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The Latest Help For Homeowners Isn't a Government Program, It's a Book
comments (0) March 5th, 2009 in Blogs
Robyn Doyon-Aitken, producer
3 users recommend
Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets: How to Fix America's Trillion-Dollar Construction Industry
by Barry B. LePatner with Robert E. Wright and Timothy C. Jacobson
In Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets, construction attorney Barry LePatner dissects the builder’s world of low bids and change orders to the point that I worried my customers might read it and rebel. My fear subsided, however, and I often found myself putting down the book to pump my fist and cheer.
LePatner effectively argues that the inefficiencies of the building industry and the chronic schedule and cost overruns that often go hand in hand with any construction project are the results of a business model that allows the builder to assume almost no risk in the final cost. He writes, “Once awarded the contract, [a] contractor then changes hats. From occupying the highly competitive world needed to secure the project, the contractor now becomes a monopolist insofar as the owner is concerned.” Once the job starts, the owner cannot easily change builders, and so has to submit to inevitable change orders and delays.
Throughout his critique, LePatner methodically unravels the things contractors cite for cost overruns, such as “hidden conditions” and “architectural omissions.” His overarching point is that homebuilders know the business; homeowners do not.
The book is an eye-opening exposé that not only offers practical advice for homeowners on how to deal with guys like me but also tells the story of how an industry managed to skirt progress. Home building might be rooted in craft, but it’s frail as a business. LePatner falls short in delivering on how to fix the industry. But his point—that homebuilders owe their clients more than good buildings; they owe them a better deal—is well taken. His insights will save a lot of money for anyone who employs them.
—Fernando Pagés Ruiz is a builder and the author of Building an Affordable House: Trade Secrets for High-Value, Low-Cost Construction (The Taunton Press, 2005).
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