YOU ASK
I changed the construction drawdown profile, not the base budget. Why did the total cost move?
The short answer
A drawdown profile changes when the base cost is paid. If escalation continues through the span, moving expenditure between periods can also change the escalated total. Compare the base amount with the escalated cash flow instead of expecting both totals to stay unchanged.
Work through the checks
- Confirm the quantity and base rate are unchanged between the two cases.
- Read the Escalation column: E escalates to the start; R continues escalation through the span; N or a blank leaves the cost fixed.
- Read the S-Curve column separately: E or a blank spreads the cost evenly; S and S1 to S10 refer to cumulative profiles.
- Compare monthly expenditure using the same Start, Span and escalation assumptions. Note which payments move later.
- Reconcile the base cost first, then the escalated cost. Financing, tax and contingency are additional checks, not part of the simple timing illustration below.
| Independent teaching example | Base spending | After illustrative period factors |
|---|---|---|
| Half early, half later | 50 + 50 = 100 | 50 × 1.00 + 50 × 1.10 = 105 |
| All later | 0 + 100 = 100 | 0 × 1.00 + 100 × 1.10 = 110 |
The 1.00 and 1.10 factors are invented to explain timing. They are not EstateMaster escalation conventions or a recommendation. The downloadable worksheet checks cumulative-to-period arithmetic only.
THE EASY MISTAKE
E means something different in Escalation and S-Curve. Read the column heading before interpreting the letter.