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Looking for a source of information that generally describes the relative
proportions of costs for each portion of a conventional building project of
small modular (30/40) masonry apartment buildings here in South Texas–standard quality. That is what proportions of the cost of construction expense should be allocated to electrical, plumbing, roofing, insulation, etc. Has anyone ever done a study on the average percentage that goes to each part of a project?
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Robert, I don't think percentages are the way to go... For instance, I have two additions going right now: The surveying, site work, excavations, footings and block work for one is about 3% of the job, and for the other, it's 13.5%. Each job also has its own mix of subcontractor activity, and using percentages in such cases is like estimating interior trim on the basis of the floor plan square footage... you could really get burned.
I think if I did the same sort of thing year in and year out (say, tract building of homes of a certain size and quality), then perhaps I could generate some percentages... In my case, at least, the projects vary greatly one from another and I have to look at the discrete costs in each subcontractor category as the design dictates.
Just my thoughts and opinions...
Regards, Steve
*I agree with Steve. But, for what it's worth, you can always look at a construction loan disbursement schedule. Lenders more-or-less follow a generic breakdown (3% for electrical rough-in, 2% for HVAC rough-in, etc.). It's certainly no way to budget, but it can give you rough, relative oost ideas.