14 construction apps for 2014

There’s an app for that.

As technology continues to creep into construction’s everyday work, whether in the field or behind a desk, mobile and tablet app makers are keeping up.

The latest construction apps — there are nearly 13,000 of them now — take projects from planning phase to completion. No matter whether you’re using a phone or tablet, or Android or Apple, they’re all designed to make your job a little easier.

Here’s a look at 14 of 2014’s best:

1. PlanGrid

One of the best iPhone and iPad apps for the construction industry, it lets contractors and architects collaborate with all their project plans, specs and photos. You can upload PDF drawings to plangrid.com and they will automatically sync to all your teams in real time.

Appleton-based The Boldt Co. thought so much of the app, it worked with PlanGrid recently on many aspects of the $750 million Sutter Medical Center project in California.

2. ConstructionHelper

Available on Google Play, the app allows easy calculations for areas, total surface and price of surfaces groups, rectangular prism volumes, volume cost and weight, and total cost and weight of volumes groups.

3. Snapseed

This free app for both Android and Apple offers selective focus, filters, old-type effects, and black-and-white options with varying contrast filters. It was voted the best mobile photo app for 2012 and iPad app of the year. And once you’re done manipulating your image, share it on Twitter or Facebook with a swipe and a tap or two.

4. Construction Master Pro

The app offers a range of calculators for Android smartphones and iPads, including feet-inch-fraction math calculators, and a version that can be used to estimate materials needed for stair railing and fence projects.

5. iBlueprint

iBlueprint for Apple devices has a new user interface that lets users create and export custom floor plans and lets contractors access blueprints on jobsites.

6. BuildCalc

Voted one of the best construction calculators for iPhone and Android, BuildCalc allows for complete layout of railing and staircase balusters with less guesswork and easily adjusts to the flexibility you need for a custom job.

7. Architect’s Formulator

The Apple app features more than 400 formulas for electrical, carpentry and plumbing calculations. It also includes concrete and excavation formulas for estimating the concrete and bricks required for a job.

8. BIMx

BIMx won the Mobile Product of the Year in 2012 at the Construction Computing Awards. It’s still useful as a free, interactive 3-D communication and presentation tool for architectural designs. It’s available on both Google Play and Apple devices.

9. Control Center 7

Want to monitor the progress of workers offsite? It enables contractors who have installed fixed cameras and Control Center 7 robotic upload snapshots to colleagues, review videos and operate cameras remotely. It works with Android, iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone — all over WiFi, 4G and 3G.

10. iQuick Contract Maker

The customizable app for Apple devices lets users create a legal contract and send by email to customers right on the spot.

11. Green Pro

The app lets architects, engineers, owners and contractors understand, access and track Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design credits for new construction and major renovation projects. Users can access credit requirements and find out when a particular requirement has been met.

12. Aconex Mobile

This app for Apple and Android products makes the “best of” list again this year. It enables contractors to access and capture important project information on-site. Contractors can share videos, images and project documents, send marked up documents to other project team members, and store records for offline access.

13. SmartBidNet

The app — available on Google Play and iTunes — works with SmartBidNet’s bid management software and helps users keep track of vendors and subcontractors. It includes both financial data on each bid, as well as measurement and statistical information for the projects attached.

14. Construction Simulator 2014

Here’s one for the little and big kids. The app for both Android and Apple allows you to turn your smart device into a virtual construction site. You can take over the control of 14 construction machines in high-quality 3D graphics. More than 300 tasks yield more than 20 hours of fun.

Joe Yovino is the Web editor at The Daily Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected]