Overheard a builder at the hardware store talking about 'value engineering' on a project in Bend

I was picking up some paint samples yesterday and heard two guys in line. One was telling the other he had to 'value engineer' a client's custom home to keep it on budget. He said it meant swapping out the real cedar siding for a cheaper look-alike without telling them. The client found out later and was really upset. It made me think, how common is this kind of thing? Has anyone else had a builder make big changes without a clear talk first?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_joel1mo ago

Man, that line about swapping cedar siding without telling the client hits hard. I used to think "value engineering" was just a fancy term for smart budgeting, like finding a better deal on the same thing. Hearing it used to mean secretly using cheaper stuff totally changed my view. Now it just sounds like a shady excuse to cut corners and hope people don't notice.

miller.avery1mo ago

But isn't that just how you stay in budget sometimes?