WO2012145788A1

WO2012145788A1 - Construction management methods

Info

Publication number: WO2012145788A1
Application number: PCT/AU2012/000426
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrew LENNOX
Original assignee: Abode Design & Construct Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2011-04-27
Filing date: 2012-04-24
Publication date: 2012-11-01

Abstract

The present invention provides a computer-implemented method for assisting a user in costing and/or scheduling and/or managing a building construction project, where one or more processors are programmed to perform the steps comprising: (i) receiving a user input relating to details of the building construction project, (ii) retrieving from a database, information relevant to project cost and/or scheduling and/or management, the information retrieved from the database also being related to the user input, (iii) Displaying a cost estimate and/or a project schedule and/or project progress, wherein the information contained in the database is overseen by an administrator to ensure that it is substantially current and relevant to the jurisdiction in which the building is to be erected.

Description

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMEΝΤ METHODS FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to computer-based systems used in the building construction industry. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems useful in the pricing, scheduling and management of building projects.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The construction of a building is undoubtedly a complex process requiring the co-ordination of individuals having skills in a broad range of disciplines such as general building, town planning, building codes, trades, and engineering. The process is beyond the capability of many owners or owner-builders desirous of instigating and managing a building construction project on their own. While such difficulties arise for projects directed to single dwellings, greater problems present for the owner or owner-builder involved in more complex projects such as multi-unit developments. For example, multi-unit developments typically involve the subdivision of land and more complex costing issues given that certain services may be shared between individual units

A significant problem in building construction is in costing the entire process, or even a part of the process Given that most owners and owner-builders do not understand the mandatory requirements of building, any attempt at even rough pricing often fails given that some mandatory items may not be included.

While the owner or owner-builder may retain the services of a builder to prepare estimates, the estimates are often inaccurate and are typically inflated. Builders are prone to "round up" estimates on construction materials and trades services to ensure that are not financially disadvantaged. Furthermore, the estimate may be based on an inclusion list (i.e. a list of features covered in the estimate) that is vague, confusing or otherwise ill defined.

Due to the inherent complexity of building contracts and the many hidden costs potentially chargeable by a builder, the owner is often faced with additional costs. Indeed, these additional costs are often a core part of a builder's income. The lack of accuracy and transparency in costing makes planning, arranging finance and even the decision whether or not to even commence building difficult. Accurate estimates are necessary so that a potential owner or owner-builder can gauge the commercial viability of a building project, arrange finance and properly control the budget over the course of the project.

Containing budgets is further complicated given the large number of options available when designing a building. While selecting various alternatives such as building materials, fittings and floor coverings it is often the case that the options chosen lead to a final estimate that is greater than the allocated budget.

Another problem for the owner or owner-builder is scheduling. Accurate scheduling is necessary to ensure that costs can be met when they become payable, to ensure that materials and services are in place when required, and deadlines for filing official requirements can be met. Furthermore the ability of an owner-builder to provide realistic timeframes for tasks undertaken by trades persons results in decreased pressure to have those tasks completed, or "call backs" from having sites not adequately prepared . Accurate scheduling also provides for a set completion date so that tenants may be pre-arranged resulting in the property generating income at the earliest opportunity.

Another problem faced by owners, owner-builders (and even smaller professional builders) is the difficulty in purchasing materials and labour at prices that are comparable to those achievable by larger builders. Material suppliers provide smaller customers with limited support in termsof company representatives and discounted pricing.

The total cost of a building construction project may be affected by global factors such as the price of copper, oil, conaete etc, and also local market factors such as labour rates which are generally driven by demand. As a result, the pricing fluctuations are regular and it is difficult to maintain accurate cost estimates over the course of a building project.

A further problem relates to managing the progress of building projects to ensure that deadlines are met and schedules are adhered to. Owners and owner-builders require a simple mechanism to monitor the progress of a construction project to check that milestonesare being met.

The prior art provides a number of software packages allowing builders and professional estimatorsto cost a project, however these packages presume a level of knowledge and are of little use to an individual not having afirm understanding of building construction. It isan aspect of the present invention to overcome a problem of the prior art and provide a computer-implemented method that is usable by an individual not having significant knowledge of the building industry

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect the present invention provides a computer-implemented method for assisting a user in costing and/or scheduling and/or managing a building construction project, where one or more processors are programmed to perform the steps comprising: (i) receiving a user input relating to details of the building construction project, (ii) retrieving from a database, information relevant to project cost and/or scheduling and/or management, the information retrieved from the database also being related to the user input, (iii) displaying a cost estimate and/or a project schedule and/or project progress, wherein the information contained in the database is overseen by an administrator to ensure that it is substantially current and relevant to the jurisdiction in which the building is to be erected. In one embodiment of the method the user is an owner, an owner-builder or a small commercial building entity.

The information contained in the database may be selected from one or more of : construction materials pricing, construction labour pricing, professional services pricing, trade services pricing, office services pricing, utility connection pricing, official fees, official requirements for construction, equipment hire, the identity of a builder, the identity of a construction material supplier, the identity of a construction labour supplier, the identity of a professional services supplier, the identity of a trade services supplier, the identity of an office services supplier, the identity of a utility connection supplier, either alone or in any combination. In one embodiment of the method the administrator is a qualified builder, a builder's consultant, a building materials supplier, a labour supplier, a building estimator, a trades person or any other person having sound practical experience and knowledge of building. The method mat further comprisesthe step of transmitting any or all input and/or output of the method to a reviewer, or requesting or allowing a reviewer to access any or all input and/or output data for the purpose of review.

In one embodiment of the method the user is guided through a series of questions and/ or steps designed to provide pricing, scheduling or management information, the questions and/or steps being (in one embodiment) dependent on the user's answers to previous questions or on the previous steps through which the method has proceeded. In addition or alternatively, the selections available at a certain question and/or step are dependent on the user's answers to previous questions or on the previous steps through which the method has proceeded. In addition or alternatively, the selections available at a certain question and/or step are dependent on the user's selections in previous steps through which the method has proceeded. In addition or alternatively, the questions and/or steps through which the user is guided are dependent on information in the database. In one embodiment of the method, the building construction project is a multi-unit development project

The method may comprise the automated generation of one or more documents involved in the building, the contents generated according to user input and database information.

In a second aspect the present invention provides a computer software capable of executing a computer-implemented method as described herein.

In a third aspect the present invention provides a computer database containing information selected from one or more of: construction materials pricing, construction labour pricing, professional services pricing, trade services pricing, office services pricing, utility connection pricing, official fees, official requirements for construction, the identity of a construction material supplier, the identity of a construction labour supplier, the identity of a professional services supplier, the identity of a trade services supplier, the identity of an office services supplier, the identity of a utility connection supplier, either alone or in any combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig 1 shows a diagram of the information flow between the various components of a preferred form of the invention.

Fig 2 shows a diagram detailing the step-wise guided process through which a user is guided according to one form of the invention.

Fig 3 shows a Gantt chart provided as output according to one form of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

After considering this description it will become apparent to one skilled in the art how the invention is implemented in various alternative embodiments and alternative applications. However, although various embodiments of the present invention will be described herein, it is understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and not limitation. As such, this detailed description of various alternative embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope or breadth of the present invention. Furthermore, statements of advantages or other aspects apply to specific exemplary embodiments, and not necessarilyto all embodiments covered by the claims. Unless the contrary intention is expressed, the features presented as preferred or alternative forms of the invention can be present in any of the inventionsdisdosed as alone or in any combination with each other.

The present invention is predicated at least in part on Applicant's finding that individuals who would otherwise not have the ability to properly cost, schedule, monitor or generally manage a building project are enabled to do so where they are provided with a computer- based method for managing the project that indudes a database containing up-to-date data relating to the many fees, requirements, services and the like necessary for the construction of a building. Accordingly, in a first aspect the present invention provides a computer- implemented method for assisting a user in costing and/or scheduling and/or managing a building construction project, where one or more processors are programmed to perform the steps comprising (i) receiving a user input relating to details of the building construction project, (ii) retrieving from a database, information relevant to project cost and/or scheduling and/or management, the information retrieved from the database also being related to the user input, (iii) displaying a cost estimate and/ or a project schedule and/or project progress, wherein the information contained in the database is overseen by an administrator to ensure that it is substantially current and relevant to the jurisdiction in which the building isto be erected. The methods described herein at least partially overcome a problem of prior art computer- based construction software packages that are not able to provide reliable cost estimates, scheduling information or other project management information. It is proposed that the use of substantially current information that is also relevant to the jurisdiction in which the building isto be erected leads to the output of more accurate information to the user.

Relevant to accurate costing, Applicant has recognised that estimating programs of the prior art are deficient by basing estimates on materials and labour pricing entered by the user at the time of purchasing the software, or at the commencement of the project. Without substantially current data, cost estimates become unreliable. This issue arises also where the project includes a product which is superseded and/or updated during the building project. Each time a new version comes onto the market, a manual change is required to prior art estimating software.

In addition to the above, many existing software packages are designed for more sophisticated users (such as builders, trades persons, and building estimators) who already have a sound working knowledge of building construction. Such packages make many assumptions regarding the user's knowledge of building as so can be essentially unworkable in the hands of an owner or owner-builder builder. Furthermore, software packages of the prior art typically rely on information that is suitable only for specific jurisdictions, be it a council area, state, or country. By contrast, the present methods are customizable by virtue of the administrator-controlled database which may be configured to hold relevant information allowing a user to complete possibly an entire construction process in their location of choice. A diagrammatic representation of the flow of information between various components of an exemplary embodiment of the method is shown in Fig 1. In this embodiment, the user 2 is an owner or an owner builder capable of securely accessing the dedicated website 4 hosted on the Internet 6 via a user computer 8 and a user browser 10. The dedicated website is also securely accessible to a supplier 12 via a supplier computer 14 and a supplier browser 16. The administrator 18 oversees the database 20 hosted on the administrator computer 22, ensuring that all information in the database is up-to-date. The processor 24 executesthe various instructions provided by the building management software 26.

In operation, the user 2 inputs various data relating to a proposed building project (such as location and size), with the software 4 providing desired outputs (such as price estimate and Gantt chart) by reference to the database 20. The supplier 12 uploads pricing information for various building hardware products to the database 2. On a daily basis, the administrator 18 may upload new information or amend existing information in the database 2 to ensure currency of all data.

The database may contain information of any type (qualitative or quantitative) that would be of assistance to a user in building construction. The present methods are not limited to any particular category of information however in some embodiments of the invention the information contained in the database is selected from one or more of: construction materials pricing (such as building hardware, concrete, and landscaping supplies), construction labour pricing, professional services pricing, trade services pricing, office services pricing, utility connection pricing, official fees, official requirements for construction, equipment hire (such as temporary fencing and scaffolding), the identity of a builder, the identity of a construction material supplier (such as a roofing material supply company), the identity of a construction labour supplier (such as a labour supply company or an individual labourer), the identity of a professional services supplier (such as a lawyer, conveyancer, town planner, architect, or draftsperson), the identity of a trade services supplier (such as a carpenter, painter, or electrician) , the identity of an office services supplier (such as a document printing service or a courier service), the identity of a utility connection supplier (such as an a water, electricity or gas supply company), either alone or in any combination. Given the benefit of the present invention and the foregoing exemplary list, the skilled artisan will be capable of indentifying other suitable categories of information useful in the context of the present invention. It will be understood that the information present in the database will be of at least some assistance to the user, who is preferably a small commercial building entity (such as a sole builder) or a novice in building construction (such as an owner or owner-builder). The information may comprise relatively simplistic information, such as the price of building materials. The information in the database may also comprise relatively complex information of the type typically immediately available to a builder or building estimator, such as the volume of concrete required for a foundation slab of a given dimension, or the best type of material for a given application.

While many building professionals have an overall working knowledge of the steps and requirements of construction, they simply cannot have all necessary information at hand. Accordingly, in some cases, the information maintained in the database will be outside that typically immediately available to a builder or building estimator, and may include information of a very high complexity including engineering information, town planning information or legal information.

As mentioned supra, the database may comprise qualitative information such as the identities of suppliers of building materials and the various services required in building construction. Owners and owner-builders do not often have sufficient familiarity with local suppliers to allow for an informed selection. Accordingly, in some embodiments of the computer-implemented methods these providers have been subject to a prequalification test or have a demonstrable minimum standard of expertise or have a particular level of pricing affording them particular suitability to carry out a relevant service.

In certain forms of the invention the database is administered by an entity that has arranged pricing (and preferably discount pricing) with one or more suppliers, with the database containing the identity of the suppliers, and also the relevant prices As a group or network of purchasers acting as one, preferential pricing and service which is not typically within the reach of the majority of owners, owner-builders and smaller professional builders is provided by the present methods

It will be understood that the quality of the outputsof the present method (such asthe cost estimates, scheduling charts and progress reports) are directly related to the quality of the information maintained in the database. Advantageously, the administrator will be a person with at least some knowledge of the requirements of building construction capable of assessing the accuracy or relevance of the information in the database against a background of changing prices, labour requirements, building codes and the like. The administrator may be aqualified builder, a builder's consultant, a building materials supplier, a labour supplier, a building estimator, a trades person or any other person having sound practical experience and knowledge of building. Given the broad range of skills required in building construction, ateam of administrators may be responsible for maintaining the database information.

It will be understood that not all information in the database will necessarily be under the control of an administrator. For example, where the information is relatively simple (such as the price of a construction material) a non-administrator may be permitted to directly upload information to the database directly. For example, a supplier of floor covering may be permitted to routinely upload a price list covering every type of carpet and underlay. In any event, the administrator will normally have the ultimate control of the database contents and may override any direct input if deemed inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate.

As used herein, the term "computer-implemented" is intended to mean that the method is operable at least in part or even entirely on any processor-equipped device such as a personal computer, laptop, netbook, tablet, PDA, smart phone and other similar contrivances The method may be implemented on a single computer or across multiple computers connected to a LAN, WAN or the Internet. The method may be implemented in the form of standalone software adapted to be installed on a single computer. In that scenario, the database is typically retained on the single computer with the database being updated via internet download or by any other method such as optical, magnetic or flash storage media being connected to the computer.

Preferably the method is embodied without the need to install dedicated software or database information on the user's computer. For example, the entire method may be embodied in a server remote form the user's computer, with data transmission between the computer and server being via the Internet, by way of a browser platform such as Microsoft Internet Explorer™, Google Chrome™, Mozilla Firefox™ or Apple Safari™. Indeed, an Internet -based implementation is preferred since the database information is kept up-to- date on a single server such that any modifications are immediately accessible to all users

In the context of the present invention the term "building construction project" is intended to include any project directed the construction of a building, including a residential dwelling, a complex of residential dwellings, a commercial building such as a retail store, an office or a warehouse. The term is not intended to be limited to a complete construction project (such as the construction of adwelling from the foundationsthrough to completion) but may refer to constructing a dwelling only to the "lock-up" stage. The term may also include a complete or partial renovation to an existing building.

The user input required by the present computer-implemented methods is typically prompted by a series of questions or options raised by the computer. In response, the appropriate input is provided by the user by selecting various menu items, and submenu items, navigating pre-populated drop down menus, clicking actionable buttons, typing information into form fields and so on.

The database may be any type of database that is capable of being read from, and optionally written to. Typical options include the flat-file style of database useful for smaller amounts of datathat need to be human readable or edited by hand. Preferably a Database Management layer is added to this type of database allowing script programmers to store information as a pair of strings whereby a key is used to find the associated value. More complex data structures will be better managed using relational databases such as MySQL Microsoft SQLServer and Oracle, given their more logical structure in the way data is stored. Tables can be used to represent real world objects, with each field acting as an attribute. For example, a table called "floor tiles" could have the columns "size", "colour" and "finish", which describe the details of each type of floor tile stored in a database of building materials. The step of "displaying" the cost estimate, project schedule or project progress may be achieved by presenting the user with any comprehensible information including by way of display on a computer monitor or by printed means.

As used herein the term "substantially current" means that the information is broadly applicable to a building construction project at the time of execution of the computer- implemented method by the user. For example, pricing information relating to hardware, labour, professional services et cetera must be reasonably current to allow for the generation of accurate cost estimates Similarly, the information in the database must reflect current building codes such that any cost estimate, schedule or progress report is practically useful. It will be understood that the information is not necessarily required to be absolutely current, but preferred embodiments of the method provide for a database with information that is updated or potentially updated every 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes, 50 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 18 hours, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, 6 days or 1 week. The present method may be adapted to compensate for any alterations in the database that effect project costing, scheduling or management by executing a validation step against current projects after a database modification is made. For example, if the user generates a cost estimate for the construction of a dwelling based on a database entry directed to a law requiring boundary fences between adjoining properties only, but local council requirements change such that a fence is also required to the front of the property, then after updating the database the validation process would detect an inconsistency between current fencing requirements and the length of fencing selected. The user would then be prompted to increase fencing requirements when opening their project file.

In one embodiment of the invention, the method provides output useful in the scheduling of a construction building project. Accurate scheduling is a difficult yet important task in construction given the need to temporally arrange a large number of actions, services, payments, document submissions and the like for the project to run smoothly an economically. Building projects can typically be described by way of a series of tasks, with the completion of one task often being a prerequisite to the commencement of another of another task. As a simple example, the framing of house cannot be commenced until the foundations are completed. Typically, the output is predominantly by graphical means, such Gantt chart or similar. Other forms of output are contemplated including graphical time lines, calendar-based systems, and simple text means.

In one embodiment of the invention the method provides output useful in the management of a construction building project. Typically the method will allow the user to enter the completion of various tasks in the project so that the output is representative of the state of affairs at any given time. A preferred method of output is the Gantt chart, and more preferably a dynamic Gantt chart. Progress within a given task of the chart may be shown within a bar of the Gantt chart as shown in Fig 3 herein.

In another embodiment, output from the present method is provided by a remote webcam (or similar device) that is installed about the project site. The use of a webcam allows a user to directly monitor the progress of work in real time. A further embodiment provides output in the form of a text-based log which lists that time that a given task is marked as completed.

While the computer-implemented methods of the present invention are capable of providing useful guidance and information to a user, the method may include the step of transmitting any or all input and/or output of the method to a reviewer, or requesting or allowing a reviewer to access any or all input and/or output data for the purpose of review and for possible adjustment. The reviewer may be an administrator as characterised supra. Preferably the reviewer isan experienced building estimator or an experienced builder or an experienced town planner. This step may be particularly advantageous in the early stages of the building process such as the costing phase. While the computer-implemented methods and database can provide useful estimates, accuracy may be improved where an appropriately experienced person reviews the data with a view to remedying any deficiencies.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, the method includesthe step of guiding the user through a series of questions and/ or steps, the questions and/ or steps designed to elicit information useful in providing pricing, scheduling or management information. This embodiment of the method ensures that the user considers many, most or substantially all factors that will affect the pricing, scheduling or management of the building construction project at hand.

According to this guiding step, basic questions are typically first presented to the user. A relevant basic question may be the location of the proposed project, since this will dictate the municipality, council or shire regulatory regime under which the project must proceed. This will in turn affect which information is retrieved from the database, and in particular information relating to planning requirements. The location of the development will also define the pool from which suppliers and service providers may be drawn, the relevant utility companies to contact for build-over permits, et cetera. Other basic information elicited from the user according to the guiding step may include whether the development is a single dwelling or multi-unit development (including the number of units if the latter). This basic Information may be sufficient to display the costs and mandatory requirements for filing an application for atown planning permit from the relevant council. The method may subsequently elicit more detailed information from the user in order to identify costs and mandatory requirements for filing an application for a building permit, for example. Information such as such as the area of the ground floor, and any other floors or basement of the proposed building are typically input by the user. By reference to information held in the database, the method will identify and display all mandatory requirements to the user (such as soil testing, working drawings, and structural engineering) and present a fixed quote based on the services that must be undertaken to meet those requirements Quite apart from this issue of costing, information at this step may also be used for scheduling and project management purposes, as described further infra. Where the project involves the subdivision of land, the method may display mandatory requirements, cost estimates and schedule information for the steps involved in effecting the subdivision. Land subdivision is a complex task, and more detailed questions may be displayed to the user to assist in indentifying the associated requirements and costs. Quite apart from this issue of costing, information at this step may also be used for scheduling and project management purposes, as described further infra.

Pursuant or optional to the successful completion of the town planning, building permit or subdivision aspects of the method, the user can elect to enter information required to generate costing, schedule or management information relating to the construction of the building per se. Given the significant variation in costs associated with construction, the user, may be prompted to initially select the quality of development under consideration on a scale of "good", "better" and "best". This will have the effect of removing a significant number of options available to the user at later steps in the method. For example, where a development of only basic quality is being planned (such as a multi-unit development for student accommodation) only options for basic quality fittings, floor coverings, appliances and the like would be presented by the method. This has the benefit of faster loading of information from the database (especially where photographs of various construction items available for selection are displayed to the user). An added (yet significant) benefit is that significant time is saved by the user since options outside their price range are not considered. In addition to this, many mandatory requirements set by the relevant building code (for example, Building Code Australia) will be pre-selected to illustrate some lesser known requirements that the user may need to include.

Conveniently, and to assist selection of optionsthe method may present the various options in discrete grouping under headings such as "exterior" (including items such as fencing, landscaping and drive way), "structure" (including items such as sewer, meter box, frame, and termite protection) , "facade" (including items such as windows, exterior doors "general" and "room". As described for other selection methods user input in one category may alter the selections available in another category or pre-populate a data input field. As one example, where the user inputs measurements for a room, the data input field defining the area of a floor covering is calculated and the correct area (in m², and with a wastage allowance included) is inserted into the field.

Advantageously the present methods provide real time update of construction cost estimates based on user selections. Thus, altering a selection from one type of window to another will immediately alter the total cost (based on the total number of windows), and the user may decide whether or not to move forward with the alteration to window type based on the effect on cost. Quite apart from this issue of costing, information at this construction step of the process may also be used for scheduling and project management purposes, asdescribed further infra.

In certain embodiments of the method the questions and/ or steps presented to the user are dependent on the user's answers to previous questions or on the previous steps through which the method has proceeded. For example, where user input signifies that the project does not involve the subdivision of land, a question relating to the number of unit dwellings in the project will not be presented to the user. As another example, where user input signifiesthe project isto be constructed in a council area having stringent noise regulations, a step directing the user to select wall sound insulation will be included in the method. As a further example, where a user input signifies the project is to be constructed in a certain geographical area only service providers and suppliers in close proximity are available (or at least suggested) for selection.

In certain embodiments the selections available to the user at a certain question and/ or step are dependent on the user's answers to previous questions or on the previous steps through which the method has proceeded. As another example, where user input signifies that a dwelling has a second floor, lower density underlay would not be an option presented in order to minimise noise transmission to the ground floor.

In certain embodiments the selections available to the user at a certain question and/ or step are dependent on the user's selections in other parts of the method. For example, where the user selects a sliding door, the available options for selection of door handles is automatically modified to remove the option of a door knob. In certain embodiments of the method the questions and/or stepsthrough which the user is guided are dependent on information in the database. Thus in certain embodiments of the invention there is a synergistic interaction between the guided steps and questions part of the present method and the database. By combining these two embodiments of the method, a significant outcome is achieved in so far as a very robust method for building is provided. The information in the database and the guided steps and questions interact in a way that is more than additive to give this new and/or unexpected result.

It will be understood that any part of the method include only part of a guided process, with the guided process including steps and/or questions relating only to a part of the building construction process. A user, for example, may wish to only assess cost for town planning and terminate the method after receiving the required information on that aspect.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the step-wise methodology by which various inputs and outputs are provided at different steps of the process Preferably the building construction project is a multi-unit development project such as a townhouse development, an apartment development, a villa unit development, a holiday village development, a retirement village development and the like. Such developments provide special challenges to owners and owner-builders. These developments are typically undertaken as commercial projects, and as such issues of pricing, scheduling and management assume a greater importance compared with a dwelling constructed for the owner's own habitation. Indeed, accurate costings are necessary at first instance to decide whether or not a development is economically viable. The present methods may also be used to optimise the economic viability by choosing localities and construction materials to lower the cost of building in order to deliver the greatest profit.

In certain embodiments, the method comprises the automated generation of one or more documents involved in the building, the contents generated according to user input and database information. .Exemplary documents that may be produced include a materials takeoff list, a purchase order, an invoice, a town planning form, a loan application form, a letter to council or other authority, a letter to a utility company, a building plan and the like.

In one embodiment, the present method operates according to the following exemplary method relating to a multi-unit development. The user logs into the system with a login name and password. After log in, the user selects "add", which requests user input for a number of project parameters including the address. This identifiesthe area geographically and the council in which the property is located. This allows the method to only refer to e.g. certain builders (it is best if a local builder is used). It also allows for loading of council specific information which can change project cost or scheduling. For example, some councils may require a front yard to be fenced and this will alter overall costs Qhers may have extended periods for advertising a development so thiswill affect scheduling.

The user is then presented with a number of menu items including "town planning", "building permit", "subdivision", "construction", "invoice", "log history" and "live webcam". Where "town planning is selected" the method provides a quote for town planning application. The quote includes "mandatory items" such as project briefing, obtaining title documentation (including title, plan of subdivision, covenants), land survey, neighbourhood character plan (including feature survey of surrounding properties, neighbourhood character/ design response (including general summary and observations of the immediate area, details of the streetscape, preparation of town planning drawings (including neighbourhood character plan, site plan, design response dealing with issues such as floor plans in relation to site context, setbacks, driveways, fencing, energy rating requirements etc), elevations (including cladding types, dimensions, window styles, overlooking treatments etc), shadow diagram; landscape plan (including ground cover plan and planting plan); materials schedule, town planning reports (including response to any building code issues, and report detailing conformance to the code, submission to council (including completion of relevant forms, payment of council application fees, printing of plans and all documentation, transmission to council. The quote may also include optional items that are dependent on the building site (and not the council) such as obtaining easement approval, arborist reports, traffic engineer reports, fire management report, and waste management report.

Where "building permit" is selected the method provides a quote for the obtaining of building permits Thisrequiresfurther user input on the area of each floor of each unit. The quote includes mandatory items such as obtaining soil test, sewer details, obtaining information on property (such as point of discharge fire, flood, termite), preparation of working drawings (including site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections, stairs, balustrade, deck, balcony, window schedule, electrical diagram, joinery details), structural engineering (including foundation, lintels/ beams, joists, steel, certification and computations), bushfire assessment, energy rating reports

The quote may include optional items such as title documentation, land survey, flood level advice, planning certificate, town planning permit, town planning drawings, civil engineering, build over easement application from water authority or power company, council report and consent, developers consent, protection works notice, acoustic report, development contribution fees, building surveyor liaising.

Where "subdivision" is selected the method provides a quote to perform the necessary tasks in the preparation, submission and co-coordinating the necessary tasks to obtain a town planning permit. The quote may include the following: title documentation, land surveyor, council liaising, application for water, sewer, power, communications (including telephone), gas, civil engineering, drainage and retention systems, organization (and optionally payment) of council fees, lodgement of plans and any certificates from council to property conveyancer,

Where "construction" is selected the method provides a quote for actual construction of the project, and presents four submenus (quote/specifications, contracts, pre-construction, Gantt chart). Where the quote/ specifications submenu is selected , a project estimate tool is launched which guides the user through the various selections for materials, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, cladding, roofing, ceiling height, fittings, finishes including doors, windows, carpets, paint, bench tops, door handles, and electrical fittings. In this section many of the parameters may be preloaded for example, where a bedroom of a certain area is specified, this preloadsthe area required for carpet.

When all required data is entered the user may generate any number of reports covering cost estimates, scheduling and other project management information.

While the computer-implemented methods desaibed herein are disclosed mostly by reference to use by novice owner builders, it will be understood that other types of user may gain advantage from the invention.

In another embodiment the present invention provides a computer software package capable of executing a method as desaibed herein.

In another embodiment the present invention provides a computer database containing information selected from one or more of : construction materials pricing, construction labour pricing, professional services pricing, trade services pricing, office services pricing, utility connection pricing, official fees, official requirements for construction, equipment hire, the identity of a builder, the identity of a construction material supplier, the identity of a construction labour supplier, the identity of a professional services supplier, the identity of a trade services supplier, the identity of an office services supplier, the identity of a utility connection supplier, either alone or in any combination. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components and steps of the method have been desaibed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled persons can implement the desaibed functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the invention. In addition, the grouping of functions is for ease of description.

The various embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general -purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The steps of any method or algorithm described herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium. An exemplary storage medium can be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASG

Various embodiments may also be implemented primarily in hardware using, for example, components such as application specific integrated circuits ("ASICs"), or field programmable gate arrays ("FPGAs"). Implementation of a hardware state machine capable of performing the functions described herein will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art. Various embodiments may also be implemented using a combination of both hardware and software.

The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles desaibed herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is to be understood that the description and drawings presented herein represent a presently preferred embodiment of the invention and are therefore representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present invention. It isfurther understood that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments that may become obvious to those skilled in the art and that the scope of the present invention isaccordingly limited by nothing other than the appended claims

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A computer-implemented method for assisting a user in costing and/or scheduling and/or managing a building construction project, where one or more processors are programmed to perform the steps comprising:

(i) receiving a user input relating to details of the building construction project,

(ii) retrieving from a database, information relevant to project cost and/or scheduling and/or management, the information retrieved from the database also being related to the user input,

(iii) displaying a cost estimate and/or a project schedule and/or project progress, wherein the information contained in the database is overseen by an administrator to ensure that it is substantially current and relevant to the jurisdiction in which the building is to be erected.

2, A computer-implemented method according to claim 1 wherein the user is an owner, an owner-builder or a small commercial building entity,

3. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the information contained in the database is selected from one or more of: construction materials pricing, construction labour pricing, professional services pricing, trade services pricing, office services pricing, utility connection pricing, official fees, official requirements for construction, equipment hire, the identity of a builder, the identity of a construction material supplier, the identity of a construction labour supplier, the identity of a professional services supplier, the identity of a trade services supplier, the identity of an office services supplier, the identity of a utility connection supplier, either alone or in any combination.

4. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the administrator is a qualified builder, a builder's consultant, a building materials supplier, a labour supplier, a building estimator, a trades person or any other person having sound practical experience and knowledge of building.

5. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the method comprises the step of transmitting any or all input and/or output of the method to a reviewer, or requesting or allowing a reviewer to access any or all input and/or output data for the purpose of review,

6. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the user is guided through a series of questions and/or steps designed to provide pricing, scheduiing or management information.

7. A computer-implemented method according to ciaim 6 wherein the questions and/or steps are dependent on the user's answers to previous questions or on the previous steps through which the method has proceeded.

8. A computer- implemented method according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the selections available at a certain question and/or step are dependent on the user's answers to previous questions or on the previous steps through which the method has proceeded.

9. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 6 to 8 wherein the selections available at a certain question and/or step are dependent on the user's selections in previous steps through which the method has proceeded,

10. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 6 to 9 wherein the questions and/or steps through which the user is guided are dependent on information in the database.

11 . A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the building construction project is a multi-unit development project

12. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the method comprises the automated generation of one or more documents involved in the building, the contents generated according to user input and database information.

13, A computer software capable of executing a computer- implemented method according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

14. A computer database containing information selected from one or more of: construction materials pricing, construction labour pricing, professional services pricing, trade services pricing, office services pricing, utility connection pricing, official fees, official requirements for construction, the identity of a construction material supplier, the identity of a construction labour supplier, the identity of a professional services supplier, the identity of a trade services supplier, the identity of an office services supplier, the identity of a utility connection supplier, either alone or in any combination.