For anyone considering getting into estimating, Cotney Consulting Group offers a complete course with eleven modules that cover every aspect of the business, from essential math to roofing skills, processes and materials. You will learn how to bid projects and the code requirements you will need to know.

CCG also offers a self-paced advanced estimating course to build on the skills you already know and will soon offer a Professional Certificate in Roofing Estimating.

After each module of the intermediate course, participants will take a short quiz, then finish the course with a multiple-choice test. Each student has two opportunities to pass the 50-question test with a grade of 78% or better.

The CCG estimating training will put you on a career path to becoming a certified professional roofing estimator, which takes five years of work experience. In that time, you can build your expertise and eventually become a senior estimator, then a director of estimating to lead your team.

During the training, you will learn each function of a roofing estimator, from how to estimate material, time and labor to how to coordinate with clients and project managers, engineers and architects. The course also offers excellent tips to help you plan better and become more organized.

Because communication is such an essential skill for estimators, CCG teaches you how to use communication to promote better performance and become more productive.

There are so many aspects to estimating and the CCG training course will teach each one. You will learn the many layers of a roof, from sheathing to waterproof underlayment, ventilation and shingles.

You will also learn how to correctly measure a roof in squares before creating a bid. You will learn the necessary geometry and arithmetic, as well as the importance of pitch and load.

Your success depends on your ability to measure lengths and widths using subtraction, multiplication and division. Based on what materials you plan to use, you must know how much weight a roof section can bear. Along with learning that, you will learn which materials work best based on a roof pitch.

CCG developed this intermediate course in conjunction with professional experts whose primary role is to oversee and manage every aspect of estimating a roofing project. The training is designed for both newcomers and those looking to advance their careers with new skills.

The advanced estimating training program is a self-paced course that builds on what you learn in the intermediate training sequence. Since roofing estimators play such a pivotal role in their company, the more knowledge you have to get the job done, the better and more successful the company can become.

CCG designed its advanced training for roofing companies to train their staff to be more accurate and profitable and to manage projects more efficiently. It is an excellent gateway to CCG’s Associate and Certified Professional Roofing Estimator Certification Programs.

To take the advanced course, you must first complete the intermediate training or have applicable estimating experience.

The advanced course includes modules in:
Estimating Sequencing
Mark-up vs. Profit
Oral and Written Communication Effectiveness
Effective Customer Service
Construction Documents and the Construction Process
Effective Planning and Scheduling After the Project Award
The Submittal Process
RFI and Change Order Best Practices
The Essentials of Project Management and Project Start-up
Post-Project Review Process

Later this summer, CCG plans to roll out its Director of Estimating Training, another self-paced course to build upon your estimating career. An estimating director establishes technical standards and procedures and has the overall responsibility for the training and staffing of the estimating department.

The estimating director plays a vital role in the success of their company.

This new course is designed for those who want to get into more of a managerial role and for roofing companies to train their candidate for Director of Estimating.

A prerequisite for this course is the advanced roofing estimating training or equivalent industry experience.

The modules for this training:
Understanding the Director of Estimating Duties and Expectations
Manage Your Estimating Team, So Everybody Wins
How to do an Employee Performance Review
Strategic Planning in Estimating
The Ten Edicts of the Director of Estimating
Risk Management in the Estimating Department
Overseeing the Key Types of Estimates
Train Your Estimators
The importance of the Weekly Estimating Meeting
Your Role at Project Start-Up to Project Finish
Department Checkup

Also coming later this summer is the CCG Professional Certificate in Roofing Estimating. Participants are required to complete an estimating proficiency test to ensure they have the knowledge and skills they need. You will receive credit for a passing grade and proceed to the next steps of the certification process. Those who do not receive a passing grade will be required to take the CCG estimating course training, then retake the test.

Candidates for the Professional Certificate in Roofing Estimating will also be required to submit a full takeoff, cost estimate and estimate summary for both low slope and steep slope roof design types.

CCG supplies drawings, specifications and instructions.

Once a candidate has successfully passed the proficiency test and received a passing grade on both low and steep slope estimating exercises, they will receive the Roofing Estimator Professional Certificate (PREC).

To learn more, visit Cotney Attorneys and Consultants training page.