The Real Cost of Quality in Construction

The real damage is what poor quality sets in motion, not just what it breaks. 

That line sits at the centre of Episode 2 of Kapitol Conversations — and it sets the tone for one of the most honest conversations our industry rarely has in public. 

Hosted by Kapitol Director Andrew Deveson, the episode brings together Josh Sinnett, our Head of Quality, Damien Quinn, Co-Founder and CEO of Visibuild, and Steve Sarris, Managing Director of PCF Formwork. Each of them has spent years in the field. And each of them arrived at the same uncomfortable truth from different directions: quality has long been the thing construction does last, does reluctantly, and does retrospectively. 

Quality as paperwork — and why that stuck 

For most of the careers represented in this conversation, quality was a graduate’s job. It was the administrative burden passed down the ladder — something to tick off, not something to act on. As Damien observed, this created an enduring stigma. Quality came to feel like something you had to do, not something you should do. 

Steve put it plainly. When you’re focused on getting work done and moving to the next trade, a QA form sitting on a site admin’s desk feels like noise. No one really checks it. No one really acts on it. And over time, that attitude gets priced into the work itself. 

The real cost is invisible, until it isn’t 

Here is what changes the conversation. The opportunity cost of not doing quality properly sits somewhere between 18 and 21 per cent of total build cost, based on industry studies cited in the episode. That figure is hard to absorb — until you see it in your own numbers. 

At Kapitol, a period of post-COVID inflation forced us to account for every dollar spent outside the subcontract. When we added up not inflation adjustments, but simply the work we had to do twice — the rework, the defects, the things that always just happened — the total came to somewhere between 12 and 14 million dollars in a year we turned over 360 million. That would have tripled our margin. 

Damien added a further dimension to this. Every subcontractor prices their next job off their last one. If 10 per cent waste was buried into the previous project, it becomes 12 per cent on the next. The cost compounds, invisibly, across the supply chain — and most businesses never trace it back to its source. 

Leadership, accountability and closing the gap 

The episode is clear that the technical problem of quality assurance in building construction is largely solved. The right digital tools exist. The data is available. The barrier is cultural. 

Josh’s approach at Kapitol is built on three pillars. First, accountability — making sure our business and our trade partners understand that quality is not optional on a Kapitol site. Second, connecting our younger team members directly to the physical work, not just the site office. Third, bringing supervision back into the fold — making sure the people closest to the work are part of the verification process, not detached from it. 

Steve is working through a parallel shift at PCF — breaking quality down to the element level, so the person installing the precast panel is the one checking the precast panel, not an administrator sitting in the shed dealing with something else entirely. 

Workmanship, not paperwork 

One of the more useful reframes in the episode is Steve’s observation that quality, at its core, is just workmanship. The word quality can alienate a workforce. Workmanship resonates differently — it carries pride, craft, and ownership. 

Getting there requires leadership at every level. It requires systems simple enough to actually use. And it requires making the consequences of poor work visible — not as blame, but as education. As Damien put it: the plumber who missed that glue joint almost certainly does not know what followed. Tell that story. That is how the culture shifts. 

Watch the full episode 

The full Kapitol Conversations Episode 2 is now available to watch. If you work in project delivery, trade leadership, or anywhere in the construction supply chain, it is worth your time.