Top 10 Must-Have Smartphone Apps for Construction Work

Smartphones are getting into the construction industry with some innovative solutions for all related professionals. Smartphones lead the way in providing solutions and mobility on the go to construction workers and management. We've assembled the hottest and best apps available for the construction professional. Some of these apps are so powerful and useful that your office can now consist of your smartphone.

01
of 10

SmartBidNet

Construction manager planning and submitting bids online.
 NoSystem Images / Getty Images

Consisting of bid management systems, this iPhone app will allow you to create and track your bid process with your subcontractors and companies in a secure and reliable way. SmartBidNet will provide you with accessible information to make bid projects easier and on time.

02
of 10

GoBIM

A building rendered on BIM software.
Tekla

BIM applications are now used everywhere in the construction industry. GOBIM application allows you to navigate 3D BIM models and their associated data. However, the size of the model that GoBIM can handle is dependent on three factors, the number of triangles, the number of parameters, and the number of materials.

03
of 10

FingerCAD

Screenshot from the FingerCAD app.
FingerCad

The FingerCAD application is for technical drawing with your fingers, assisted by computer. The final design will be saved, and it can be sent via e-mail or printed. CAD designs made at the site or at your favorite location and can be saved in different formats. It is a great and simple application.

04
of 10

Plan Grid

Plangrid in action on a iPad.
Plangrid

PlanGrid is a relatively easy to use app that will manage and keep all your construction team members up to date with the latest revision of drawings. PlanGrid allows you to publish your latest drawing to a cloud server and share them with all your team members. It also has the capability of having old versions of the same drawing and will alert you when viewing an outdated drawing.

05
of 10

Carpenter's Helper Lite

Carpenter's helping one another to build a roof.
J. Rodriguez

Carpenter's Helper Lite will help you calculate roof pitch, rafter lengths, stair lengths, and more. The app has a nice graphical interface that will calculate stair, roof and floor projects.

06
of 10

Truckast

A screenshot of the Truckast app, which makes ordering and working with concrete simple.
Truckast

The app provides many benefits and features. Truckast allows you to set up your ready-mix concrete order directly from your smartphone/tablet.  In addition, and once the order is placed, you gain access to track delivery times and have an idea of when the concrete trucks will be arriving on site. The app also will maintain a complete record of how much concrete has been placed, how much is on its way and soon will also support photos being uploaded to the platform.

07
of 10

Fast Concrete Pad Calculator

Steel fiber concrete
Excel Pacific General Contractors

This app will calculate quantities needed of concrete and rebar for your next project. Fast Concrete Pad Calculator will also calculate waste materials, concrete, and rebar costs. The app will get you all the information you need to order concrete.

08
of 10

OSHA Heat Safety Tool

Screenshot of OSHA's Heat Safety Tool
OSHA

This app will send you reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers from heat-related illness. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration's Heat Safety Tool reminds users to drink enough fluids, schedule rest breaks, plan for and know what to do in an emergency, adjust work operations, gradually build up the workload for new workers, and train on heat illness signs and symptoms.

09
of 10

Roofing Calculator

Roofing Calculator screenshot for iOS.
Roofing Calculator

After entering the area to be worked, this app will calculate the number of roofing shingles, the number of squares, and the number of bundles for a given job. In addition, you can input a cost per bundle and a waste overage percentage to be included in Roofing Calculator's calculations.

10
of 10

Procore

Procore screen shot
Procore

The Procore app allows you to create and manage punch list items, access contact data, share and store project photos, log timecard entries and more.  In addition, you can also manage construction schedules, RFI's, submittals, change orders and many other processes.

More to Come

These resources may change and grow from time to time, as new apps are released and tested by construction pros.