A single construction cost number is a guess with confidence. Institutional feasibility triangulates — five methods, cross-checked, so the estimate has a defensible range, not a false-precision point.
The five methods
RS Means / unit-cost data — published assemblies, adjusted for region and time.
Parametric — cost driven by key parameters ($/sf, $/key, $/unit) from comparable projects.
Comparable-project regression — actual costs from similar completed builds.
Bottoms-up / subcontractor — trade-by-trade build of the number.
Design-stage milestone — the estimate re-cut at each design phase as scope firms up.
Why triangulate. When five independent methods cluster, you have a real number; when they diverge, you've found exactly where to dig (often the off-site/infrastructure allowance). Estimates are approximate, never a guarantee or a bid.
About this resource. Written and human-reviewed by George Howell Ward, who builds with agentic AI in real estate, finance, and construction and treats compliance as the cornerstone of how a digital persona faces the world. He is a licensed Arizona real estate agent (Salesperson SA528635000, Landmark ACM, LLC); he is not an attorney, CPA, registered investment adviser, securities broker, or clinician. The A.G.E.N.T. framework referenced here is the work of Dr. Ulla Kruhse-Lehtonen and Dirk Hofmann (DAIN Studios), used with the authors’ permission; reference does not imply their endorsement.
Important — please read. General educational and operational information only — not legal, financial, tax, accounting, or investment advice, and not a substitute for a licensed professional in your jurisdiction. George Howell Ward does not solicit investors and takes no transaction-based or finder compensation; Series 82 is a future-targeted credential (~2027) that is NOT currently held. AI-assisted content, reviewed and finalized by George Howell Ward, who holds editorial responsibility for it (EU AI Act Article 50 posture).