The True Cost of Building

I still remember my first building project  from 2006 like it was yesterday. I wanted to add four more rooms to my parents house.  Not a mansion or some grand architectural masterpiece, just something practical and more comfortable for our family. I got the plans drawn up and approved. I was informed I would need a Bill of Quantity (BoQ) done by a Quantity Surveyor. The quotation to get  this was high so i decided to go without it and make estimations. I ordered bricks and cement, and proudly watched the materials arrive on site. In my mind, I was ready. I thought I had everything covered.

Then the work started. That’s when I realized all those materials, the ones I had been so sure would take us all the way  were only enough for the foundation. Watching the trenches being filled with concrete, I  felt equal parts shock and frustration. How could all that money disappear into the ground with nothing to show for it?

Now I genuinely couldn’t afford to get a professional to give me a Bill of Quantities, and it cost me later in frustration and delays. I acknowledge that this wasn’t a complicated project, and I could probably do without the BoQ which I did, but there are certain projects where you simply can’t take that kind of risk or shortcut.


Whether it’s a house, a business, or even a family, building will always take more than your initial budget,  in money, in time, in patience, and in peace of mind. The blueprint never accounts for delays, weather changes, or the extra hands you will need along the way. The same is true for every dream. You can plan as much as you want, but life will always add “hidden costs.”

And sometimes, those “hidden costs” show up because we try to save in the wrong places.
I thought I was being smart by skipping a professional Bill of Quantity, and maybe for that small project, I could get away with it. But in life, there are some things you can’t afford to estimate. In your business, that might be expert advice. In your career, it could be mentorship. In your relationships, it’s time and emotional investment. Skipping those foundations may look like savings in the short term, but they will  cost you tenfold later.

When you are building, you will pay in weekends given up, in nights awake doing mental math, in moments of doubt when you wonder if it’s even worth it. You will pay in the sacrifices that no one else sees.


That first stage, the one where you keep pouring resources into the ground is the hardest. Because nothing looks like progress.
You visit the site every week and see nothing but trenches and mud. You keep buying materials, but your physical eyes can’t see anything yet. You post no pictures because, honestly, there’s nothing to post.

But that invisible stage is where the real building happens. The foundation may not be glamorous, but it’s what determines whether what you are building will stand the test of time.

And that’s true of life too, be it your career, your marriage, your faith, your business. Every meaningful thing starts with a season of unseen effort, and often, exhaustion. You keep pouring, hoping one day it will all make sense.


There comes a point in every builder’s journey when you realize this is going to cost more than you imagined not just financially, but emotionally. That’s usually the moment people quit. You start questioning if maybe you should have gone smaller, aimed lower, or waited longer. But if what you are building truly matters, quitting isn’t an option. You regroup. You re-budget (whatever that means). You keep going, brick by brick, day after day.


Think about the story of Noah from the Bible in Genesis 6. How much did that project cost him,  in money, time, ridicule and faith? Building something that no one had seen before, preparing for a flood that hadn’t yet come.  That’s the definition of costly obedience.

Imagine explaining to your friends that you are spending decades building a ship in the middle of dry land. Noah kept hammering and sawing anyway, because he trusted the vision God gave him. And when the rain finally came, every sacrifice made sense.

That’s the thing about building  the cost feels unreasonable until the day the results start to show.


If you are in a foundation season right now, whether in business, career, or relationships don’t lose heart. You might be pouring into something that looks invisible to the world today, but is critical for the future.  Keep investing the time. Keep showing up. Keep building, even when it feels like all you are doing is filling trenches.

When the walls eventually rise, you will look back and realize that every unseen sacrifice was not wasted  it was necessary. And one day, when people admire what you have built, you’ll smile knowing it didn’t come cheap, but it was worth every effortand sacrifice.

Gratitude: This week I am grateful for opportunities that came my way. There is no way this would have been possible without God orchestrating it on my behalf.

On my playlist this week is Mighty Name of Jesus by Hope Darst. Guys this song is full of oil as my nephew puts it. I have had it on repeat all week.

Gratefully