Home building is a rewarding and exciting career that involves a lot of math. That may come as a surprise to some, but really it’s true. To become an architect, builder, or contractor you need at least a high school diploma or equivalent. For those who are not terribly interested in math or science, news might cause you to change your mind about becoming a builder.
However, for those who like math and even consider themselves good at the subject, learning about the subjects you will encounter in home building can be highly rewarding.
There is a hidden language to building homes, and the math lies at its very foundation. You see, architects and engineers cannot talk about degrees and ratios without first expressing them in numbers. So, before any drawings are made, mathematicians examine the blueprints to develop a set of design specifications. Once determined, these specifications set the foundation for all calculations that follow.
Calculating pay
When working in construction, math is a necessary part of the job. Construction workers use math for several reasons: to calculate measurements, costs and pay. Here are some examples of how construction workers use math on the job.
Engineers and architects design plans for buildings, bridges and roads. They use geometry and trigonometry to determine the length of beams, the height of walls and the dimensions of each individual component used to construct a building or bridge.
Plumbers, electricians and HVAC professionals often need to figure out how much material they will need in order to complete a job. For example, an electrical contractor may need to calculate how many feet of cable will be needed to wire an entire house or office building or how much pipe a plumber may need to connect a water main to a house or to install water pipes inside of a home or business.
Construction workers must be able to read blueprints in order to know where certain components are located. For example, a contractor may need to know exactly where plumbing pipes or electrical cables are located inside a wall before he can begin cutting into that wall or drilling holes in it.
Most hourly employees measure their work hours by the clock; however, contractors usually measure their work hours by the amount of work completed.
Estimating cost of materials
Home builders use math daily to estimate the amount of material needed for each job, as well as time and labor cost. Home builders have to bid on jobs in order to get them. The builder uses math to estimate the cost of materials for each job and then adds in the cost of labor, which is usually a flat rate per hour.
When estimating materials, the home builder may use a blueprint or work from a list of materials that someone else has compiled. He then multiplies the length times the width to find the square footage of each item and then adds them together. For example, one wall may require 10 sheets of drywall. The home builder multiplies 4 feet times 8 feet to get 32 square feet per sheet. He then multiplies 32 by 10 to get 320 square feet of drywall needed for that wall. He then repeats this process for all walls, floors and ceilings to get an accurate estimate on how much drywall is needed for the project.
Calculating dimensions
Calculating dimensions is essentially a process of multiplication. For example, if you have a room that is 5 feet wide and 10 feet long, the area will be 50 square feet. To calculate the volume of the room, multiply the area by the height. For example, if the ceiling is 8 feet high, the volume of the room would be 400 cubic feet.
The amount of material needed to finish a space like this would depend on how much material was needed to cover 1 square foot. The coverage capacity of construction materials can vary widely depending upon the product. It may take one gallon of paint to cover 400 square feet or it may take two gallons.
Estimating project length
Home builders do a lot of math every day. That’s because they must be able to estimate the length of time that each phase of the construction project will take. This helps them organize their labor and materials so that they can complete the job on time.
During the planning phase, home builders use Pythagorean theorem to determine the length of each side of a right triangle. They can then use this information to calculate the square footage of each floor if they know the height of the ceiling. This is necessary when they are trying to figure out how many windows, doors, sheets of drywall and other building materials they need for each room.
When doing these calculations, homebuilders also need to consider any slopes in ceilings or floors that could affect their calculations.
Calculating profit and loss
A home builder is responsible for taking a piece of land and turning it into a house or other type of structure. The profession requires an extensive amount of math, which is used to calculate the profit and loss, as well as other factors.
Costs
Construction costs can quickly rise out of control if not properly calculated. Home builders must figure out how to bring in the most profit possible by making the necessary calculations from the start. They must calculate the cost of materials, labor and equipment rentals. If the home builder decides to make changes during construction, he will have to recalculate all project costs to determine if doing so would be profitable or not.
Estimating Square Footage
Properly estimating square footage is extremely important when building a home. A home builder must know what type of materials are going to be needed, such as a certain amount of lumber. If he does not properly estimate square footage, he could end up wasting time and money during construction because he does not have enough materials on hand to complete the project.
Calculating Percentages
Home builders use percentages in various situations. They may determine what percentage of profit they need to make on each home they build, which is calculated by deducting overhead expenses from their estimated sales price.
Last Words
You should be aware of how builders use math in their careers. You learn that builders use math in different situations. The article points out the usefulness of math in learning to read blue prints, counting tools and materials and in daily scheduling.