Open Book (cost +) vs Fixed Price

[saveasteading]

18 hours ago, Dave Jones said:

down to the last nail including time line gantt etc

If that was the case, then every contractor's quote would be the same.

Detail and extensiveness isn't the same as accuracy.

[jack]

On 05/11/2025 at 22:42, Nickfromwales said:

My favourite is when novice self builders approach me and say “we’ve X budget”. I say “how did you arrive at that figure?”  
They say “that’s how much money we have”.

 

Feels like the majority of discussions around finance on Grand Designs.

 

I remember that one on the Isle of Wight where they built an absolutely massive house with half basement and high quality finishes. They budgeted less than £1000/sqm, with them doing literally no actual building themselves.

By the time the windows arrived from Switzerland, they were already out of money. The guy was running around trying to scrape together enough cash to allow the windows to be unloaded.

Apparently they built that big because the plot deserved it.

[bmj1]

27 minutes ago, jack said:

 

Feels like the majority of discussions around finance on Grand Designs.

 

I remember that one on the Isle of Wight where they built an absolutely massive house with half basement and high quality finishes. They budgeted less than £1000/sqm, with them doing literally no actual buulding themselves.

By the time the windows arrived from Switzerland, they were already out of money. The guy was running around trying to scrape together enough cash to allow the windows to be unloaded.

Apparently they built that big because the plot deserved it.

 

Slight side note: it's a funny thing but I saw this on my own project - a small fortune of windows sitting on the truck (held to ransom so to speak) - but nobody in the accounts team at the window company thought to ask for payment before the day of delivery !