#Cost Estimation for Construction Projects

[pejasurveying1]

Expert Quantity Surveyor Near You in London for Accurate Cost & Risk Management Services

Looking for a quantity surveyor near you in London? Peja Surveying offers expert cost control, contract management, and risk analysis services. Trusted by homeowners, contractors, and consultants. Contact us today for tailored advice and accurate project estimates.

[reasonsforhope]

"In Sacramento, California, an estimated 6,615 people are experiencing homelessness, a number that — while still heartbreakingly high — has declined 29% since 2023, according to the latest Point In Time counts. 

But a new project, which has been in the works since 2022, might bring that number down even lower.

A new 13-acre property purchased by Sacramento County will soon be home to the Watt Service Center and Safe Stay. 

The county broke ground on the mixed-use service center this week, which will provide shelter, emergency respite, safe parking, health services, and more to community members who are unsheltered — meaning they don’t have a place to safely sleep at night.

“We wanted to do something that is not only larger, but a large-scale campus to provide more than just the shelter,” Janna Haynes, of the county’s Department of Homeless Services and Housing, told KCRA3 News.

The Watt Service Center will have amenities to help meet the needs of anyone staying there, including bathrooms, showers, laundry, and food, as well as mental health, treatment, and employment services.

“You can also meet with your case manager, get behavior health services, look for a job, get rehousing services, a place for your dog,” Jaynes added. “It’s really everything you need, not only for your day-to-day life, but to hopefully end your homelessness.”

While the center is a costly offering, the city explained that it is ultimately less expensive than allowing the homelessness crisis to go unmitigated.

The land was purchased for $22 million and will cost an estimated $42 million to construct the center. According to ABC10 News it will be mostly funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

While the center will have the capacity to host 225 beds in Safe Stay cabins, 50-person capacity in Safe Parking, and 75-person capacity for emergency/weather respite beds, it will serve countless others outside of the 350 total people it can house at any given time.

According to a press release from the county, “conservative estimates” have found that over the course of 15 years, the center will serve 18,000 people.

In 2017, the city found that the average cost for an “unsheltered individual” was about $45,000 a year, considering public systems like county jail, shelters, behavioral health, and more.

With the projected impact of the shelter, that cost lowers to less than $3,600 per person.

“If you break down the funding, it’s actually not that expensive,” Rich Desmond, county supervisor for District 3, told ABC10.

“It’s a heck of a lot cheaper than letting someone stay out in the community, unsheltered where they are extremely expensive in terms of the emergency response from fire, our emergency rooms, our law enforcement response.”

Providing what the county calls “wraparound services” not only brings down costs but truly helps people meet their basic needs.

“The really great thing about this site in particular, that we don't have at any other shelters, is the sheer size and the ability to really wrap everything people need,” Emily Halcon, director of the Department of Homeless Services and Housing with Sacramento County, told ABC10. 

One notable feature is the center’s Safe Parking spaces, which are the first of their kind in the city. People living in their cars will now have a safe place to park, monitored by security.

“We know a lot of people who are unsheltered actually are living out of their cars,” Desmond said, “maybe a family that’s barely hanging on but they still need that vital transportation to get their kids to school or get to work.”

This support is especially helpful for those who are newly homeless, Halcon added, building on the amenities provided in the county’s two other “safe stay” facilities. 

While Sacramento County just broke ground on the Watt Service Center, officials say they hope to begin moving people into the facility in January 2026.

“Our staff is putting in extra time and attention to this campus, ensuring that it houses everything we need to end homelessness for people,” Desmond said in a statement.

Once it’s up and running, Jaynes told KCRA3, they plan to onboard formerly unhoused community members as part of the staff at the facility.

“When you have a conversation with someone who understands where you’ve been, and you see the success they’re having now,” Jaynes said, “it really does give you hope something could be different.”

-via GoodGoodGood, January 24, 2025

[bidkon]

Common Mistakes in Cost Estimation and How to Avoid Them

Thus, cost estimation forms an important part of every construction project process and happens to be its major success determinant. Therefore, the aspect of cost estimation is relevant in budgeting and planning, not allowing the aspect of financial consumption to shoot up. These estimations bring about common mistakes that make a huge discrepancy in the reliable estimate of the costs which are to rise. The learning related to these mistakes and the know-how to avoid them is quite important for construction project management firms, cost consultants, and quantity surveyors. 

Underestimating Project Scope

The most common mistake in estimating cost is when there is an underestimated project scope. This usually happens because of ineffective project planning where the requirements of the project have not been well understood. Poorly estimated scope results in delays, cost overruns, and poor-quality work. Elaborate project planning and discussion with stakeholders should pave the way for capturing all facets of a project. Furthermore, engaging the services of construction project management firms will also substantiate definition of scope accurately, otherwise the scope of a project in terms of tender cost estimation will miss out on several elements.

Ignorance of Market Conditions

Ignorant of Market Conditions. Prices of materials, labour, and equipment are bound to fluctuate for a number of reasons—economic scenarios, changes in source of supply, and fluctuations in demand for material, among others. Ignoring these would lead to serious overruns with variances between estimation and actual cost. In order to minimise these risks, the cost consultant shall ensure keeping abreast with market trends in the price level and shall provide for contingencies with all material prices possibly changing within the estimate. Review and update cost estimates on a regular basis in order to reflect prevailing conditions in the market to ensure that it does not lose its accuracy over time.

Poor Risk Management

Poor risk management is another critical cost estimation predicament. Construction projects are prone to being inherently risky in nature, such as risks from weather, unforeseen site conditions, and regulatory changes. In case they are not properly catered for, they may ultimately lead to high cost overruns. Whatever the case, a quantity surveyor should be able to carry out a comprehensive risk assessment and include appropriate contingencies in his cost estimate. The more the risks are identified early and planned for in advance, the more reliable and resilient the cost estimate that the construction project management firm will establish.

Being Negligent About Indirect Costs

Many estimators only consider direct costs like material and labour costs, and most of the time, they skip indirect costs. Examples of indirect costs are those associated with project management, permits, insurance, and overhead. Ignoring such costs during estimating the same may cause underestimation. Therefore, it should be detailed either through direct or indirect costs. Involvement of professional cost consultants with relevant experience will ensure the fact that necessary costs have been taken on board and the cost estimate is made reliable and accurate.

Conclusion

Accurate prediction of cost is important in construction. Construction project management firms, cost consultants, and quantity surveyors can enhance their estimate reliability by observing principles that prevent the usual mistakes in underestimation of project scope, non-consideration of market conditions, improper risk management, and neglecting indirect costs. Adequate planning, continuous market study, effective risk evaluation, and detailed cost breakdown are the major strategies to be followed to enhance the practices regarding cost estimation. This is apart from assisting in delivering projects on budget; they would also help in the overall efficiency and profitability of construction endeavours.

[commercialbuilding67]

Navigating Costs: The Role of Commercial Building Cost Estimators

Commercial building cost estimators play a crucial role in the construction industry by accurately assessing project expenses. They analyze various factors such as materials, labor, and overhead costs to develop comprehensive budgets. Their expertise ensures that projects remain financially feasible and within budget constraints. Using advanced software and industry knowledge, these estimators help stakeholders make informed decisions, ultimately facilitating successful construction ventures.

[planyard]

Efficient Construction Budgeting Software for Your Project Success

Empower your construction projects with our efficient budgeting software. Stay on track and ensure success with streamlined cost management tools tailored to your project needs. Take control of your budgeting process and achieve project success effortlessly.

[nnctales]

Exploring the Diverse Landscape of BIM Software in Construction: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction: In the ever-evolving field of construction, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as a transformative technology that revolutionizes the way buildings are designed, constructed, and managed. BIM software plays a pivotal role in enhancing collaboration, improving efficiency, and minimizing errors throughout the construction process. This article delves into the various…

[sydneyestimator0]

Sydney Estimator Services aims to ascertain the cost of materials and labour based on the proposed project design and specifications. Commercial and residential construction estimating services, tendering and cost management in Sydney. Contact us today! project management consultants

[pejasurveying1]

Reliable Quantity Surveying Services in London & Home Counties | PEJA Surveying Ltd

PEJA Surveying Ltd, based in Wimbledon, provides expert quantity surveying services across London and the Home Counties. With 40+ years of combined experience, our small dedicated team ensures accurate estimates, cost-effective solutions, and personalised service for developers, architects, and homeowners.

[reasonsforhope]

Article | Paywall-Free

"The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule Tuesday [October 8, 2024] requiring water utilities to replace all lead pipes within a decade, a move aimed at eliminating a toxic threat that continues to affect tens of thousands of American children each year.

The move, which also tightens the amount of lead allowed in the nation’s drinking water, comes nearly 40 years after Congress determined that lead pipes posed a serious risk to public health and banned them in new construction.

Research has shown that lead, a toxic contaminant that seeps from pipes into the drinking water supply, can cause irreversible developmental delays, difficulty learning and behavioral problems among children. In adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead exposure can cause increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function and cancer.

But replacing the lead pipes that deliver water to millions of U.S. homes will cost tens of billions of dollars, and the push to eradicate them only gathered momentum after a water crisis in Flint, Mich., a decade ago exposed the extent to which children remain vulnerable to lead poisoning through tap water...

The groundbreaking regulation, called the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, will establish a national inventory of lead service lines and require that utilities take more aggressive action to remove lead pipes on homeowners’ private property. It also lowers the level of lead contamination that will trigger government enforcement from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb.

The rule also establishes the first-ever national requirement to test for lead in schools that rely on water from public utilities. It mandates thatwater systems screen all elementary and child-care facilities, where those who are the most vulnerable to lead’s effects — young children — are enrolled, and that they offer testing to middle and high schools.

The White House estimates that more than 9 million homes across the country are still supplied by lead pipelines, which are the leading source of lead contamination through drinking water. The EPA has projected that replacing all of them could cost at least $45 billion.

Lead pipes were initially installed in cities decades ago because they were cheaper and more malleable, but the heavy metal can wear down and corrode over time. President Joe Biden has made replacing them one of his top environmental priorities, securing $15 billion to give states over five years through the bipartisan infrastructure law and vowing to rid the country of lead pipes by 2031. The administration has spent $9 billion so far — enough to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes, the administration said.

On Tuesday, the administration said it was providing an additional $2.6 billion in funding for pipe replacement. Over 367,000 lead pipes have been replaced nationwide since Biden took office, according to White House officials, affecting nearly 1 million people...

Environmental advocates said that former president Donald Trump, who issued much more modest revisions to the lead and copper rule just days before Biden took office, would have a hard time reversing the new standards.

Erik Olson, the senior strategic director for health at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said that the Safe Drinking Water Act has provisions prohibiting weakening the health protections of existing standards...

Olson added that the rule “represents a major victory for public health” and will protect millions of people “whose health is threatened every time they fill a glass from the kitchen sink contaminated by lead.”

“While the rule is imperfect and we still have more to do, this is by far the biggest step towards eliminating lead in tap water in over three decades,” he said."

-via The Washington Post, October 8, 2024

[mccormicksystems]

How Takeoff Software Enhances Productivity in Construction Estimating

Construction estimating plays a pivotal role in the success of any construction project. Accurate cost estimation not only ensures profitability but also contributes to timely project completion. Traditionally, construction estimating was a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. However, with the advent of advanced technology, takeoff software for construction estimating has revolutionized the industry.

See More: https://uwatchfreenews.com/how-takeoff-software-enhances-productivity-in-construction-estimating/

[chubsonthemoon]

Fandom Trumps Hate 2025 - Moonham Press Fanbinding

Hi, everyone! I'm participating in the Crafts Bazaar for @fandomtrumpshate 2025. I'm offering one hardcover and one paperback fanbind of a fic of your choice, with author permission. More details under the cut and/or on my Craft Stall on Dreamwidth, here!

What I'm offering:

One (1) custom-made, fully typeset, hardcover fanbinding of a fic of your choice. (MUST be your own work or have author permission; please see below for more details).

One (1) custom made, fully typeset, paperback fanbinding of a fic of your choice. (MUST be your own work or have author permission; please see below for more details).

Details - General

You MUST have either written the fic yourself, or have provided a screenshot of the author giving explicit permission to bind their fic for this event. A blanket permission statement would work fine! The only exception to this rule is if a fic has been posted anonymously (NOT orphaned).

Due to the nature of how I typeset, the fic must be posted to AO3.

I'm very open to suggestions or design ideas! That said, I reserve the right to make any final decisions re: design and construction based on the materials I have on hand.

I can include art pieces; however, you must have permission from the artist to include their work.

I will not be binding anthologies or series; if you would like a shorter fic bound, please feel free to check out the paperback auction!

Fic can be any rating, but if it is rated Explicit, you must sign the age statement in the bidding form signifying you are over 18.

Bidders may participate in both auctions if they wish.

Details - Hardcover

Please choose a fic with a word count in the 25k to 150k word range (some leeway of a few thousand or so words here is fine).

My hardcover binds are usually letter folio sized (~5.5" x ~8.5"), but if your fic is closer to the 25k word mark, I also offer the letter quarto size (~4.375" x ~5.5") (dimensions given are estimates; actual dimensions may differ slightly).

Minimum bid: $45 USD

Details - Paperback

Please choose a fic that in the 5k to 20k word range (some leeway of a thousand or so words here is fine).

Dimensions for the paperback are more flexible! I have a few examples above and on my blog of both letter-sized folios, which are more like traditional zines (~5.375" x ~8.25") (see "On Elba" in the photo grid), as well as letter-sized quartos (~5.375" x ~4.125") (see "there are violets in your eyes" for a size comparison between the letter quarto and folio). I can also do a legal-sized quarto (~4.125" x ~6.75") (see "King of Infinite Space") (dimensions given are estimates; actual dimensions may differ slightly).

Minimum bid: $10 USD

Details - Shipping and Timeline

I will pay for tracked shipping within the United States. If you are outside the US, I am happy to craft for you, but please note you will be responsible for the shipping costs, which can be significant as books are heavy. Please look into how much it costs to ship a book sized object from the US to you before bidding.

I'm aiming to have all books completed and shipped out by the beginner of September; however, this deadline is tentative and subject to change (either earlier or later) depending on the complexity of the project. Regardless, all books will be shipped no later than the FTH deadline of December 31st.

Examples of my work

You can also find more examples of my work via my tumblr fanbinding tag, here!

How to bid

The auction will run from Tuesday, Feb 25th 8 am EST to Monday, March 10th.

Please fill out the forms linked below:

Hardcover auction form: [Closed!]

Paperback auction form: [Closed!]

You can check the status of your bid at the links below:

Hardcover auction status: [Closed!]

Paperback auction status: [Closed!]

I will contact the winners within 24 hours of the auction closing.

Upon winning the auction, you must donate the amount specified on your bid directly to any one of the following charities:

Crips for eSims for Gaza

Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights

Freedom to Read Foundation

Any of the LGBTQ orgs listed here or below:

Equality Texas

Transgender Education Network of Texas

Fund Texas Choice

Proof of your donation is due Wednesday, March 12th.

After I have received proof of your donation, I will be in contact to talk details about your book!

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions! <3

[nnctales]

Can I use ChatGPT as a Project Estimator?

In an industry like construction where every single decision can have a major impact on the end result, project estimation becomes a significant process. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), innovative solutions have been introduced to aid this process. Among these is ChatGPT, a large language model developed by OpenAI, which has raised an intriguing question:…

[indecisiveavocado]

What could Hamas have done if they didn't want Israel destroyed?

Summary: If not for their greed and embezzling, Hamas could have, single-handedly, provided every. Single. Gazan with bomb shelters, healthy food, clean water, and electricity (via batteries) for over two years. Details and sources below the cut.

Shelter

First, let's figure out the cost of a bomb shelter. Fortunately, we can get this information relatively easily, thanks to the Cold War. Admittedly, this is a nuclear bunker, but hey; if Israel takes the nuclear option, Gaza will be fine. I mean, not really, but you know, better to go overkill than underkill.

According to the Department of Defense (1962) a Belowground Corrugated Steel Culvert Shelter cost $150 in 1962. The BLS (2025) says that's worth $1589 or so as of January 2025. Technically the shelter fits three adults (or two adults and two children), but only for a few weeks, so I'm going to pretend like it has room for only one person and a lot of food and water.

OK. What's the installation cost? They say two days excavation and four days building, plus what I'm going to say is one day of transport.

The US Department of State (2023) says the average daily wage in Gaza was $15. We'll be nice and pay our workers $30, giving us a cost of $210 for the installation. So that's a total of almost exactly $1800 per person.

As an upper estimate on Gaza's population, I'll use the UNRWA, which claims 2.4 million residents (UNRWA, August 2023). Multiplying it out, we find that the cost to provide shelter to everyone in Gaza is $4.32 billion dollars.

Food

The World Food Program USA claims the average cost of a meal they provide is 50 cents (WFP USA, 2024). At three meals a day, this means the cost per day to feed 2.4 million people is $3.6 million, which works out to $2.635 billion to feed everyone in Gaza for two years.

This means our total cost for two years is $6.667 billion dollars.

Excellent!

Water

FEMA recommends having a gallon of water per person per day (FEMA; archived link used because FEMA is 'being updated to comply with President Trump's executive orders'. I have done similarly for all non-interactive government websites).

OK. What about water sources for Gaza? It is a desert, after all; you can't just expect water to magically appear.

The most likely water source would be desalinated water. One UNICEF project was $12 million in 2013, or $16.63 million in 2025 (BLS). It produced 6000 cubic meters per day. As one cubic meter is 1000 liters, that's 6 million liters a day of water. According to the WHO, 20 liters per person per day is the minimum recommended amount; this works out to 48 million liters per person per day. Meeting that demand would require only 8 plants. To store up a reasonable amount and include maintenance, I'll quadruple that number, for a total of $532.16 million in construction and maintenance costs. (No, I have no idea what it costs to maintain a desalinization plant in Gaza.)

Assuming we can save 48 million liters/day, it would take only, well, two years to save up two years' worth of water. So, our total for shelter, food and water is $7.19916 billion for two years' worth.

Lovely!

Electricity

Currently, Gaza imports natural gas. But hey, we're dreaming, and Gaza seems perfectly suited for solar power.

One source (who, if I'm recalling correctly, is now HR for Hamas) told NBC Gaza needed 500-600 megawatts a day (Abdelkader). I'm going to say 720 a day, or 30 megawatts an hour.

For my estimate of home electricity generation, I used a building I'm pretty sure was the Chabad of Ashkelon.

I tried to make the outline small, because this is a lower estimate. Regardless, I got a figure of 18.8 kilowatts/day. Since there are 1000 kilowatts in a megawatt, that's 720,000/18.8=38,297 buildings. Let's say 40,000 are needed to meet demand and 80,000 to double it.

According to the UN, if you do the math, 116,000 buildings are still standing in Gaza, so we should be good there.

Now, I am not an expert at batteries and electricity, but I'd assume there's some way to convert the energy of solar generators to the kinds of batteries you can put in storage and forget about.

So what would the installation cost of that be? NPR says $30,000 per house (Simon), which works out to $2.4 billion; surprisingly cheap! I'll add another half that to account for batteries, so $3.6 billion for electricity. Set it up in 2021 and everyone has two years' worth saved up.

So we have a total of a little over $10.7 billion for at least two years' worth of food, water, shelter, and electricity for everyone in Gaza. I'm going to round up and say $11 billion.

$11 billion is not a small amount.

But, unfortunately, neither is the amount Hamas has stolen:

$700 million stolen from aid according to Fatah, a Palestinian organization (Winer)

$100 million/year military budget (Issacharoff) in 2016. This works out to $900 billion since then.

I could add other ones of varying reliability, but I don't need to.

But the really big one? Their leaders. According to the Times of India, they were worth $11 billion.

That adds up to $12.6 billion dollars, more than enough to cover it.

And much of this would be, effectively, one-time costs! Of the $11 billion we estimated it would take, shelter's $4.32 billion is basically one-time only and the $2.4 billion solar cost is, too.

Works cited

Abdelkader, Rima. “Gaza Has Access to Less than 40% of the Energy It Needs. Locals Hope Solar Power Can Fill the Gap.” NBC News, 23 Aug. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-access-less-40-energy-needs-locals-hope-solar-power-can-fill-gap-rcna43723.

De Luce, Dan, and Lisa Cavazuti. “Most of Gaza Is Poor, but Hamas Has Cash. Where Does It Come From?” NBC News, 25 Oct. 2023, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-plagued-poverty-hamas-no-shortage-cash-come-rcna121099.

Department of Defense, Office of Civil Defense. Family Shelter Designs. Jan. 1962, pp. 19–20, dahp.wa.gov/sites/default/files/FamilyShelterDesigns.pdf.

FEMA. “Water.” Ready.gov, 2021, web.archive.org/web/20250201201522/ready.gov/water. Via Internet Archive.

Issacharoff, Avi. “Hamas Spends $100 Million a Year on Military Infrastructure.” Times of Israel, 8 Sept. 2016, www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-spends-100-million-a-year-on-military-infrastructure/.

Lipson, Nathan. “Tunnels of Cash and Cryptocurrency: Hamas’ Finances Explained.” Haaretz.com, Haaretz, 12 Dec. 2023, www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/2023-12-12/ty-article-magazine/.premium/tunnels-of-cash-and-cryptocurrency-hamas-finances-explained/0000018c-5d6f-de43-affd-fd6fcbb30000. Archive/unpaywalled link: https://archive.is/AfbPq.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “PVWatts Calculator.” NREL, 2019, pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php.

Simon, Julia. “Why the U.S. Government Is Spending $7 Billion on Solar for Low-Income Homes.” NPR, 1 Aug. 2024, www.npr.org/2024/07/31/g-s1-8152/solar-for-all-epa-low-income-climate-change-solution.

TimesofIndia.com. “‘Hamas’s Top 3 Leaders Are Worth Staggering $11 Billion.’” The Times of India, Times Of India, 8 Nov. 2023, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/israel-hamas-war-ismail-haniyeh-worth-moussa-abu-marzuk-khaled-mashal/articleshow/105055536.cms.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “CPI Inflation Calculator.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025, www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm.

UN News. “‘This Is Our Land’ – Building Gaza’s Future from the Wreckage of War.” UN News, Mar. 2025, news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1160661.

UNRWA. “Gaza Strip.” UNRWA, Aug. 2023, www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip.

US Department of State. “2023 Investment Climate Statements: West Bank and Gaza.” United States Department of State, 2023, www.state.gov/reports/2023-investment-climate-statements/west-bank-and-gaza/. Archive link: web.archive.org/web/20231011090250/https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-investment-climate-statements/west-bank-and-gaza/.

Winer, Stuart. “Fatah Official Accuses Hamas of Stealing $700m from Gazans.” Times of Israel, Oct. 2014, www.timesofisrael.com/fatah-official-accuses-hamas-of-stealing-700m-from-gazans/.

World Food Program USA. “Here Are 10 Facts on Hunger and WFP’s Work.” World Food Program USA, Nov. 2024, www.wfpusa.org/articles/10-quick-facts-hunger-wfps-work/.