Abstract: The accurate estimate of investment at the early stage of the construction has great influence on the propulsion of the construction work. There is no unified general model applicable to all kinds of construction projects. Regarding the domestic economic and technological conditions, Chinese experts have established models on the basis of different ways at home and abroad. The pros and cons of various methods and the scope of the application are summarized.

Key words: construction cost； fast estimation； grey system；fuzzy mathematics； neural network； linear regression；casebased reasoning system