Field notes on bidding, estimating, and running a site-work shop.
New post every two weeks. Useful regardless of whether you ever buy Grademark.
Recent posts
Bidding
How to bid grading work in under 30 minutes
A four-stage workflow that turns a 60-page grading plan into a sendable bid in half an hour. Covers plan ingestion, scope identification, quantity takeoff, and pricing application.
May 2, 2026 · K
QuickBooks
Why your QuickBooks is lying to you about job profitability
QuickBooks job costing only works if your cost code structure does. Why most site work contractors are looking at misleading P&Ls. And how to fix it without leaving QuickBooks Desktop.
April 18, 2026 · K
Takeoffs
Cut/fill takeoffs: 3 methods compared (and why most contractors do it wrong)
Manual planimeter, digital Bluebeam markup, AI-extracted with surface comparison. Three takeoff methods with their accuracy, time cost, and the mistakes contractors keep making in each.
April 4, 2026 · K
Bidding
The hidden cost of Excel-based bid sheets
Excel doesn't fail loudly. It fails through formula breakage, version drift, and lost institutional knowledge. The real annual cost of bidding in Excel. And the math that says even a $30K/yr bid tool is a 3× ROI in year one.
March 21, 2026 · K
Bidding
How to build a winning concrete flatwork bid
Square-foot measurement, mix design pricing, finish-type variation, joint and reinforcement costing, labor productivity. The line items that actually move flatwork margins. And the ones contractors keep underbidding.
March 7, 2026 · K
SWPPP
SWPPP inspections: the boring task that's costing you $50K/year
Inspection frequency rules, the math on missed inspections, and how to track BMPs without hiring a separate compliance person. Why most site work shops are leaking five figures a year on a checklist they could automate.
February 21, 2026 · K
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