What is a disadvantage of the Elemental Cost method?

The Elemental Cost method is a cost estimation technique where the costs are broken down into different building elements, allowing for a comprehensive view of the overall costs involved in a project. While this method is beneficial for providing detailed insights, one of its disadvantages is that it might not align with traditional construction trade areas.

Construction trade areas refer to the various specialized fields in the building industry, such as electrical, plumbing, or structural work. The Elemental Cost method tends to categorize costs by building elements rather than by these trades. This can lead to misalignment between cost estimates and how actual construction work is organized and priced within these specific trades. As a result, contractors or estimators working in traditional trade areas may find discrepancies in cost allocations and budgeting that do not reflect the real-world pricing and practices they encounter on the job site.

Thus, this misalignment can create challenges in accurately translating the estimated costs into practical applications for bidding or project management, as it may not fully represent the complexity or nuances of actual construction labor and material costs as understood in the context of specific trades.