, PlansXpress is a CAD based software package that allows builders to quickly and easily draw professional building plans and elevations without the need for any training or employing the services of an architect!

Developed by a builder specifically for builders, there has never been a CAD package so uniquely tailored for the small to medium sized builder market.

Anthony said: “It’s easy to learn and it opens up a whole new area for builders. You can draw from scratch, scan a client’s plans or import a CAD file and modify the plans. PlansXpress is great because when you draw your wall it fills in the detail for you. You then just add in windows, doors and other symbols.”

Perfect for designing houses and extensions it has revolutionised the way professional builders approach a job. Users can now easily print architect quality, working drawings themselves in plan format as well as producing automatically generated elevations and 3D visuals.

In addition, by importing plans from PlansXpress to HBXL’s EstimatorXpress users can automatically price up the building drawings directly from the original plans. This means the entire plan and design will be automatically priced and scheduled at the click of a button!

Anthony added: “After just one project the money saved on not using an architect will pay for the software. This means all future jobs will go straight on the bottom line improving profitability and in times like these could be the difference between survival or going bust.”

DONOVAN PLANS BRIGHT FUTURE WITH PLANSXPRESS

For West London builder Donovan Christian, who operates his medium sized building firm SBMS Ltd, taking on board PlansXpress has already added a new dimension to his thriving business.

Carrying out new builds and refurbishments Donovan is already a converted EstimatorXpress user so he decided to take a look at the new CAD based software to see if it could help him expand his service. And it seems the decision to invest in PlansXpress has already paid off. Before he started using PlansXpress, to draw up plans for project Donovan would employ the services of an architect, which would cost in the region of £750.

But, as he now has the ability to provide the plans himself, he is charging customers for the service which goes directly onto his bottom line.

Donovan said: “PlansXpress is really easy to use. One of the first jobs I used it for was to scan in existing plans. From these initial drawings, costing the project was timesaving due to PlansXpress linking directly to EstimatorXpress.

“I’ve also drawn up plans for other projects from scratch, plans which have been passed by the local authorities. Because I’m charging less than an architect, the customer saves money. Being able to present a full breakdown of costs also helps me win the work.

“Offering drawings and plans is something I’ll be looking to do more of in the future and we’ll be looking to expand the business as more work comes in.”

For further information on PlansXpress call 0845 1234 065,  visit the webpage or chat online now.

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