Interesting discussion in a small construction contractor forum. When I saw this the first thing I thought of was the five+ years it takes to build a new pharmaceutical API manufacturing facility. I have to believe it doesn't need to take this long. JLC Online: Is Our Industry Antiquated?. Check the comments on this forum for the range of responses.
Just watched a TLC program about the largest Cruise Liner ever made, Voyager of the Sea. From start to finish is was completed in two years.1020' long (3 football fields in length) , 157' beam, and 214' high (20 - 25 decks ?), and it's not the longest ship either; an oil tanker is about 1600' long, which is more than 5 football fields in length. And this cruise ship is like a hundred houses in one.
My point, and I guess question, is if such a ship with the tremendous challenges to build it, yet accomplishing that task is only 2 years is incredible compared to the result of a huge high end house that would take us two years. Seems what we do is nothing compared to what's being done in ship yards as far as efficiency of resources.
[Thanks to Quietly Re-Thinking Out Loud.]