Technology is helping North Bay builders meet housing and commercial construction deadlines by making work easier, more cost-efficient and safer. Tools like software and drones also make it possible for a smaller, aging workforce to get projects done on time.
“The technology is invaluable. Working without it is almost like telling a worker to dig without a shovel. Drones and related software allow us to have a bird’s-eye view on project sites and perform quantity calculations in real time. [Technology] also allows management to track cost more accurately and efficiently,” says Justin King, project engineer for Ghilotti Brothers, Inc. in San Rafael.
Technology is particularly essential to achieve short-term goals during specific windows, such as the summer dry season.
“[With it, we can] improve speed, monitor progress and evaluate next steps on projects. The tools also help us assess site conditions and work plans needed. This avoids schedule delays and unnecessary expenses,” says King.
The construction industry has new needs
Before the pandemic, the construction industry was already undergoing a significant shift. Between 2003 and 2020, older workers were exiting the profession and managers were intensifying their use of software. The pandemic pushed more people, especially older workers, to exit the trades earlier. It also increased the use of technology, especially to manage business operations remotely.
Today, the U.S. construction industry has fewer workers—but those workers use technology more than they did in past decades. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reveal one in five construction industry workers are in management, business and financial operations, all tasks that utilize technology to perform work. These data also show the percentage of construction workers 55 and over doubled between 2003 and 2020.
“Technology helps construction workers and companies do more with less. The website we created, Bulk Exchange, is a search engine and communications platform for general contractors, subcontractors and landscape firms. Think of it as Google for construction,” says Paul Foley, co-founder and CEO of Bulk Exchange, which is based in San Rafael.
Foley built Bulk Exchange to function as a constantly updated database and search engine. The site also functions as a marketplace that brings contractors, suppliers and dumpsites together in one platform. Bulk Exchange allows a builder to identify local suppliers like West Marin Compost in Nicasio, Soils Plus in Sonoma and Lunny Grading and Paving, Inc., which operates the Nicasio Rock Quarry. The suppliers use the site to contact contractors and share their “gate rates,” or the retail price per ton for a load of material.
Foley decided to build Bulk Exchange after years of chasing down suppliers at his other job, CEO of Greener Excavations and Construction in San Rafael.
“Even if you’ve been a contractor for over 20 years, you may not realize there are smaller, more local businesses that could be your suppliers. Our platform allows you to search for products and communicate with suppliers with a Slack-type messenger app. The platform also has AI capabilities so it can generate documents in minutes. These include analytical reports and submittal sheets,” says Foley.
Analytical reports determine the potential of a project’s outcome. Submittal sheets are documents sent by contractors for approval by the design team. These confirm materials that will be used in construction meet the necessary requirements.
Reducing the time construction professionals spend on paperwork and searches gives their team more time to build. Aakash Prasad is the co founder and CEO of InspectMind, a San Francisco-based AI company. His software is an AI-powered app that allows a builder to generate reports for construction documentation.
InspectMind speeds up the process by capturing report-ready information about a site. Workers accumulate this information by taking photos, videos and written and audio notes on their smartphones or tablets throughout the day.
“The app then generates a report using AI. This document is typically more accurate than a report filled out at the end of the workday. The process also saves time and energy. Team members avoid unnecessary repetition,” says Prasad.
In founding a prior company, Design Everest, Prasad worked with many North Bay contractors who completed rebuilds after the 2017 fires.
“That’s actually what pushed me to create InspectMind, seeing how much time it took to fill out fire-related inspection reports and paperwork,” says Prasad
A wide variety of tools
Beyond programs that capture images, videos and notes, technologies consist of drones, which contractors use to take progress shots, comparison shots, final photographs and survey ongoing work. Then there are drone-specific software platforms DroneDeploy and Propeller. These allow contractors to review and analyze drone-captured images and videos.
Contractors also use project design modeling software from ETS and AgTek, project management system software from ProCore and Trimble, scheduling software from Microsoft Project, office management and accounting software from Trimble and estimation and bidding software from HCSS and Building Connected. Sometimes they use satellite internet services like Starlink to access data stored in the cloud.
Still, construction lags behind many industries.
“We still receive faxes from some vendors,” says Eric Bostrom, IT director for Midstate Construction in Petaluma.
“We process between 1,100 and 1,500 invoices a month. We trialed AI software for this purpose for three months. In practice, it took just as long to correct the invoices as to enter the information manually. We abandoned it for now,” says Bostrom.
Connected devices and access to the cloud are beneficial because they provide field personnel with the right data at the right time. For example, having secure internet access in a rural area where a project is underway allows field personnel the ability to look up the most recent design or detail for a building. They can also see what time new materials and equipment needed to complete sections of the building should arrive.
“We need these tools to increase efficiency because we’re managing far more contract value than we ever have. Technology enables us to stay connected, on budget and on time,” says Bostrom.
King says project managers use software such as Autodesk’s construction cloud programs to collect and manage project documents, as well as digitize project drawings and track potential Requests for Information (RFIs).
“These programs allow us to share information with operators in real time out in the field, creating efficient collaboration. The information [is exchanged quickly], which means cost savings for owner and contractor. The [act of exchanging also] creates a strong partnership between contractor and owner resulting in a successful project,” says King.
According to King, construction software developers tend to release significant updates every five years.
“There has not been a serious change for a while now. We’re due programs that could substantially increase capabilities in maybe another year,” says King.
How local entrepreneurs change perspectives
A high number of companies that develop software and devices for the construction industry are in San Francisco, the South Bay or foreign countries. Since the Bay Area companies are within driving distance of the North Bay, they sometimes visit and work directly with construction companies here. Yet they typically lack a local perspective. There are a few exceptions to that rule.
One is ConCntric, a Greenbrae firm founded by Steve Dell’Orto. ConCntric is a pre-construction management software platform that serves the non-residential construction industry.
“We help with the planning, estimation and design phases of projects like hospitals and airports. Our software is meant to assist in advance of physical construction,” says Dell’Orto.
Dell’Orto’s background in construction prior to founding ConCntric is also beneficial.
“My prior career was in commercial construction running the Western half of a top 10 general contractor in the nation. The notable projects completed during my tenure include the Chase Center, the Salesforce tower and Instagram’s headquarters in San Francisco, the expansion and renovation of the Seattle Convention Center and the $750 million renovation of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art,” says Dell’Orto.
From this work, Dell’Orto learned the construction industry is not highly digitized. Many firms run on antiquated systems.
It is a serious concern for the construction industry that many anticipated projects are deemed unaffordable or are built without a focus on sustainability. These issues have been exacerbated by the past few years of inflation, supply chain disruptions and shortages of raw materials. Most of the time, AI cannot solve the problem by looking to past solutions. Many data from the past are inaccessible.
“They’re stuck in Excel spreadsheets in people’s old laptops and desktops. That data is not public. They are not on the internet nor organized or labeled well to make them available for use. Even the companies that generated such data on past construction projects usually have a hard time accessing and using them now,” says Dell’Orto.
Going forward, the shift to new software programs and the cloud might make data from past projects available for builders to use, first by the companies that generated them. There is the possibility that companies might share data and even make them available to AI programs on a wider basis. First construction firms would need to agree on the terms of accessing and using project data.
Dell’Orto says ConCntric is learning how builders are using its Software as a Service (SaaS) platform locally because some of his customers have projects in the North Bay.
“They’re saying ConCntric helps them design projects to be more cost-efficient, accurate and on time. Our software particularly helps with building budgets, which must anticipate a lot of unknowns, like increases in supply costs,” says Dell’Orto.
ConCntric also makes it possible for a builder, design team and owner to view and make notes on the same documents.
“This unifies all the parties on a project. It helps them be in close, immediate contact about affordability and options,” says Dell’Orto.
On-the-ground applications of technology
Landscaping projects that involve trees and foliage are part of the construction sphere as well. Jordan Pech, co-owner of Mayan Climber Tree Service in Novato, frequently relies on the methods he learned from earning a B.A. in mechanical engineering to engage in arboriculture.
“To remove and modify trees, we use SENA Bluetooth devices with an integrated microphone and speaker in our Pfanner Protos work helmets. The Bluetooth devices can connect between four to six helmets at a time. This way, people on the ground handling ropes can talk to and direct climbers on top without screaming,” says Pech.
He adds residential customers may have noticed the welcome, quieter change in how landscaping is being done from a few years ago.
“Tools like these help workers communicate instantaneously and quietly. Then residents in homes and yards can continue their work and daily activities with fewer interruptions,” says Pech.
Even arboriculture relies on software programs, like ChipDrop. This app helps homeowners pick up mulch made from wood chips.
“We also use other software programs, like SingleOps, to keep a list of all our clients, information about their arboriculture and landscaping work and estimates. This allows us to easily track costs and services people will need,” says Pech.
“Deconstruction” firms utilize technology as well.
Greenlynx, a Santa Rosa-based business, specializes in deconstructing houses and outbuildings like barns and sheds. It then sells the reclaimed materials at its reuse store and lumberyard.
Greenlynx CEO Nicole Tai says she is motivated to develop her own Point of Sale (POS) system “after I had to pick the least-worst option.”
“Current POS systems were either designed for online selling or brick and mortar registers, but none were initially designed to do both,” says Tai.
Greenlynx, along with other partners, is now launching an online reclaimed lumber marketplace called Pacific Reclaimed Lumber & Supply, which is based in Sebastopol. The marketplace system allows contractors and architects to check inventory and prices online for reclaimed lumber stores and dealers like Greenlynx.
“Integrating [our] own POS system into the software will take some time, but [we are] determined to create a solution that enables [our] business and the reuse industry to scale up to meet our climate challenge,” says Tai.
For bidding purposes, Greenlynx uses Houzz Pro, a software platform for home remodeling and design.
“Contractors send us digital plans and photos. These can be uploaded into Houzz’s system so we can bid site-unseen if needed,” says Tai.
Greenlynx is interested in a new AI-driven robot manufactured by Urban Machine. The robot processes reclaimed lumber for reuse. It can remove bulk fasteners like nails and staples from all four planes of wood. It also performs a quality check to make sure the wood is metal-free and ready for its next life.
“The robot is still being tested. Right now it still costs more to operate it and prepare lumber than the cost of our human labor. We’ll explore this option when it’s ready and after we expand our lumberyard,” says Tai.
Foley says it is important for construction firms to explain to software developers that technologies should not replace relationships between people.
“You can digitize menial tasks, but you want to create tools that get people talking to one another. That way they can work together more effectively. Tighter networks speed up the process of acquiring supplies, completing projects and assessing them for regulatory compliance,” says Foley.
He adds he too was inspired by the North Bay fires to make tools to simplify the construction process.
“We have so much work to do. The lack of information we experienced after the fires was distressing. For example, back then, there was no centralized platform to figure out where to dump waste. Also, when we were trying to rebuild, there was not a good way to find out what materials suppliers were carrying and how to contact the suppliers,” says Foley.
Middlemen and brokerages made the problem worse by charging builders additional fees.
“The North Bay has fewer people and businesses than other parts of the Bay Area. This allows us to create an open marketplace with many involved parties. When those parties communicate with each other, we can work together,” says Foley.
He says technology is one key to strengthening communities. Contractors using the same tools help those programs and devices become integrated into the local construction sector and the industry overall.
“That’s how certain software programs and devices become necessary elements for a project. Technologies become extraordinarily useful when people form agreements and establish practices that literally build on one another,” says Foley.
Five ways technology assists with construction
- New resource hubs help put suppliers like Stony Point Rock Quarry in Cotati and Canyon Rock Quarry and River Ready Mix in Sonoma County on the map, giving them greater visibility to reach more customers.
- On-the-ground workers can use GoPros to film progress as they walk around a site. They can also mount them on a car to film progress on a group of buildings.
- Project management software programs like HCSS’s HeavyJob “manage anything with a dollar sign,” from employee hours and wages to increases in supply costs.
- Satellite internet services such as Starlink assist with ensuring connectivity for devices like tablets, in both rural areas and urban dead spots.
- Photos and videos from drones help team members quantify progress and material needs. Then a team can determine what supplies need to be ordered.
—Jessica Zimmer
