5 truths no one tells you but you should know before you build.
Construction runs on silence, assumptions, and hope. These are the uncomfortable truths of our industry. We believe saying them out loud is the first step to doing it better.
The biggest risks aren’t what you see they’re what no one priced.
Budgets often appear solid initially, but clarifications reveal missing details: drywall may be standard Level 4 without recessed backing, flush doors, or baseboards; plumbing may assume floor-mounted fixtures, excluding wall-hung toilets or rainheads, which change framing and costs; electrical pricing may be based on typical units without chosen fixtures, zones, controls, or dimming systems. These gaps aren’t obvious until later, so it’s essential to understand the process, define what’s included, and clearly state assumptions to protect yourself.
Approved Drawings ≠ Buildable Drawings
Permits don’t mean ready. And that’s not a problem — it’s a step.
Most clients assume “approved plans” mean construction can start, but city-approved drawings omit many details—finish schedules, basis of design alignment, MEP coordination, shop drawings, and specialty elements like lighting, AV, or millwork. This gap isn’t an architect’s fault—it reflects industry practice, where design sets intent and builders coordinate before execution. To address this, we use a Digital Twin, a fully coordinated model bridging drawings and construction. Permit sets grant approval; coordinated documents deliver a building.
GMP: The Illusion of Protection
Guaranteed Maximum Price sounds like safety. It usually isn’t.
GMP contracts are promoted as risk management tools, but they often lock in inflated pricing due to unresolved design, extra contingencies, and unclear scope—trades quote conservatively, overlapping scope is priced multiple times, unknowns are covered with stacked allowances, and design gaps are filled with high assumptions. This can make GMPs 10–15% more expensive than open-book structures, without preventing change orders, and many lack clear processes for cost validation or time impact analysis. Without resolved design and clear procedures, a GMP becomes merely a sales tool that conceals problems until you pay for them.
Oversight ≠ Control
Someone’s watching. But do they know what they’re looking at?
Most projects claim to have oversight, but tracking submittals, updating schedules, or filing paperwork isn’t true quality control or coordination. Real oversight requires ownership—someone who understands sequencing, tolerances, specs, and consequences, and can make decisions under pressure in real time. Ask whether the person is managing a contract or managing construction, and whether they inspect work or just update a dashboard. Progress reports don’t build projects; people do, and not all “project managers” can manage a jobsite.
There’s No Easy Job
Complexity is normal. Chaos is not.
Every project has unknowns—design evolves, products are delayed, and human error occurs. That’s normal; what isn’t is letting those changes cause confusion, blame, or panic, which happens without a structured process. A good team detects problems early, escalates them quickly, and absorbs them calmly. You don’t need a team that avoids challenges—you need one built to handle them with control, not improvisation.
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