🔥 The Most Expensive Code Mistake Is the One You Discover Too Late

 🔥 The Most Expensive Code Mistake Is the One You Discover Too Late

Part 2 of #PermitRisk Series

In the medical clinic project in Airdrie, AB, the classification issue wasn’t discovered at design stage. It was discovered when construction was approximately 90% complete. By that point, the conversation was no longer technical. It was financial.

What could have been:

* A conceptual correction during schematic design

Became:

* Demolition risk

* Alternative Solution development

* Over $100,000 in additional costs

* More than six months of occupancy delay

Here is the pattern I see repeatedly:

At Concept Stage → Corrections are analytical.

At Permit Stage → Corrections are coordinated.

At Construction Stage → Corrections are physical.

And physical corrections are always the most expensive.

Most permit problems are predictable.

They just aren’t reviewed early enough.

That’s why I advocate for a Pre-Submission Risk Review — not to replace design, but to stress-test assumptions before they become concrete.

If you’re working on a multi-storey project or tenant fit-up, and you want a second set of eyes before submission, feel free to reach out.

Have you ever experienced a “late discovery” that changed the entire project economics?

#PermitRisk #ConstructionCosts #BuildingCode #ArchitectureCanada #CommercialConstruction #RiskManagement #AlternativeSolutions #PermitDelay #ProjectManagement