We live in a more tolerant society, but any experienced concrete contractor will tell you the opposite about the construction business. No building is ever built perfectly, yet contractors (and often, their invoices) are held to theoretical tolerances that are too tough and expensive to meet under real-world conditions. Is it time to consider relaxing design standards to help save money on rework, lost time and litigation?
Veteran industry authors Bruce Suprenant and Ward Malisch think so. The two concrete experts have spent decades helping builders overcome such problems as out-of-plumb doorways and curtain walls that cannot seem to square up because their specifications conflict with each other.