Tuesday, 6 April 2010

Small to medium sized builders are being too lax when it comes to ordering materials.

That’s the view according to Anthony Botibol, marketing manager at HBXL the building software company who believes builders need to tighten their control on material ordering that will not only save thousands of pounds in skip costs but reduce the amount thrown away.

It’s estimated that 13 million tonnes* of new building material is thrown out every year due to over ordering, which not only costs millions of pounds but adds to the ever growing problem of land fill.

Where the waste comes from varies according to the phase of construction. For example, during roofing there might be insulation and roof tile waste. During plastering, painting and finishing, a lot of rubble is produced.

And a whole range of waste is produced throughout the build project such as concrete, dirt, drywall, insulation, tiles, carpet, vinyl flooring, cardboard, bricks, paint, metals, wood, and window glass.

It is estimated that UK landfill sites will be filled in as little as six years and makes the issue to reduce and manage building waste more effectively even more imperative.

And unless something is done to address the problem, builders may face the prospect of tighter scrutiny by building regulators.

Anthony said: “There are various ways that builders can recycle materials these days such as the builderscrap.com website, but the best environmental and cost effective solution for builders is to reduce the amount of waste they create in the first place.

“There are various ways to do this such as avoid over ordering and arranging deliveries to match work stages which avoids materials being stored on site longer than is necessary.”

And according to Anthony one of the best ways to cut waste is to use HBXL’s EstimatorXpress estimating software that will ensure minimum wastage and put in place schedules so that deliveries do match the work programme.

It’s a view endorsed by numerous organisations including WRAP, The National Federation of Builders (NFB) and envirowise.

Anthony added: “The beauty of EstimatorXpress is that it calculates precisely what materials are needed for a job right down to the last screw.

“The reason for its accuracy is because all builders have to do is input their measurements into easy to understand building drawings. The software then does the rest producing a total breakdown of how much is required.

“It also produces an easy to follow time schedule of the project outlining what materials have to be ordered and when.

“If we really want to address the waste problem, the biggest change that needs to occur is a shift in people's thinking and working practice and the best way to do this is by using EstimatorXpress.”

* source: sustainablebuild.co.uk