Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets: How to Fix America's Trillion-Dollar Construction Industry [Hardcover]

Barry B. LePatner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2007

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  

(20070219)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Construction, a $1 trillion industry, is a bedrock of the mighty U.S. economy. But as Barry LePatner shows, it operates with an efficiency more characteristic of the old Soviet Union. Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets proves that waste, overspending, and economic irrationality pervade the industry, burdening consumers, taxpayers, and shareholders with enormous costs. As important, it lays out a blueprint for reform.”—Daniel Gross, “Moneybox” columnist for Slate.com

(Daniel Gross 20070305)

“Everyone in construction, from owners to contractors, from architects to construction workers, should read this book. Those who do will surely join Mr. LePatner in his crusade to fix an industry so vitally important to the way we live.”—A. Eugene Kohn, Chairman, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

(A. Eugene Kohn 20070309)

“As a leading construction industry attorney, Barry LePatner knows the industry as well as anyone—warts and all. Here he sends a strong warning to owners, agencies, and institutions charged with constructing or renovating the built environment to get their act together and radically rethink their business practices. He not only zeroes in on the industry’s shortcomings but also offers up cures.”—Stephen A. Kliment, FAIA

(Stephen A. Kliment 20070326)

“Not since The Business Roundtable raised the red flag over 25 years ago on the ineffective use of construction dollars and its impact on the global economy has a treatise provided in-depth reasoning on the culprits. Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets provides deep insight as to why the construction industry has not corrected faults to mitigate such excessive construction cost overruns and has even begin to accept these everyday occurrences as the norm. Barry LePatner describes how the U.S. government and even our nation’s most respected corporations fall prey to the inefficient practices of all parties involved in a major construction project—contractors, designers, workers, unions and suppliers.  From his insights it is clear that we need to instigate a critical examination on improving this critical sector of our economy.”—Mark A. Smith, Ernst & Young LLP

(Mark A. Smith 20070326)

“Sadly, the lack of significant advances and adoption of construction technology improvements has greatly contributed to the broken building environment in which we now operate. It is imperative for architectural and engineering schools to educate their students to work collaboratively with contractors and other project stakeholders to ensure more assured budget and schedule success. Barry LePatner’s insightful words are right on target.”—Leonard Koven, P.E. Partner, AKF Engineers LLP

(Leonard Koven 20070920)

“Out-of-control construction costs have a real potential to damage the economy. They have certainly led to a disruptive relationship between design professionals who draft construction documents, the contractors who build from them and the clients who usually end up paying for the resulting cost overrun. Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets identifies the sources of and proposes solutions for mitigating construction cost overruns.”—Ramon Gilsanz, P.E. Partner, Gilsanz, Murray, Steficek LLP 

(Ramon Gilsanz 20071205)

“I found it definitely a worthwhile and stimulating read. A must for anyone interested in the economics of construction.” –Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

(Tyler Cowen Marginal Revolution )

“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  

(James R. Hagerty Wall Street Journal )

"LePatner does policymakers a great service by directing our attention inside the balck box of the construction industry. As he shows, the housing crisis and other problems in the construction industry stem not just from a lack of public investment . . . but the very structure of the industry."

(Charles Euchner CommonWealth )

About the Author

Barry B. LePatner is recognized as one of the nation’s leading construction lawyers. He is founder of one of the first boutique law firms primarily representing corporations, institutions, and real estate developers on major construction projects and coauthor of Structural and Foundation Failures.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226472671
• ISBN-13: 978-0226472676
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #533,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Law > Business > Construction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Critical Insight, Worth Reading, December 21, 2007

By 

Fernando Pages - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets: How to Fix America's Trillion-Dollar Construction Industry (Hardcover)

This book will not make contractors happy, but anyone in the business for more that few years will recognize the author's critique. Our industry has not grown from craft to professional management. We resist improvement and defend the status quo. The author points out the flaws in our industry, provides valuable history lessons, and then suggests, in principle, that equal information for owners and builders might help balance the scales.

I don't know that these suggestions will amount to more than so many other attempts to bring construction into the 19-th (let alone 21st century). But looking at the truth straight on seems to help one resolve to do better; for the owner it serves as a caution. A bit repetative, but insightful and most certainly worth reading. My compliments to the author for good research and blunt talk.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating general interest material on the economics of construction, September 27, 2007

By 

scaler rdh - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets: How to Fix America's Trillion-Dollar Construction Industry (Hardcover)

I try to read all of Robert Wright's books because his prose is always
crystal clear and his analysis is often incisive. (I'm not sure why
Amazon doesn't list him as third author but plenty of other online sites
do. Maybe it is because his name is on the title page but not the
cover?) In any event, he does not disappoint here. Combined, the three
authors provide a provocative take on the construction industry and its
problems. This book may represent the first time that construction has
been analyzed from the perspective of game theory and asymmetric
information. I'm not sure it's right, but it is a fascinating read and
too little of general interest is published on the economics of
construction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From David Gerstel, Builder and Author, July 7, 2010

By 

David Gerstel "Carpenter, Builder, Author" (Kensington, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets: How to Fix America's Trillion-Dollar Construction Industry (Hardcover)

Maybe I can not be objective about this book. LePatner cites my book on running construction companies about fifty times. That's flattering. On the other hand, he cites me only when he borrows my criticisms of our building industry. He never cites me when he is proposing solutions, though many of his resemble those my book offers and are, in fact, practiced by many builders. That irks me a bit.
Even so, I give LePatner's book 5 stars. Here's what I wrote about it in the Resources section of my new book, CRAFTING THE CONSIDERATE HOUSE: "Rightly criticized for being overly redundant and for a lawyer's bias toward his clients (owners as opposed to builders and designers), LePatner's book is, nevertheless, an exceptionally vigorous exposition of the ailments of and possible cures for the construction industry."
In fact, the book is so energetic and provocative it's downright fun to read. LePatner takes ideas for remodeling the construction industry much farther than my book does. When I write my next edition I will borrow back some of my ideas along with his added insights.