The obstacles arising from factors related to the economic context demonstrate that the markets built around sustainable buildings are, in many cases, insufficient. For example, the marketing plan of the industrial, flexible and demountable approach (IFD) is found to be inappropriate
[10]. For SB, the lack of client demand is a barrier
[6]. These shortcomings include the lack of demand for second-hand, reused and recycled materials and products
[11]. The other factor is due to the constrictive search for profitability, which does not permit any risks to arise from innovation or changes to the current processes
[12]. Deconstruction faces economic barriers because it is more expensive than demolition, demanding more time and labour to recover comparably low-cost construction materials
[13]. Several authors have argued that the low cost of construction materials compared to recovered/recycled materials is the problem in the cases of De and the 3Rs
[14]. Moreover, the standard construction and demolition practices are focused on the fastest and most economical way to finish the job in the case of the 3Rs
[13]. Lastly, obstacles are caused by the shortcomings of the recycling processes of conventional materials. For example, a building’s aluminium scraps are challenging to recover economically
[4], and the recycled aggregates have a considerably lower price than that of the natural materials, due to their poorer quality. The relatively low cost of disposing CDW materials in landfills is also cited as a barrier by many authors, in the cases of De, RL, the 3Rs and PFA
[4]. Some authors have also noticed the labour-intensive nature of the deconstruction and reuse processes
[15]. Moreover, additional time is necessary in the cases of SD, De, and the 3Rs compared to conventional processes. This extra time results in extra costs
[15].
The main economic subcategory relates to the costs attributed to the approach. The design phase embodies additional costs due to more work needing to be performed in the case of RL, the 3Rs and PFA
[10]. Although no additional costs attributed to the construction phase were found, some costs related to the necessary adaptations to a new approach (or to adopt new approaches) were noted. Several authors have identified such additional costs for adopting the following approaches: De, RL, TB (transformable buildings), Dis (dismantle), the 3Rs, CDWmini (CDW minimisation) and PFA
[1]. The additional cost is also due to the management of hazardous components. For example, the existence of lead and asbestos in old buildings makes the process of deconstruction costly and time consuming because the cost of separating the materials to be recycled from contaminating materials is high
[4][5]. Another cost of adopting a new approach is the additional initial cost (i.e., the higher cost of the initial investment in the project) cited by many authors, concerning the following approaches: De, RL and PFA
[1][16][17][18][2][10][19]. Lastly, the additional costs due to higher insurance fees are a barrier reported by some authors for the 3Rs approach
[20].
Some authors have spotted barriers linked to the quantification and sales involved in the approaches. In the case of De, Jaillon and Poon
[10] have noticed that the economic benefits are not well established. Similarly, Xanthopoulos et al.
[21] highlighted the lack of establishment for the economic and environmental benefits of CDW management. In the case of SB, Häkkinen and Belloni
[6] have noticed the lack of understanding of business cases. Finally, in the case of AR, Chileshe et al.
[1] have noted the significant differences in the distribution of the construction budget.
Another type of obstacle valid for the 3Rs approach is the necessity of planning and paying upfront early in the asset’s lifecycle, which is impossible without the willingness of the client
[13]. At this stage, it is often the case that the contractor has not been appointed yet, so the client has to spend money upfront purchasing materials, which many clients will not be willing to do.