WHEN PROGRESS HITS A WALL: SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT FAILED EXPERIMENTS
That’s the kind of thing that drives up costs fast. I get learning from surprises, but honestly, I’d rather not have them at all—unexpected fixes can blow a budget in no time. I always push for a thorough inspection before starting, even if it means spending a bit more upfront. It’s not foolproof, but it’s saved me from some nasty surprises... most of the time.
WHEN PROGRESS HITS A WALL: SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT FAILED EXPERIMENTS
I get where you’re coming from about wanting to catch everything upfront, but honestly, I’ve seen those “thorough inspections” turn into a money pit of their own. Sometimes it feels like you’re just paying for someone to tell you what *might* go wrong, and then half the time, something else pops up anyway. I’m not saying skip the inspection—definitely not—but there’s a point where you’re just throwing good money after bad trying to predict every possible hiccup.
In my experience, a little risk is just part of the deal. I’d rather set aside a contingency fund than overpay for endless pre-checks that don’t guarantee anything. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather deal with a surprise or two than nickel-and-dime myself into the red before the real work even starts.
WHEN PROGRESS HITS A WALL: SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT FAILED EXPERIMENTS
That’s a really fair point—sometimes those inspections do feel like a never-ending list of “what ifs” that don’t actually save you from the real curveballs. I totally get wanting to keep some cash aside for the unexpected instead of spending it all upfront. Have you ever had an inspection actually catch something major, though? I’ve seen both sides... sometimes it’s a lifesaver, other times it’s just more stress. It’s such a balancing act, especially when you’re trying to build sustainably and not waste resources.
WHEN PROGRESS HITS A WALL: SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT FAILED EXPERIMENTS
I hear you on the inspections sometimes feeling like a box-ticking exercise. But I’ve actually had one save my neck—caught a buried oil tank on a site that would’ve been a nightmare (and a fortune) to deal with later. On the flip side, there’s been plenty of times where it felt like we were just paying for paperwork and delays.
What I struggle with is figuring out where to draw the line between “due diligence” and just burning through budget because you’re scared of missing something. Especially when you’re working with older properties or brownfield sites... you can’t predict every surprise, no matter how many checks you run. Ever had one of those situations where you did everything by the book and still got blindsided? That’s the stuff that keeps me up sometimes.
It’s a constant juggle—spend too much upfront and you risk running out of resources, but skip too much and you might pay double fixing things later. No perfect answer, but I guess experience helps you get a feel for which corners are safe to cut and which aren’t.
What I struggle with is figuring out where to draw the line between “due diligence” and just burning through budget because you’re scared of missing something.
That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I once spent ages (and way too much money) on soil reports for a renovation, only to find out later the real issue was ancient plumbing no one even thought to check. Sometimes it feels like you’re just playing whack-a-mole with problems. Is there ever a way to know which risks are worth the spend, or is it always a bit of a gamble?
