How much capital investment stimulus will the public sector actually be providing to contractors over the next three years, asks Tomás Kelly, Davis Langdon PKS What are the predictions of construction spend in the public sector -  Health, Education, Transport - over the coming years? In the private sector, we look at costings in energy, commercial offices, hotel, sports and leisure, retail, residential and industry and manufacturing. Click here to see more >>

Cost Model: Nursing Homes Easy access accommodation for staff and patients and provision for a wide-range of facilities are the main cost factors in housing Ireland’s ageing population

Part-completed projects Part-completed projects may still fly if the funder can mitigate losses with a long-term return strategy. John Lombard at Davis Langdon PKS outlines the process Construction Business Recovery (CBR) is the emerging process of taking distressed projects and moving them forward either to extract a meagre return or at least to limit and manage the loss and damage associated with them. We look at a case study of Construction Business Recovery; the original plan versus the actual events, and the revised costings of a delayed project.

Cost Model: Lifts & Escalators Costs can vary widely for different solutions but the key is to strike a balance between the value of floor area occupied and the system’s performance criteria, writes David Hughes at Davis Langdon

Apartment schemes A depressed residential market and strict apartment guidelines on floor space and storage have made detailed costings all the more important, writes Jason Hobson-Shaw at Davis Langdon PKS We look at the key cost drivers in building an apartment complex, and take a look at the costs of an indicative project consisting of approximately 38,500m2 with 365 high quality apartments in the Greater Dublin Area. It includes very high specification bathrooms and kitchens, high floor to ceilings in all principal rooms, generous storage space, extra large balconies and glass sliding wardrobes.

Building material prices Building material prices finally began their descent in the third quarter of last year. Falling demand globally should keep them that way for most of 2009. Micheál O'Connor of McInerney Homes/Contracting Ltd, vice-chairman of the QS (Quantity Surveying) Division, The Society of Chartered Surveyors looks at the cost model for 2008 and looks at what to expect this year.

New Forms of Government Contract The additional cost implications of the new government contracts have been masked by the fall-off in tender prices. Tomás Kelly at Davis Langdon looks at these contract areas where costs are most vulnerable  Find out how the new contracts will impact on the construction costs of projects.

Cost Update: Façades Glass façades are an increasingly popular solution to modern design needs, as well as promoting natural light and ventilation. Tomàs Kelly at Davis Langdon PKS and Duggan Systems in Limerick look at the current cost drivers look at the current cost drivers