how to budget Interrelated Roadmap

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1. Lund says

   As one of the leading construction lawyers in the nation, Barry Le Patner doesn’t necessarily expose the faults of the $1 trillion construction industry as much as he lays it out for public view. In writing this book he risks being labeled a pariah in the construction industry for biting the hand that feeds him.
   Of the $1.23 trillion spent on construction in the U.S. last year, La Patner points out the industry wastes $120 billion, enough money to set Social Security on the path to financial solvency.
   What’s the root cause of the waste? La Patner emphasizes the two most hated words an owner hears from a general contractor: cost overruns and change orders. The mom and pop construction industry purposely bids low on a project to lock in a mutable contract. Once in hand, the contractor becomes a monopoly that can run roughshod over the owner with schedule delays and change orders that almost guarantee a large profit for the general contractor.
   This is why we see so many articles in newspapers about delays and huge overruns on projects. A recent example of this waste is the Big Dig in Boston. $12 billion over budget, years late, and it leaks.
   Mr. LaPatner’s solution seems simple, fixed-price contracts and consolidation of the mom and pop small contractors into a larger corporation that will take responsibility for all the construction tasks. He also recommends an intermediary to oversee the project with the interests of the owner in mind, and not the contractor,
   This well-written, 200 plus page book will not threaten James Patterson’s novels for domination at the beach next summer, but it may have the potential to influence public opinion of the wasteful construction industry just as Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring influenced and kick-started the environmental movement.
   It’s probably too late to change the ways and habits of the entrenched contemporary construction industry, but it’s not too late to influence the minds of the future architects and engineers attending the nation’s universities. This book should be required reading of those students who will someday steer the beleaguered industry.

   November 11, 2009, 5:36 am
2. Jia says

   Like others here have said – the book offers a promise but doesn’t deliver. Ironically – much like the sub-standard contractors the author faults for all of the industry’s problems.

   The book has serious deficiencies – it is questionable how much the authors really know about certain industry practices such as cost estimating, building information modeling (BIM)or Job Order Contracting (which is never mentioned). Some of their observations are simply anecdotal (despite an over-abundance of footnotes, like some academic text). They seem not to realize some of the circumstances that lead to the current configuration of the industry – such as specialized crafts and training required by contractors in order for owners to get manufacturer’s warranties on certain products such as roofing. A general contractor can’t keep people like that on the payroll all the time – it’s just-in-time work, and a good deal of it is refurbishment, not new construction. Also, much of what the author faults the entire industry for are simply examples of bad management – on the part of architects, contractors and owners. Nothing new there. Then again – that’s how the author makes his living – as an attorney in contract disputes. As another reviewer opined – he never sees the good projects.

   For example – the author lauds architect Frank Gehry and specifically the Strata Center at MIT. Apparently the book was written before MIT sued Gehry for the many flaws in the design of the $300 million Strata center (search the Boston Globe of November 6, 2007 for the full article.) Just because MIT paid Gehry $15 million – MIT expects a building that doesn’t leak, have poor drainage and a host of other problems. The nerve!

   Here’s another take on Gehry’s Strata Center:

   “It really is a disaster,” said former Boston University president John Silber, who sharply criticizes the Stata Center’s design in a new book, “Architecture of the Absurd: How ‘Genius’ Disfigured a Practical Art.”

   I was especially amused at how the authors tap-danced around the issue of how the construction industry in the US is supposedly deeply flawed, but leads all the others in the world in productivity! An interesting oxymoron that really isn’t addressed.

   This book is a scan read, and library loan at best.

   November 11, 2009, 11:07 am
3. Umbricht says

   Great read and gives you a great insight to the construction industry in a “big picture” form. As a construction management student, it makes me feel good about where the construction industry is headed in the near future and the optimism the author has for the broken buildings to be “fixed” as he proposed in the text.

   November 11, 2009, 4:59 pm
4. Bitterolf says

   I agree with several other reviewers, this book starts off strong then quickly fizzles into repetitiveness and too much “armchair economist” speculation.

   Contractors bid low to get the job then try to make it up on change orders. Therefore we should maybe try something different with contracts. Anyone who has been around construction for any length of time knows this.

   I take issue with his call for consolidation (and bureaucratization) in the industry. Do we really want foremen as lobotomized as Target Team Members? Construction today, while not an egalitarian workers paradise, is a place where a person with ambition can still rise to a decent standard of living with just their own hard work and wits. There are meritocratic elements, consensus decision making, and cooperation within the command structure. Why try to make it more like cubicle life?

   With regard to productivity, when delays (expected or unexpected) happen in a centralized office or diversified manufacturer, one can often switch to other productive task while waiting. On the job site you can wait drive somewhere else, with productive hours lost to transit and setup time. Perhaps some efficiencies can be gained but for instance what else do you have workers do when finishing concrete? They have to work the concrete a little bit, sit around in the truck, go back and work it a little more, wait in the truck, etc.

   November 11, 2009, 11:24 pm
5. Quiran says

   This book focuses more on large, commercial construction projects and the industry in general. If you are looking at a book for home construction or improvement this would not be my first choice. With that said, it offers a lot of insights in how the construction business operates, some of which is quite eye opening. The book includes good descriptions of types of construction contracts and offers sound advice on how to write a contract that benefits you as the customer.

   November 12, 2009, 5:49 am
6. Leader says

   I found this book like so many available for Elements. It gives examples and the explanation how to achieve that particular effect, but not a wider description of how those effects work and can be applied to other things. So I see it as very much a companion to “The Missing Manual” which does go into greater background, but doesn’t give the final examples this one does. Indeed, Amazon has them both grouped as worth buying together, which is what I did and am pleased I did!

   November 12, 2009, 11:21 am
7. Mao says

   You have Photoshop Elements … any version really … but especially 6 … get this book you won’t regret it. PERIOD.

   November 12, 2009, 5:01 pm
8. Gillaspie says

   I found this book east to understand. Great tips, and I loved it. I had tried to download some tutorials off the internet and found them hard and confusing.
   This book gave step by step and clear instructions.

   November 12, 2009, 11:12 pm
9. Ondeck says

   It became apparent on Page 10 where the authors referenced the “Magic Selection Brush” instead of “Quick Selection Tool” that they didn’t look at Photoshop Elements 6 when writing their book “How to Cheat…”. As a new user of Elements 6 I put the book down after this frustrating experience. “How to Cheat…” is an appropriate title, for this wasted purchase. Two stars is generous.

   November 13, 2009, 5:33 am
10. Nale says

    I can’t even get through the first exercise! There is nothing that explains which tool is which on the screen. There is no audio to tell you what to do. You have to read, then act. And if you don’t pick the right tool, you have to redo everything. I am so frustrated right now I could scream!

    November 13, 2009, 11:05 am
11. Farino says

    In this age of complex money management, Ann Danly offers a simpler perspective honed from her childhood years in the Depression. In an un-preachy and plain story-telling manner, she speaks to the value of money. Let her stories and ideas flow over you with their basic common sense, and you’ll be spending your money more wisely, I guarantee it.

    November 13, 2009, 5:43 pm
12. Quinton says

    Very well written and easy to understand. Filled with investing wisdom
    that will not only save you money, but make you money.

    November 13, 2009, 11:16 pm
13. Andrews says

    The Budget Fashionista belongs on the List of Fashion Books That Are Worth Buying.

    Finney doesn’t tell you what to wear but gives the reader great ideas of how to do so and do it for less. The Budget Fashionista website has great resources and more information.

    If you are having a fashion crisis – or if you think you spend wayyyy too much money on clothes, you should check out this book. If you love fashion but can’t spend the GNP of a small country on haute couture, then this is the book for you.

    November 14, 2009, 5:08 am
14. Irving says

    I felt like this book was a collection of tips and suggestions I’ve seen on TV. In fact, you’re much better off watching “What not to wear”. Honestly – buying this book was just a waste of money.

    November 14, 2009, 11:08 am
15. Abercrombie says

    I did not want to read pass the introduction of this book. Unappealing to me.

    November 14, 2009, 5:26 pm
16. Flower says

    I loved this book. I simply couldn’t put it down. I’ve always thought of myself as being budget conscious, but I learned a lot of tips and tricks.
    This is definitely a keeper book. I will recommend this book to everyone I know that loves fashion, but it won’t be borrowed by anyone, sorry my friends. It’s mine!!!!

    November 14, 2009, 11:02 pm

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