always leave a contingency in the budget

[Emily Dixon]

Beware! Just remember when you are building things can change quickly!

I ALWAYS estimate VERY HIGH on my construction costs and make sure a project will still give a decent return with a 15% contingency before pursuing. Say a storm blows through up north and suddenly lumber prices are crazy! You never know what will happen so always have a contingency account.

[Dawn Anastasi]

This is also true on rehab. When you open walls, sometimes you find things that are not so pleasant and need to get fixed. Or, you're going along and you need to deviate from plan because something you originally thought of isn't going to work in the new plan.