“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.'”

A lot has changed in the building industry during the 2,000 years since those words of Jesus were recorded, but one thing remains the same: we’d better estimate the cost…all the costs.

For a typical project, those costs can be hard to nail down at the beginning. It takes knowledge and experience of the entire process to be able to come up with a decent estimate. From concept to design and permitting through construction and finally with ongoing maintenance – each stage comes with its own cost. It is crucial to work with a design professional that takes a big picture approach to your project and can draw in experts to help with your budget planning.

Costs that are left uncounted initially, will add up…expenses like permit application fees, municipal review fees, financial security, construction inspection and as-built surveys often do not find there way into a proposal from design and construction professionals, but need to be understood prior to laying the foundation.

Make sure you’re counting all the costs when budgeting for your project. Ask your professional to help you think through the entire process and get the complete picture. It will pay off!