Companies live or die on the basis of estimating their costs. Preparing estimates and bidding for new jobs is a complex and often costly process. There is no substitute for on the job training -- until now. Drawing on the authors' combined experience of more than 70 years, Estimating Building Costs presents state-of-the-art principles, practices, a

The U.S. Bureau of Mines report presents the documentation for HEAPREC. a methodology for calculating reclamation performance bonds for cyanide heap leach operations. HEAPREC is a template developed for use with Lotus 1-2-3 release 2.01 or newer software. The report is presented in step-by-step "user's manual" format. Appendixes contain detailed background and reference material on performance bonding, cyanide detoxification regulation, cyanide detoxification methods, general mine reclamation procedures, and an example bond calculation.

Sustainability has become a driver of innovation in the built environment, but the affordability of sustainable building remains a significant challenge. This book takes a critical view of the real cost of green building. It provides readers with a non-biased evaluation based on empirical construction cost data and sheds light on the affordability of sustainable buildings. Chapters are presented in three parts. The first part lays the foundation to demystify the perception of green buildings being expensive to construct by providing empirical evidence that green buildings, even net-zero buildings, are not necessarily more expensive to build than conventional buildings. The second part presents empirical evidence, common misperceptions of a higher green building construction cost are debunked. The author offers a new framework to explain the construction cost drivers and differences of sustainable buildings: the project characteristics and project team characteristics (human factors). The third part directs the readers’ attention to the important role that human factors play in controlling and reducing construction costs, with a focus on the project design team. A lack of skills, expertise, and experience during the design phase is likely to be the biggest contributor to higher construction costs. Empirical analysis, case studies on LEED-certified buildings, and interviews with project teams are used to present a pathway to more affordable green building at the end. This will be a crucial resource for students and professionals in architecture, engineering, construction management, and planning and energy policy.