A commercial contractor in Arizona recently discovered three months into a $1.8 million project that his budget was off by $127,000. The culprit? Underestimated labor costs, untracked material price increases, and change orders that were approved but never integrated into the budget. This isn't rare. It's happening across construction sites nationwide, and it's why mastering construction budgeting has become one of the most critical skills for contractors in 2025. Creating