The Purchasing and Estimating Process at Sineath

If you’ve worked with us to build a custom home, renovate a home, or tackle a commercial project, then you know how seriously we take the estimating process. It takes time and transparent communication to create a construction estimate you can rely on. Sure, we can get a ballpark number to you relatively quickly, yet a ballpark number isn’t a real number.

Purchasing & Estimating Process

Because estimating and purchasing require the same focus and oversight that our field managers provide for each project, we have a dedicated estimating and purchasing team led by Paul Matijevich. We recently sat down with Paul to get some insights about what clients can expect during the estimating and purchasing process of building their project.

Please introduce yourself and describe your role at Sineath Construction.
My name is Paul Matijevich, and I am the purchasing and estimating manager at Sineath Construction. My wife and I have 2 daughters, and we moved here from Colorado earlier this year.

What is a typical day like for you as the purchasing and estimating manager?
A typical day is a lot of communication between us and our clients, vendors, and subcontractors, as well as our field managers. We have a lot of estimates and drawings to review and budgets to update. The days come and go in waves of a lot of phone calls, emails, meetings, and the like. Then there are other days where it remains fairly calm, and you are able to focus and get ahead on certain tasks.

Do you have a process, and if so, please describe.
My process revolves around how I organize my schedule in a way that helps me avoid distractions and designate time to focus solely on one project at a time. Since construction is inherently chaotic, we must be very careful to stay on track during a constantly changing day. I block time in one-hour increments for individual projects, and I do this for six hours of my day two to three days of the week. The other time during the week is usually filled with meetings or calls.

Describe the benefit of having someone on staff solely focused on estimating?
We’ve recently changed from a dedicated estimator to two estimating and purchasing coordinators. They know each project very well from estimating it, and they carry that project through purchasing and construction as well. This consistency makes the transition from estimate to active project much smoother when the same person is involved.

What is something you look forward to about working at Sineath Construction?
I really enjoy the culture that Brian and Allyson have created. The entire team is a team that makes the extra work worth the effort. I enjoy the people around me and look forward to doing what I can to make them and our whole company successful.

What is something you’d like prospects and clients to know about the estimating process?
The one thing we really try to make very clear is that in the end it is just that – an estimate. There are so many things that can happen during the building process, and despite the collective team’s best effort, many of those things are impossible to foresee. Some estimates might come in lower than expected, and other estimates might come in over. There are so many variables that influence costs, especially the volatility in material costs. These variables can make it frustrating and stressful for the owners, so we try to be as forward-looking as possible. We do our best to mitigate unexpected costs and make clients aware of potential costs as soon as possible. We take this very seriously, and we believe honest, transparent communication about cost maintains a good relationship with our clients during the build process.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Construction can be a grind, and sometimes you feel like you’re never ahead of schedule. It also makes for a very fast-paced environment, which can be stressful at times. However, if you know that and recognize it along the way, the end of a project is very rewarding. You know and appreciate how much work it takes from many, many people to get it done.

Learn more about Paul on our new home contractors team page.

If you’re considering building a custom home in the Asheville area, contact us for an estimate or free consultation!