# Construction Cost Estimating

## Estimate Types

### By Project Phase
| Phase | Type | Accuracy |
|-------|------|----------|
| Pre-design | Order of magnitude | -30% to +50% |
| Schematic | Conceptual | -20% to +30% |
| Design Development | Preliminary | -15% to +20% |
| Construction Documents | Detailed | -5% to +10% |
| Bidding | Bid | -3% to +5% |

### Estimating Methods
| Method | Use | Accuracy |
|--------|-----|----------|
| $/SF | Early budgeting | Low |
| Assembly | Design development | Medium |
| Unit price | Bid/construction | High |
| Parameter | Programming | Low-medium |

---

## Cost per Square Foot Ranges

### Building Types (2024 National Average)
| Type | Low | Medium | High |
|------|-----|--------|------|
| Single-family residential | $150-200 | $200-350 | $350-600+ |
| Multi-family (low-rise) | $150-200 | $200-300 | $300-450 |
| Multi-family (high-rise) | $250-350 | $350-500 | $500-800 |
| Office (low-rise) | $175-225 | $225-350 | $350-500 |
| Office (high-rise) | $300-400 | $400-600 | $600-900 |
| Retail (shell) | $100-150 | $150-250 | $250-400 |
| Retail (tenant improvement) | $50-75 | $75-150 | $150-300 |
| Hotel (select service) | $150-200 | $200-300 | $300-400 |
| Hotel (full service) | $250-350 | $350-550 | $550-800 |
| Hospital | $400-500 | $500-800 | $800-1,200 |
| Medical office | $200-275 | $275-400 | $400-600 |
| Industrial/warehouse | $80-120 | $120-175 | $175-250 |
| Parking structure | $60-80 | $80-120 | $120-180 |

### Florida Adjustment Factors
| Region | Factor |
|--------|--------|
| Miami-Dade | 1.05-1.15 |
| Broward | 1.00-1.10 |
| Palm Beach | 1.00-1.10 |
| Tampa Bay | 0.95-1.05 |
| Orlando | 0.95-1.00 |
| Jacksonville | 0.90-0.95 |

---

## Cost Breakdown by System

### Typical Distribution
| System | % of Total |
|--------|------------|
| Site work | 5-12% |
| Structure | 15-25% |
| Exterior enclosure | 15-25% |
| Interior construction | 10-20% |
| Mechanical | 12-18% |
| Electrical | 8-15% |
| Plumbing | 5-10% |
| Fire protection | 2-4% |
| Vertical transport | 3-8% |
| Specialties | 2-5% |
| General conditions | 8-15% |

### By Building Type Variance
| Type | Structure | Envelope | MEP |
|------|-----------|----------|-----|
| Office | 18-22% | 18-22% | 28-35% |
| Residential | 15-20% | 20-25% | 25-30% |
| Retail | 12-18% | 20-28% | 20-28% |
| Hospital | 15-18% | 15-18% | 35-45% |
| Industrial | 25-35% | 15-20% | 15-25% |

---

## Unit Cost Data

### Sitework
| Item | Unit | Range |
|------|------|-------|
| Clearing/grubbing | Acre | $1,500-5,000 |
| Mass excavation | CY | $8-25 |
| Trenching | LF | $5-15 |
| Backfill | CY | $10-30 |
| Asphalt paving | SF | $3-8 |
| Concrete paving | SF | $6-12 |
| Landscaping | SF | $2-10 |

### Concrete
| Item | Unit | Range |
|------|------|-------|
| Footings | CY | $350-550 |
| Foundation walls | SF | $15-30 |
| Slab on grade (4") | SF | $6-10 |
| Elevated slab | SF | $18-35 |
| Concrete columns | LF | $75-150 |
| Concrete beams | LF | $50-100 |

### Masonry
| Item | Unit | Range |
|------|------|-------|
| 8" CMU | SF | $12-20 |
| 12" CMU | SF | $15-25 |
| Brick veneer | SF | $18-35 |
| Stone veneer | SF | $35-80 |
| Glass block | SF | $40-70 |

### Steel
| Item | Unit | Range |
|------|------|-------|
| Structural steel | Ton | $3,500-6,000 |
| Steel joists | SF | $3-6 |
| Metal deck | SF | $3-6 |
| Miscellaneous steel | Lb | $2.50-4.50 |
| Steel stairs | Flight | $5,000-15,000 |

### Wood Framing
| Item | Unit | Range |
|------|------|-------|
| Wall framing | SF wall | $6-12 |
| Floor framing | SF floor | $8-15 |
| Roof framing | SF roof | $8-16 |
| Trusses | SF | $4-8 |
| Engineered lumber | LF | $3-10 |

---

## Assembly Costs

### Exterior Wall Assemblies
| Type | $/SF |
|------|------|
| Wood stud + vinyl siding | $18-28 |
| Wood stud + brick veneer | $35-55 |
| CMU + stucco | $25-40 |
| CMU + brick | $40-60 |
| Steel stud + EIFS | $30-45 |
| Curtain wall (standard) | $80-150 |
| Curtain wall (custom) | $150-300 |

### Roof Assemblies
| Type | $/SF |
|------|------|
| Built-up | $12-20 |
| TPO/PVC | $10-18 |
| Standing seam metal | $15-30 |
| Asphalt shingles | $5-12 |
| Tile | $15-35 |
| Green roof | $25-60 |

### Floor Assemblies
| Type | $/SF |
|------|------|
| Slab on grade | $8-15 |
| Elevated concrete | $25-45 |
| Wood frame | $15-25 |
| Composite metal deck | $20-35 |

---

## Interior Finishes

### Walls
| Type | $/SF |
|------|------|
| Paint on drywall | $3-6 |
| Wallcovering | $5-15 |
| Ceramic tile | $15-40 |
| Stone | $30-100 |
| Wood paneling | $15-50 |
| Glass partition | $50-100 |

### Ceilings
| Type | $/SF |
|------|------|
| ACT (standard) | $4-8 |
| ACT (high performance) | $8-15 |
| Drywall | $6-12 |
| Linear metal | $15-30 |
| Exposed | $0-2 (finish costs) |

### Flooring
| Type | $/SF |
|------|------|
| Carpet (standard) | $4-8 |
| Carpet (premium) | $8-15 |
| VCT | $3-6 |
| LVT | $5-12 |
| Ceramic tile | $10-25 |
| Porcelain tile | $12-30 |
| Hardwood | $10-25 |
| Polished concrete | $4-10 |
| Terrazzo | $30-60 |

---

## Doors and Hardware

### Door Assemblies
| Type | Each |
|------|------|
| HM door/frame, standard | $800-1,500 |
| HM door/frame, rated | $1,200-2,500 |
| Wood door/frame | $700-2,000 |
| Storefront entry | $3,000-8,000 |
| Automatic entrance | $8,000-25,000 |
| Overhead door | $2,000-10,000 |

### Hardware Allowances
| Level | Per Door |
|-------|----------|
| Basic | $300-500 |
| Standard | $500-1,000 |
| Enhanced | $1,000-2,000 |
| High security | $2,000-4,000 |

---

## MEP Systems

### HVAC
| System | $/SF or $/Ton |
|--------|---------------|
| Residential | $12-25/SF |
| Commercial (packaged) | $15-30/SF |
| Commercial (central) | $25-50/SF |
| Data center | $50-150/SF |
| Chiller (per ton) | $1,500-4,000 |

### Plumbing
| Item | Each |
|------|------|
| Lavatory | $500-1,500 |
| Water closet | $600-2,000 |
| Urinal | $700-1,500 |
| Kitchen sink | $500-2,000 |
| Shower | $800-3,000 |
| Water heater (residential) | $1,000-3,000 |
| Water heater (commercial) | $5,000-25,000 |

### Electrical
| System | $/SF |
|--------|------|
| Residential | $10-20 |
| Commercial (light) | $15-30 |
| Commercial (heavy) | $25-50 |
| Data center | $75-200 |
| Emergency power (generator) | $300-800/kW |

---

## Soft Costs

### Typical Percentages
| Item | % of Construction |
|------|-------------------|
| Architecture/engineering | 6-12% |
| Consultants | 1-3% |
| Permits | 1-3% |
| Testing/inspection | 0.5-1.5% |
| Legal | 0.5-1% |
| Insurance | 1-2% |
| Financing | 2-5% |
| Developer fee | 3-5% |
| Contingency | 5-15% |

### Professional Fees by Project Size
| Project Size | A/E Fee Range |
|--------------|---------------|
| < $1M | 10-15% |
| $1-5M | 8-12% |
| $5-20M | 6-10% |
| $20-50M | 5-8% |
| $50M+ | 4-7% |

---

## Contingencies

### By Phase
| Phase | Contingency |
|-------|-------------|
| Conceptual | 15-25% |
| Schematic | 10-20% |
| Design Development | 7-15% |
| Construction Documents | 5-10% |
| Bidding | 3-5% |
| Construction | 3-5% |

### By Risk Factor
| Risk | Additional |
|------|------------|
| Standard project | 0% |
| Complex design | +5-10% |
| Renovation | +10-20% |
| Historic | +15-25% |
| Fast track | +5-15% |
| Unknown conditions | +10-20% |

---

## Escalation

### Calculating Escalation
```
Escalated Cost = Current Cost × (1 + Rate)^Years

Example:
Current: $10M
Rate: 5% annually
Midpoint: 18 months = 1.5 years
Escalated: $10M × (1.05)^1.5 = $10.76M
```

### Recent Escalation Rates
| Year | National | Florida |
|------|----------|---------|
| 2021 | 8-12% | 10-15% |
| 2022 | 10-15% | 12-18% |
| 2023 | 5-8% | 6-10% |
| 2024 | 3-6% | 4-7% |

---

## Value Engineering

### Common VE Targets
| System | Potential Savings |
|--------|------------------|
| Structure | 5-15% |
| Exterior wall | 10-25% |
| MEP | 10-20% |
| Finishes | 15-30% |
| Site work | 10-20% |

### VE Strategies
| Strategy | Impact |
|----------|--------|
| Reduce building area | Direct savings |
| Simplify geometry | 5-15% |
| Standard materials | 5-20% |
| Alternative systems | 10-30% |
| Reduce finish levels | 10-25% |
| Phase construction | Cash flow |

---

## Pricing Sources

### Industry Resources
| Source | Content |
|--------|---------|
| RSMeans | Detailed unit costs |
| Marshall & Swift | Building valuation |
| Craftsman | Residential/light commercial |
| ENR | Cost indices |
| Dodge | Market data |

### Index Adjustments
| Index | Use |
|-------|-----|
| ENR BCI | General construction |
| ENR CCI | 20-city average |
| RSMeans City Cost | Local adjustment |

---

## Budget Format

### Summary Level
| Category | Budget |
|----------|--------|
| Land/site acquisition | $X |
| Hard costs | $X |
| Soft costs | $X |
| Contingency | $X |
| Financing | $X |
| **Total Project Cost** | $X |

### Hard Cost Detail
| Division | Budget |
|----------|--------|
| 01 General Conditions | $X |
| 02 Existing Conditions | $X |
| 03 Concrete | $X |
| ... | ... |
| Fee and contingency | $X |
| **Total Construction** | $X |
