244 Flatbush Ave — Construction Budget

OSD Builders (Darragh O'Sullivan) · Cost Plus Contract · Updated Feb 18, 2026 · Opening March 21
Original Proposal
$158K
Fixed price, Dec 9
Likely Projection
$310–325K
~2x original
Range
$283–359K
Best to worst case
Cocozza (rejected)
$452K
Still 30% cheaper

Where We Sit

OSD Proposal
$158K
Best Case
$283K
Likely
$315K
Worst
$359K
Cocozza
$452K
$0$100K$200K$300K$400K$500K

Trade by Trade — Budget vs Actual

Budget (original proposal)
Under/at budget (<10%)
Moderate overage (10-50%)
Significant overage (>50%)
New scope (not in original)
Trade
Budget vs Actual
Delta
DemoEA#01 · 100% done
$18.5K Budget
$19.0K Actual
+$500 (+3%)
ElectricalEA#02 + EA#08 · 80% done
$20.7K Budget
$43.1K Actual
+$22.3K (+108%)
PlumbingEA#03 + EA#10 · 75% done
$42.4K Budget
$54.0K Actual
+$11.6K (+27%)
CarpentryT&M (est.) · ~60% done
$18.5K Budget
~$27.5K Actual
+$9K (+49%)
Painting + Upholstery + MillworkEA#07 (incl. new scope) · 50% done
$21.5K Budget
$50.2K Actual
+$28.7K (+133%)
ProtectionPartial scope · 100% done
$2.4K Budget
$623 Actual
-$1.8K (-74%)
New Scope Additions
SprinklerEA#04 · 80% done
$6.8K New Scope
NEW
Wood FlooringEA#04 (sand only) · 100% done
$2.9K New Scope
NEW
Fire StoppingAdded Jan '26 · 100% done
$5.0K New Scope
NEW
Millwork (Niche)EA#05 · 50% done
$4.8K New Scope
NEW
Core Drill + CopperEA#06 + CO · 100% done
$3.0K New Scope
NEW
Painters OTSaturday 2/14 · 100% done
$1.2K New Scope
NEW
Light Fixtures + LutronEA#09 — UNDER REVIEW
~$47K pending
$17–47K range

How We Got From $158K to $315K

What's driving the $157K increase from the original fixed proposal to the likely projection

$158K
Original
Proposal
+$52K
Trade
Overruns
+$24K
New
Scope
+$20K
Banquettes
(new design)
+$30K
Lighting
(est. negotiated)
$315K
Likely
Projection
Trade overruns (+$52K) Electrical +$22K (DXD lighting plans expanded scope), Plumbing +$12K (macerator, PVC, mixing valves), Carpentry +$9K (design evolution), Painting expansion +$8K, Demo +$0.5K
New scope (+$24K) Sprinkler $6.8K, Fire stopping $5K, Millwork niche $4.8K, Core drill + copper $3K, Flooring $2.9K, Painters OT $1.2K
Banquettes (+$20K) Upholstery (cushions) + millwork (MEDEX bases) added after Dec 10 design change. Not in original plan.
Lighting (~+$30K est.) EA#09 came in at $47K. Range $17K (linear only) to $47K (full Lutron). Assume ~$30K negotiated.
GC overhead delta (~+$45K) Cost-plus GC overhead running much higher than $34K fixed proposal. See below.

The Hidden Cost: GC Overhead

Darragh estimated $27K in GC costs for the entire project (Dec 10 meeting). Actual run rate tells a different story.

Fixed Proposal
(entire project)
$18.6K
General Conditions line item
Darragh's Estimate
(entire project, Dec 10)
~$27K
"Realistically should be around 27,000"
Invoice #03 Actual
(two weeks only)
$41.6K
PM 47hrs + Laborer 120hrs + Carpenter 240hrs + materials

What's happening: Under cost-plus, GC charges hourly for PM ($130/hr), carpenters ($94.80/hr), and laborers ($58.75/hr) plus 15% materials markup. Invoice #03 alone had 407 labor hours in 2 weeks. At this rate, total GC overhead for the project could reach $80-100K vs the $18.6K in the fixed proposal.

On Jan 16, Darragh said: "I'm not saying we're definitely not going to be at $150,000, but we're not going to be double it either." The likely projection at $315K is exactly 2x.

Still Cheaper Than Cocozza

Even at 2x the original proposal, OSD is tracking 30% below the rejected Cocozza bid.

OSD Likely: $315K Cocozza: $452K Saving ~$137K (30%)
OSD $315K
Cocozza $452K
Key differences: Cocozza's $133K infrastructure line (framing, millwork) dwarfs OSD's ~$27K carpentry. Their $49K flooring (full new floor) vs OSD's $2.9K (sanding only). Their electrical ($18K) and plumbing ($13K) were unrealistically low for the actual scope.

Key Takeaways

The $160K target was never realistic

The fixed proposal was $158K for a simpler plan without banquettes, sprinkler, or the lighting package. The Dec 10 design change (banquettes, collaborative build) plus cost-plus pricing made overruns inevitable.

Lighting is the biggest swing variable

EA#09 at $47K vs ~$17K (linear only) = $30K delta. This single decision accounts for nearly 20% of the total cost variance. Negotiate hard.

GC overhead is the hidden driver

Cost-plus GC costs (~$42K per 2-week period) are the biggest budget risk. Every additional week of construction adds ~$21K in GC overhead alone. Speed is money.

Still well below Cocozza

Even at $315K, OSD is ~30% cheaper than the rejected $452K Cocozza bid. And Cocozza's electrical/plumbing numbers were unrealistically low.