Estimator Express
Article taken from Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer September 2007
HBXL visited the offices of Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer to demonstrate the software that is helping developers up and down the country.
Acclaimed as the fastest, most accurate and easy to use estimating software ever to be released in the UK, HBXL’s EstimatorXpress allows house builders to produce quotes and estimates quicker than ever before. During our demo it certainly looked easy!
Users can produce a full estimate and build schedule for a whole house in about an hour – something that traditionally would have taken anything up to two days! In addition with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) increasing the number of site visits, HBXL have come up with Health & Safety Xpert, a software package to help developers take total control of their health and safety paperwork.
The reason EstimatorXpress is so accurate stems from the fact that the software is directly linked to a local builders merchant price list via the internet. Updated daily, it means that any quotes are based on prices of the day and not historical information. The building drawing guides the user through every part of the build process meaning that nothing is missed. All they have to do is fill in the dimensions and the software does the rest – in the demo it even reminded us of important aspects of the build that we had forgotten.
The software then prints out a report that highlights the build programme, when to order materials and expected delivery times, as well as the important breakdown of material costs right down to the last screw.
Since its launch research has shown that EstimatorXpress has saved users on average a staggering 67 working days a year, meaning they can get on with the job and spend less time burning the midnight oil or working weekends putting together their quotes.
In addition, developers who have used the software to present cost projections to their bank managers, resulted in those who hold the financial strings recommending other developers also use the software.
Health and Safety:
The implementation of the new Construction Design Management (CDM) regulations in April 2007 means that all housing companies, no matter how big or small, have to adhere to the new laws. Although many might see this as an irritating distraction to an already busy workload, companies have a legal obligation to demonstrate that they take their responsibilities seriously.
They must show that they have done as much as is reasonably practicable to safeguard their employees, subcontractors and general public. With the HSE increasing the number of site visits, HBXL has launched a CDM 2007 compliant version of this Health and Safety Software. This means that house builders can stay right up to date with their obligations on all health and safety issues. Its imperative all house builders take these new laws seriously as it could result in hefty fines, closure of a site or worse still a jail term.
Having radically improved the way developers approach their legal health and safety regulations Health and Safety Xpert saves them huge amounts of time, quickly guiding them through crucial paperwork that’s required under current UK law, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Construction Design Management Regulations 2007.
Developed in partnership with leading health and safety professionals, Health & Safety Xpert encourages an active approach to health and safety. All users have to do is tell Health & Safety Xpert what they are building and it simply does the rest, automatically producing Company Health & Safety Policies, Risk Assessments, COSHH Assessments, Construction Phase Health and Safety Plans, Site and Plant Inspections, forms required by the HSE and many more essential documents to help builders become CDM compliant.
Click on the links below for more information about these two packages
Take a Tour of EstimatorXpress and Health & Safety Xpert