Fort Collins Building Science + Beer · June 25, 2026
Tonight's two sessions
Performance · P6
The Four Control Layers
Water, air, vapor, thermal · led by Andrew Dillenbeck
Affordability · A6
Materials & Labor
Where construction dollars get spent · led by Erik Mikysa
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Tonight's run of show
Welcomegrab a beer, settle in (~7:00)
Quick introductionsaround the room
AnnouncementsJoe Medosch's training + upcoming events
Performance: The Four Control LayersAndrew Dillenbeck
Affordability: Materials & Laborled by Erik⚽ US match at 8 - slip out anytime
Introductions
Who are you, and what brought you out tonight?
Name · what you do · what you are hoping to take away
Special announcement
measureQuick HVAC Commissioning Training
Joe Medosch is teaching a one-day, hands-on course in Denver, Thursday July 23.
~$100
net cost: $1,600 tuition, minus up to $1,500 back through Power Ahead Colorado (one attendee per company)
free gear
you keep a complete measureQuick JB probe kit plus a one-year Premier membership
8:00am to 4:30pm, Johnstone Supply (Denver). Open to CO HVAC contractors statewide, limited to 15 companies. Reserve a seat at upskillhvac.com, and register at coloradocontractorhub.org to claim the reimbursement.
construction productivity, now below where it was in 1950
Even over just the last two decades, manufacturing productivity more than doubled (+103%) while construction crept up only +22%. Manufacturing automated labor out; construction stayed fragmented, on-site, and custom.
When someone says "we need cheaper materials," is that ever the real lever, or is it labor, rework, and coordination?
Which material substitution looked cheap on paper but cost more after labor, waste, inspection, or callbacks?
Which trade or constraint most often controls the schedule on local projects, and where does the cost show up first?
What one change to local code, inspection, or contracting would cut labor hours without cutting durability?
The real question
If labor is the lever, what actually moves it in Northern Colorado: prefab and modular, training pipelines, fewer and standardized details, or design that simply needs less labor?