The reality is that time and cost overruns are the rule rather than the exception, and there is plenty of blame to go around. And that blame can begin at home.
Owners sometimes make the first contribution to the cost problem by setting unattainable budgets.
Like most individuals, they want to buy a Honda on a Hyundai budget. But they also contribute by underestimating the time it will take for construction-they embark in the spring on projects they want to occupy by the fall. Owners that build only occasionally have a legitimate excuse-lack of experience. It is difficult enough for those regularly involved in construction to keep track of costs, so the infrequent participant often does not understand the changes in products and prices that may have occurred since the last building project. Owners experience the same sticker shock as car buyers who shop for new cars at intervals of three or more years.