Development Value Engineering Ideas?

Just received updated pricing from one of our projects (4 over 2 construction) - up 15% in a matter of months. Unfortunately we are in a market where rents haven't risen fast enough to keep up with the pace of construction. We are trying every angle we can on the financing/funding side, but are also going to need to VE this pretty hard. Any creative workarounds/solutions that you've seen recently? I'm not looking for a silver bullet but anything that gets us working the other way helps. 

9 Comments
 
 
Most Helpful

Construction prices are pretty tough right now and are killing a lot of my deals, so it seems to be the norm. First I’d ask your GC for VE options. Second I tend to address engineers first since I have an engineering background and know these guys over design a lot.

  • is 4+2 necessary? Why not 5+1?
  • foundation type? Piles vs mat slab?
  • is slab post-tension? Can you use conventional reinforced concrete?
  • conc wall thickness reduced to 10”? (10” can use 1 layer vs 12” must have 2 layers of rebar)
  • any steel in the wood portion? Align walls to stack and avoid steel beams.
  • eliminate exterior plywood (CA engineers love putting ply on exterior, but it’s usually not necessary for design)
  • reduce elevator speed? (You barely feel the difference of 150fpm and 200/300fpm for 6-stories due to (de)acceleration of the cart)
  • electrical panels reduced (e.g. from 150A to 125A) provided appliance spec’d?
  • can reduce transformer size?
  • switch from copper to aluminum conductors/bus?
  • size of the fire pump?
  • eliminate fire pump breaker and design for 4x conductor size (I forgot how much you need to size up conductor to eliminate breaker - those breakers are expensive)
  • reduce plumbing stack sizes at upper floors
  • locate overflows at roof/upper floor
  • switch from cast iron to pvc pipes (this might be louder depending on wall assemblies)
  • cheaper building wrap
  • cheaper doors/windows
  • cheaper hardware
  • cheaper finishes (e.g. fiber glass tub surrounds vs tiles)
  • cheaper fixtures
  • cheaper interior design elements
  • eliminate/cheaper architectural design elements.

I try to keep architectural stuff last when it’s typically the first thing to go. I also target redundant items like rebar, panels, doors, windows, etc. Lastly, I try not to sacrifice tenant experience nor community’s (architectural design). There’s so much in the S/MEP side that developers are scared to challenge cause they know little to nothing about it. Good luck!

 

Big one to flirt with: assuming you have 9' ceilings, reduce to 8'9" - this will reduce building height by 1' resulting in less required framing and, more importantly, façade surface area. 9' ceilings has become standard for new developments, however, I do not believe most renters will notice the difference between 9' and 8'9". 

Reduce elevator speed - no one can tell the difference from what was probably recommended by your engineer and 150FPM, especially in a non-high-rise. 

This is programmatic but do you have the ability to reduce parking ratio? 

 

We recently purchased a value-add with 8'6" ceilings in a micro market that has a plethora of new inventory. Virtually all of the new inventory has 9' ceilings. My opinion is that 9' to 8'6" has a miniscule impact on the way a unit feels. We haven't lost leases due to this either. 

Once you get to 8' or below, your rooms feel tight but I think 8'6" + is safe.

 

We are pretty tight on the parking ratio as is and would prefer not to reduce anymore. I think that'll make the development look better on paper but will lead to issues once it's open. 

 

Corporis ut doloribus occaecati quisquam corporis. Quia veritatis voluptatem hic maiores mollitia culpa illo. Cum qui maiores voluptatibus illo magnam perspiciatis possimus. Esse rerum qui quod commodi vero minima ut.

Omnis inventore ab ratione earum velit ea rerum. Provident aut id ducimus fugit sint accusantium. Dolores ut est et eveniet in natus.

Consequuntur et sit tenetur similique ut. Non expedita provident eos quis quisquam non. Sed ullam maxime laboriosam quos. Enim dignissimos cupiditate commodi itaque eum dolor.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”