Builder Finds the Best of BIM
January 28, 2010
Is 2010 going to be the year that you begin the BIM (building information modeling) process? One of the biggest challenges for many homebuilders looking to implement BIM is the cost associated with setting up the processes and implementing the technologies. Providers are now offering more services to allow builders to do BIM at a more affordable cost.
Inland Homes, www.inlandhomes.com, Tampa, Fla., is one firm that is using services to create building information models. The residential construction company is getting ready and planning for the upturn. With that in mind, it wanted to get plans into a system that could scale as the company grows, according to Leslie Day, president, Inland Homebuilding Group.
This builder is using Blackpoint Builder Services from Simpad, www.simpad.com, Woburn, Mass. Simpad announced this new service at the end of last year and demonstrated it at the Intl. Builders Show in Las Vegas last week. Blackpoint Builder Services provides on-demand construction drawings and takeoffs.
Inland Homes says the services can help solve the problem of plan errors by allowing it to take into account the structural options and changes that are made to a home during the sales process. With this technology, the builder gets lot-specific construction drawings, takeoffs, and estimates. Prior to Blackpoint Builder Services, the builder relied on third-party designers for plans and trades for quantity takeoffs.
Inland Homes is just one example of a builder that is finding some success with BIM. For residential companies that are looking to begin this process, a number of software vendors are offering services to help with the implementation of the technology and services.
Earlier this year, Ameri-CAD, www.americad.com, Allen, Texas, announced new BIM consulting and implementation services. According to Jay Moore, business development manager, Ameri-CAD, a model can provide between 40% and 70% of the necessary construction documentation. In addition, he says BIM reduces duplicated data entry and inefficiencies in the construction process. Ameri-CAD’s new services include analysis, implementation, training, support, and services.
Inland Homes is using this time now to prepare for the inevitable upturn, and is putting a system in place that will grow with the company. For other in the industry, this might be a good time to do the same—retool business processes today to get ready for the year ahead.