What Bivvit Knows — and What It Doesn't.
Bivvit separates what the records show from what they don't. A cost variance can show that something changed; it does not always show why. Where the cause requires builder or project-team input, we ask rather than guess.
Every finding in a Bivvit report carries its own level of support, so you can tell the difference between a documented fact and an open question.
Four levels of support
- Documented
Directly supported by project records.
- Analytical observation
Supported by comparison but not necessarily causal.
- Needs confirmation
An important question remains unresolved.
- Builder confirmed
The builder or project team supplied the missing context.
Bivvit does not assume that historical performance guarantees future results. Site conditions, project type, scope, timing, financing and market conditions can make two projects materially different.
The purpose is not artificial precision. It is identifying what is well supported, what is uncertain and what deserves another look before capital is committed.
Comparisons carry a confidence level
Two projects can look similar and still not be comparable. Where a comparison is weaker, Bivvit says so rather than presenting it with false precision.
- High confidence
Same product type, a consistent finished-SF definition and enough relevant completed projects to make the comparison meaningful.
- Medium confidence
The comparison is reasonable but something material — scope, timing or project size — differs enough to soften the conclusion.
- Low confidence
Conditions may not be directly comparable, or important project-specific information was not provided.
Consistent measurement
Cost/SF uses finished residential square footage unless otherwise stated. Garage, decks, common areas, or gross building area are not silently mixed into comparisons.
Projects don't have to be identical, but comparisons need to make sense. Where differences in project type, size, site, scope, timing, or square-footage definitions make a comparison unreliable, Bivvit says so rather than forcing the numbers together.
Where a record is missing, Bivvit discloses the gap and tells you which one or two additional items would materially improve the analysis.
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The source and definition stay visible.
- Original budget
- Preserved as the starting plan. Bivvit does not replace it with a later revision when measuring what changed.
- Revised budget
- Shown separately so approved scope changes and forecast updates do not erase the original expectation.
- Actual costs
- Taken from final job-cost records, invoices, closing records, and other supplied sources. Unresolved differences are disclosed.
- Normalization
- Different cost codes and account labels are mapped into consistent project categories before comparison.
- Hard and soft costs
- Construction work is separated from design, permits, professional fees, insurance, taxes, and other non-construction costs.
- Cost per square foot
- Uses a stated square-footage definition and does not silently mix finished area with garages, decks, or gross area.
- Cost per unit
- Uses completed residential units and identifies shared costs or scope differences that can distort the result.
- Financing and carry
- Interest, fees, extensions, taxes, insurance, utilities, and time-based holding costs are included only where records support them.
- Construction duration
- Uses documented dates and distinguishes construction time from entitlement, sales, or other project periods.
- Sales performance
- Compares planned and actual sale timing, proceeds, concessions, and closing costs when those records are available.
- Profit
- Uses consistent project-level revenue and cost definitions. Missing owner overhead or other exclusions are stated.
- Incomplete records
- Missing sources and inconsistent categories are identified. Bivvit asks for clarification rather than filling gaps with invented values.
Data existing does not make the comparison useful.
Bivvit considers product type, unit count, size, scope, geography, construction period, financing structure, square-footage definition, and cost-category consistency before comparing projects.
Projects are not forced into comparisons simply because records are available. When differences weaken a conclusion, Bivvit narrows the comparison, lowers its confidence, or leaves it out.