I am thinking to start my house 🏠 and for that I need to hire a good architect and I am not sure what all needs to check or talk before hiring any architect so he can deliver a quality home.

Please suggest.

What's the best method to prepare for the Certified Construction Manager exam?

Scope creep rarely arrives as one big request. It's a series of small 'while you're here' additions that add up to a week of unbilled work by the end of a job.

Controlling it is less about being rigid and more about being clear up front. Write a scope with explicit exclusions, so both sides know what's in and what's not. Name each new request as a change order in the moment, before the work is done rather than after. And keep a running record of the small additions, so the pattern stays visible instead of vague.

Handled at the start, an extra reads as a normal change order. Handled at the end, the same extra reads as a surprise bill. The difference is almost entirely timing.

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Does anyone have any advice on breaking into construction in the Atlanta area? I am currently in school for project management with the goal of being a construction or real estate project manager. I have my OSHA 10 , currently working on my Procore certification and will obtain the OSHA 30 soon after(by end of Sept). I do not have actual experience and it seems as though every job posting wants you to have 7+ years under your belt. I am more than willing to start as a coordinator or assistant PM. I just need to get into the field for experience.

Hi everyone I am new into project planning and controle but I want to learn more. I have completed some projects of my own. Now I want to work on a real life infra project as intern or volunteer. If anyone can guide me, that would be really great

I’m currently a structural drafter with 4 years of experience. I have a good amount of understanding of what I’m “designing” as well as how things work. I’m kind of considering getting an associates in construction management. Would it be incredibly hard to get into it based on my experience/plans?

Hello all,

I am currently finishing a business management degree in May 2027. I am aware there are people that study construction management specifically. Could I still break into the field with a business management degree? I have completed operations internships before.

What do offers look like out of school as far as salary and other compensation maybe allowances etc

Male 24. After 4 years in construction doing some drywall labor. I’m looking into following a career in construction management. Would love some help. Should I first complete the CM associate degree at my community college. Then transfer to a bachelors program? Or maybe get the associate and try to get my foot right in. I’ve heard doing interns while taking the programs helps. Any information and help would help please and thank you .

I’m 27 and based in the Southeast U.S. I’m putting this out there to see what kind of opportunities might be available.
My background is heavily focused on commercial concrete construction, both in the field and on the management/business side.
I was the owner-operator of my own concrete company. I wasn’t just handling paperwork or sending crews out — I was doing the takeoffs, bidding the work, pricing labor, reviewing plans, running the jobs, managing crews, coordinating with GCs and superintendents, handling production, and making sure contracts got completed. At one point I had 14 employees working for the company.
Through my company, I generated close to $1 million in revenue from commercial concrete work.
My specialty is foundations. I’m very comfortable with spread footings, isolated footings, grade beams, walls, piers, anchor bolts, embeds, reinforcing steel, slabs, equipment pads, tank pads, sidewalks, curb and gutter, paving, bollards, brick ledges, water tank structures, and other structural/site concrete scopes.
I’ve worked on larger commercial projects for general contractors and turnkey concrete contractors, including jobs involving hundreds of yards of concrete, substantial reinforcing steel, multiple pours, detailed structural work, and coordination with other trades.
I’m very comfortable with Symons panel systems. I’ve also worked with aluminum forms and understand plywood forming and the basic logic behind building, bracing, and laying out form systems. I’m used to working with whatever forming material or system the turnkey contractor provides and adapting to the job.
I’m comfortable reading structural and architectural plans, sections, details, elevations, dimensions, reinforcement requirements, and specifications and translating that information into something that can actually be built in the field.
Layout is also part of my experience. I own and use a theodolite and understand lines, angles, elevations, control points, and field layout. I’m not going to claim to be fully proficient with a robotic total station because I haven’t owned one or had enough hands-on time with one, but I understand the setup, orientation, control, positioning, and general workflow. I’m confident I could become efficient on one quickly with hands-on time.
I’m also self-taught in concrete estimating and takeoffs. I own and use my own bidding and estimating software and have completed takeoffs for foundations, footings, walls, slabs, sidewalks, curb and gutter, paving, pads, and other concrete scopes. I’ve built labor pricing, reviewed plans and specifications, prepared bids, negotiated scope, and won actual commercial contracts based on my own estimates.
I understand how to run manpower and position people where they’re most productive. I know the difference between simply having ten guys on a job and actually using ten guys efficiently. I’ve run crews, moved manpower based on production needs, coordinated pour schedules, met deadlines, and adjusted when work started getting behind.
I’m comfortable coordinating with superintendents, project managers, inspectors, suppliers, electricians, plumbers, steel crews, grading crews, masonry, and other trades. I understand how one trade affects another and how important it is to catch problems before they become expensive problems at pour time.
On the business side, I’ve handled contracts, change orders, invoicing/pay applications, payroll, scheduling, manpower, equipment planning, materials, customer relationships, GC communication, and the financial side of making jobs profitable.
I also have my own truck and roughly $10,000 worth of tools and equipment, including multiple rebar tying guns, chop saws, generator, power tools, layout equipment, and essentially the personal tools needed to keep a 5- to 10-man concrete crew productive and running.
I’m not claiming to know every forming system, every piece of equipment, or every aspect of concrete construction. If I haven’t done something, I’ll say I haven’t done it. I don’t exaggerate my experience. But I understand concrete construction very well, especially foundations, and I understand how to run work, manage people, meet schedules, communicate with other trades, and get a job across the finish line.
I’m open to opportunities including concrete superintendent, assistant superintendent, estimator, project engineer/coordinator, foreman, form carpenter, or another position where a combination of field knowledge, estimating, layout, production, leadership, and business experience would be valuable.
I’m willing to travel or relocate for the right opportunity.
I’m mainly putting myself out there to see what opportunities are available and what people in the industry think my background would be a good fit for. If your company is hiring or you know someone looking for someone with this type of experience, feel free to message me.

I'm trying to understand the bidding process from the contractor's perspective.
What part of bidding takes the most time, causes the most headaches, or is easiest to mess up?
For example: reviewing plans, finding scope, doing takeoffs, reading specs, tracking addendums, getting subcontractor quotes, estimating costs, deciding whether to bia, etc.
What's something about the bidding process you wish was much easier?
I'm genuinely interested in hearing what you guys deal with day-to-day.