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Diamond
in the rough
Visualizing
the future with
Carlson Takeoff
It
wasn’t so difficult
for the J. Read Corporation,
to look at 380 acres
of distressed property
at an abandoned stone
quarry and envision
a world-class residential
and golfing community,
after all, that’s
what they do. Based
in Hingham, Mass.,
J. Read specializes
in strategic site
development and engineering
and permitting services.
Mostly they do it
for clients, but
this time it was
their own project.
 It
was quite hard, however,
for many of the potential
buyers at Black Rock – also
in Hingham, Boston’s
desirable South Shore
area – to look
at barren rock piles
and muddy swamps
and then plunk down
$1-million-plus for
a home just on the
promise that it would
one day be rolling
hills and lush greenery
overlooking a world-class
golf course.
That’s
when Dan Moeller,
project manager at
J. Read, put the
newly acquired Carlson
Takeoff to even more
use.
Noting
that most people
can’t look
at a “big open
mess” or even
a plan and envision
a finished product,
Moeller said, “Developers
spend a lot of money
on a scale model
or 2D rendering to
give an idea of what
it will look like
when it’s finished.”
Just
going a few steps
further with the
powerful software,
Moeller was able
to use it as a marketing
tool and actually
bring the customers
through the to-be-developed
gated community,
showing them how
the roadways would
go, the land would
be moved and houses
built, plus where
landscaping would
make a difference,
and, of course, where
th e golf course would
be.
“We
were able to put
the rendition of
the project up on
a big plasma screen
and draw in 3D houses,
rock retaining walls,
and roads and trees
and actually drive
them right through
it,” said Moeller.
Traditional
usage
First
released in 2004,
Carlson Takeoff is
quickly being recognized
as the most dynamic
site estimating software
on the market with
its powerful AutoCAD
engine, comprehen-sive
features, and output
capabilities to survey
equipment and 3D
machine control.
While
J. Read Corporation
has used Carlson
Takeoff for bidding
at least 15 to 20
projects over the
last year, they have
also used it for
reevaluating existing
projects – even “rebalancing” a
later phase of a
development and helping
to save the contractors
several hundreds
of thousands of dollars
by adjusting to grade
to minimize cut and
fill.
“It’s
a valuable tool,” said
Moeller. “While
you have to know
how to properly use
it, it makes everything
much quicker and
more efficient. Plus,
it’s pretty
critical that the
numbers be right
for us,” he
added, saying that
he double-checks
often and has never
been disappointed
by Takeoff.
“What
I really like,” he
said, “is that
everything is done
in a CAD-based format
so it stays in a
standard file format
that other people
can use. I would
certainly recommend
it to anybody.” Even
if they only want
to use it for accurate
site estimating and
not, like Moeller,
3D movies.
Learn more about Dan's Presentation Services at landevaluations.com
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