Computer Aided Design (CAD) Software in the Construction Industry

In the “old days,” central in most sizable construction companies was a drafting table.  On the drafting table, you drew, by hand, and made blueprints. This was a tedious endeavor requiring at least some training, either schooled or on the job, and some talent.  It was time consuming and you made original drawings often two by three feet or larger that required significant storage space.

Not long ago, Computer Aided Design, or CAD became available.  However, only the most elite construction companies could use this technology.  Not only did the software itself cost thousands of dollars, but the computers necessary to run it could cost well over a hundred thousand dollars.

Eventually, though, the software became affordable to even the smallest companies. Today, CAD software can be purchased for as little as $50 and added to your construction software arsenal. And with computers being so cheap, an additional $500 is all that is needed to set everything up and start using computer software to design construction projects.

It’s not all about cost; it’s about productivity, portability and enhancing the abilities of a builder. CAD software can be considered building software because many companies produce CAD programs that are enhanced for builders. There are two relative classes of CAD programs, which we will generically call high end and low end.  As we will see, high applications tend to be focued on analytical tools. Low-end applications focus on basic blueprints and visual renderings.

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Technology and You When Shopping for a New Construction Software Solution

It’s always been a curiosity to me that prospective buyers of new construction software pay almost no attention to the technology of the program they are about to buy.

They usually have a laser like focus on how the software looks on the screen, what the salesman says about it, and what it costs. While those issues may be important, asking the right questions about technology will tell you an awful lot about the vendor and their commitment to their product and, ultimately, their long term commitment to you as a satisfied customer.

You might ask – does what’s under the hood really matter as long as the car gets me to where I want to go? That’s a legitimate question. Now lets do a little exploring.

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Five Gotchas in Choosing Construction Software

There are five significant areas where users can go off track when evaluating new software options.

Many contractors realize they need help with their office record keeping and paperwork so they start poking around for an upgrade to their office systems.

1. Web searching for the best solution
The first thing just about everyone does today to find information is do a web search for new construction software.

They will type in something like “compare construction software” or “construction accounting” or “project management software,” etc. This will result in pages and pages of links and they will select a couple that catch their eye, based on a slick marketing message or nice logo, and then contact those vendors or search services for information.

This may help them identify some vendors but it has little or nothing to do with qualifying them for their business based on their needs and budget. It’s strictly pot luck if you wind up looking at the right products.

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