A Description of the Course
This correspondence course is designed for beginning estimators in the contract glazing business. It is intended to provide the beginner with many of the basic facts about the materials used as well as a basic systematic approach to estimating metal, glass, & labor.

The first few lessons of the course will be very easy for anyone who has had experience in drafting. However, the basics of these lessons are important for the novice in this field. These lessons must be studied carefully as they are necessary to gain a full understanding of the more complicated lessons to follow.

In order to make the labor estimating section of the course intelligible, it was necessary to select a specific basis for estimating labor hours for both the glazing of glass and the installation of metal. The method selected was based on the manual entitled Fabrication, Erection & Glazing Hours Manual. You will receive a copy with the course.

The method and hour factors have been condensed in this course and include only the most popular types of fabrication, erection, and glazing.

The procedure that will be used in presenting this correspondence course is as follows: Upon receipt of written application and accompanying payment, the student will receive the entire set of 14 lessons and questionnaires. A set of blueprints will be mailed upon completion of Lesson 12, for the final exam. All correspondence and lesson materials will be sent to the student at his/her home address or to their place of business at your option. A provision is made on the attached form to indicate their preference.

As each lesson is concluded, the questionnaire for that lesson should be completed and returned for grading. This procedure provides for steady recording of progress. The average student completes the course in approximately ten months; however, two years will be allowed to complete the course from the date of enrollment.

The questionnaires are graded and returned as received and each question answered incorrectly is explained. A student successfully concluding the curriculum will receive a certificate, signed by the president of the Glass Association of North America, attesting to the fact that he/she has satisfactorily completed the course. The certificate will signify that the student is an “Accredited Glazing Specialist,” and is accepted as a standard of superior knowledge in the flat glass & metal industry.

Sponsors
     The Glass Association of North America and the following corporate sponsors have provided funding for the update of the Blueprint Reading and Labor Estimating Course.  Each company invested funds to provide the industry with an updated and cutting edge educational resource from which the entire industry will benefit. Our appreciation is extended to these companies for their continued support of the Glass Association of North America and the glass and glazing industry.

Course Content:

Lesson 1

• General description of a set of plans
• Floor plans
• Elevations
• Sections through the building
• Brief description of specifications
• What various lines mean on a plan and their importance
• Some of the symbols used by architects
• “Keyed” plan

Lesson 2

• Angles and scale rulers
• Angles illustrated
• Circles, circumferences and areas
• Scale rulers and how to read them
• Illustration of a cube to scale
• Illustration of a simple building to scale
• How architects show column layouts
• How glass and various materials are shown on a plan

Lesson 3

• Types of glass and setting methods
• General description of various kinds of glass
• Illustration of popular methods of setting glass

Lesson 4

• Windows, sealants & plan abbreviations
• Illustrations of various kinds of windows
• Description of how to estimate size of glass in wood windows
• Illustration of metal sash
• Sealants
• Abbreviations often found on plans

Lesson 5

• Storefront metal
• Brief history of the evolution of storefronts
• Aluminum extrusions and finishes
• Terms used in storefront work
• Illustration of typical solar screens
• Illustrations of typical
  • Sash and covers
  • Tubes and stops
  • Self-mated tubes
  • Corner posts
  • Door frames - standards
  • Door details

Lesson 6

• Hardware for doors and fully tempered glass doors
• Hardware list
• Hardware illustrated
• Setting blocks
• Thresholds
• Break metal
• Tempered glass doors - standard types, sizes and hardware

Lesson 7

• Cutting of glass, edgework and glass processing
• Sheet giving tolerances from ASTM C 1036
• Problems in cutting glass to closer tolerances than the National Standards
• Illustrations of 17 different types of edges that can be put on glass
• Description of these edges and where used
• Information about mirrors, sandblasting, acid washing, chipping of glass, etc.

Lesson 8

• Quantity survey
• Step by step procedure in how to take off the quantity of windows by type
• How to check back with the elevation to make sure that none have been missed
• How to check back with doors to make sure that none have been missed
• Where to look for mirrors in different types of buildings
• Taking off storefront metal
• Included with this is No.1-A specification sheet to list name of job and excerpts from the specifications. No. 2, take-off sheet for glass. No. 3, take- off sheet for metal. Illustrated by a specific job.

Lesson 9

• Listing materials
• How to figure the glass size on steel sash illustrated with sections of sash
• How to determine the sizes of fixed windows illustrated by a wood window
• Method of listing metal requirements
• Form on which to list the glass and the metal

Lesson 10

• Estimating labor
• Discussion of labor rates, fringe benefits, and other expenses, plus overhead and profit
• Explanation of how to determine the hours required to glaze the glass and to fabricate and install the metal
• Chart giving the hours of the most popular methods of setting taken from the accompanying manual
• Using the estimate forms from Lesson 9, inserting labor hours for glass and metal
• Recap form on which all the factors that enter into a bid are consolidated

Lesson 11

• Figuring glazing & metal labor on a specific job
• Using take-off sheet to take off glass
• Using take-off sheet to take off metal
• Listing the glass on the glass estimating sheet
• Listing the metal on the metal estimating sheet
• Figuring the labor on both the glass and metal estimating sheets
• Recapping the labor on final form

Lesson 12

• Submitting a bid
• List of items that the glazing contractor must watch for, to be sure that they have been taken into consideration before preparing his proposal
• Proforma copy of a contract-proposal
• Phoning a bid
• What to watch for in a general contractor’s contract

Lesson 13

• Relationship between the architect, owner, contractor and the glazing contractor
• How building awards are made
• Retentions in contracts
• Addendums
• Change orders
• Responsibility of glazing contractor to include or exclude items not specifically mentioned

Lesson 14

• Final exam
• Same work as in Lesson 13 except a more complex job

All publications are copyrighted by the Glass Association of North America.

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