Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets: How to Fix America's Trillion-Dollar Construction Industry | 
 enlarge | Author: Barry B. Lepatner
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Category: Book
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 43708
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 0226472698
Dewey Decimal Number: 624
EAN: 9780226472690
ASIN: 0226472698
Publication Date: September 15, 2008
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Product Description
Across the nation, construction projects large and small—from hospitals to schools to simple home improvements—are spiraling out of control. Delays and cost overruns have come to seem “normal,” even as they drain our wallets and send our blood pressure skyrocketing. In Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets, prominent construction attorney Barry B. LePatner builds a powerful case for change in America’s sole remaining “mom and pop” industry—an industry that consumes $1.23 trillion and wastes at least $120 billion each year.
With three decades of experience representing clients that include eminent architects and engineers, as well as corporations, institutions, and developers, LePatner has firsthand knowledge of the bad management, ineffective supervision, and insufficient investment in technology that plagues the risk-averse construction industry. In an engaging and direct style, he here pinpoints the issues that underlie the industry’s woes while providing practical tips for anyone in the business of building, including advice on the precise language owners should use during contract negotiations.
Armed with Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets, everyone involved in the purchase or renovation of a building or any structure—from homeowners seeking to remodel to civic developers embarking on large-scale projects—has the information they need to change this antiquated industry, one project at a time.
“LePatner describes what is wrong with the current system and suggests ways that architects can help—by retaking their rightful place as master builders.”—Fred A. Bernstein, Architect Magazine “Every now and then, a major construction project is completed on time and on budget. Everyone is amazed. . . . Barry LePatner thinks this exception should become the rule. . . . A swift kick to the construction industry.”—James R. Hagerty, Wall Street Journal
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Pretty Deficient October 27, 2008
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.
 Could have been a good trade journal article, not enough substance for a book October 25, 2008
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.
 Busted expectations April 20, 2008
A decent book and well written but it is thin on solutions and alternatives. Changing the construction contract is the theme of this book and the only relevant solution proposed.
Kept waiting for it to develop February 14, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was disappointed by this book. It started out very well, with a promise to unlock the mysteries of a horribly inefficient industry. Hoping to find a manifesto for change, I instead found the proposed solution quite underwhelming.
The authors laboriously breakdown the current system in great detail, setting the stage and mentally preparing the reader for the great unveiling. And I kept waiting for that moment to come when the "ah-ha" would happen and everything would click into place. I had to double check that I was done when I reached the Notes section to make sure that there wasn't any more. "Is that it?" I thought.
It does provide a fascinating look at the inner workings of the industry. It is a good read for anybody in the construction industry, whether as an owner, contractor, or design professional. The authors certainly do give you a lot to think about, but little promise that it can be adopted industry-wide.
I recommend reading this book, but do not expect it to be world-changing.
 Lost 'Art' of Construction January 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Barry LePatner's essay on the state of the failed construction world in the US reminds us that not all things are created equal. The concepts of financial leverage, specialization of trades, diffusion of risk, and vertical/horizontal integration are explained so the lay person can grasp the intent of the book. The essential truths of "time, price, and quality" have been replaced by "time value of money" and this theme is quietly woven throughout the book.
No single volume can elucidate the myriad forces affecting an industry some call the `second oldest profession,' but Mr. LePatner's admirable attempt to uncover the sources of inefficient and cost overrun construction makes us want to understand more. It used to be there was an `art' to construction that matched the glorious designs of prolific architects and what was built was a source of pride for all. Mr. LePatner's book is both nostalgic and forward thinking; it offers us glimpses of the malaise that characterizes the antiquated design-bid-build business model.
Not since Dana Cuff's "Architecture: The Story of Practice"--the expose about the esoteric underpinnings of the architectural profession--has an essay attempted to exorcise the silent demons lurking in the counterpart profession of construction. If asymmetric information is a source for unequal footing at the outset of every project, perhaps the economic context of construction too is antiquated.
I appreciate the boldness with which Mr. LePatner argues his position. As a developer and financier of high-end real estate, I empathize with each scenario illustrated. The lessons and practical advice to owners to overcome false starts and overbudgets are put forward with a studied determination guided by good intentions. Will Mr. LePatner's book single-handedly be the catalyst to fix the construction industry? No one can predict the future, but we can't say he didn't warn us. -Roy R. Pachecano, Real Estate Columnist, BUILDERnews Magazine
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