Question 1

How much does construction lose to change orders annually?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. construction industry loses $177 billion annually to rework and change orders (FMI Corporation & Autodesk). For residential projects, average change orders cost $3,500-$8,000. Change orders typically represent 8-14% of total project costs.

Question 2

What percentage of home buyers say builders don't communicate clearly?

Accepted Answer

47% of home buyers say builders don't explain designs clearly (NAHB 2024 survey). This leads to a 26% drop in satisfaction during construction. Research shows 85% of homebuyer dissatisfaction stems from the process, not the home itself.

Question 3

How effective are full-scale floor plans vs 2D blueprints?

Accepted Answer

65% of people cannot accurately judge room sizes from 2D plans (Stanford University). Full-scale floor plans reduce decision time by 30%, improve memory retention by 4.7x, and catch 89% more MEP coordination issues than digital models alone.

Question 4

How much can full-scale floor plans save on commercial projects?

Accepted Answer

Projects using full-scale coordination save an average of $45,000 in avoided rework on commercial projects, with schedule delays reduced by 18 days (Construction Industry Institute, University of Texas).

Question 5

What causes most construction project delays?

Accepted Answer

Large projects take 20% longer than scheduled (McKinsey). Major causes: design errors (3-5% of budget), communication breakdowns (47% cite this), and change orders (8-14% of costs). Multiple change orders reduce productivity by 10-30%.

Question 6

How common are change orders in construction?

Accepted Answer

Projects valued at $10-$50M experience 1-17 change orders, while projects over $50M see 1-27 change orders (American Institute of Architects). Change orders are the norm, not the exception.

Question 7

How much does communication impact project success?

Accepted Answer

Projects with strong communication finish on time 71% of the time, compared to only 37% with poor communication (Aproplan Research). Additionally, 60% of contractors identify poor communication as the key contributor to decreased labor productivity (Autodesk & FMI).