Picture this: You're three weeks into a commercial build, and your accountant delivers the news, labor costs are already 18% over budget. Your subcontractor invoices don't match your estimates. Material prices have jumped. For construction owners, GCs, and subcontractors across the US, budget overruns directly threaten your bottom line and reputation. Understanding why projects go over budget isn't about pointing fingers. It's about mastering job cost variance analysis to cat

Imagine submitting a bid for a construction project, only to realize halfway through that costs are slipping out of control and a job you thought would be profitable has turned into a financial headache. In construction, where margins are tight and prices can change quickly, this happens more often than many contractors expect. Underestimating even a little can do real damage. If you’re off by just 5 percent on a $500,000 project, that’s $25,000 gone before you start. Overest