The short version

I was the most affordable homebuilder in America for three years in a row. Cheaper per square foot than a mobile home. Houston's permitting office had 34 separate inspections, and I failed 60 or 70 of them, most through no fault of my own. For three years I spent half of every day on permits. One day I asked myself what I could do in construction that does not need a permit. That is a short list.

Estimating was on it. I hired an overseas shop to do the drawings and takeoffs, the same way you probably have. The quality never got there, no matter how much of my own time I poured in. So I went and built my own team. That was seven years ago. It is more than 200 people now, trained on a 250-video program, organized by trade. A lumber guy does lumber. A door guy does doors.

The problem was never outsourcing. It was who you outsourced to. Quality is a training problem, and I spent seven years on it so you do not have to.