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+---
+id: 2026-05-14T22:43:05-0400
+title: 2026-05-14 22:43:05
+tags: []
+daily: "[[2026-05-14]]"
+---
+# 2026-05-14 22:43:05
+
+I believe [[construction-estimating]] gets its fetish[^1] for **granularity**[^2]
+from its proximity to, and significant composition of,
+skilled trade workers, and their biased perception of the value of effort.
+
+[^1]: Fetish is the right word for it if you've ever heard the justifications.
+    I'll say no more.
+
+[^2]: Granularity is a great word for it, I got it from [[jared-defanti|Jared]].
+    I was calling it _precision_ before, but that's [laden](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/value-laden)
+    with positive value
+    where _granularity_ sounds as annoying as it is.
+
+Generalizing,
+if I can do some electrical task to the bare minimum standard in ten hours,
+then I can do it meticulously, with an appreciable increase in quality, in fifteen.
+Past fifteen hours there is literally nothing more that I can do
+that could be argued to add value to the result.
+
+Back to "bare minimum",
+the term has objective meaning in trade work.
+Absolute minimum quality is defined by governing codes.
+
+Contrast with estimating:
+
+I _can_ complete an estimate for a million dollar project in an hour.
+I could reasonably spend ten hours or a hundred on the same project.
+
+In estimating, minimum quality may be set by internal standards,
+but they may be bent or broken for the right job or the right customer.
+
+> [!summary]
+> In skilled trade work, the road ends after the "extra mile".
+> 
+> In estimating, you can't even tell when you're on the extra mile,
+> and after you pass it the shit just keeps going,
+> <small>and also we're paying for gas in this analogy.</small>