One of my favorite contractors told me the story about his uncle Andy who was a mason. Andy would typically build his chimneys with a layer of glass midway in the flue. If the customer had paid in full, he carefully broke and removed the glass with no-knowledge of this by the owner. However, when […]
Our times are blessed and cursed by HGTV and Pinterest boards…which can be helpful means of giving voice and direction to ideas and abstractions that are difficult to express. But along with these resources, it seems many clients now have a “trusted advisor” (Design Whisperer) who is the person missing at the table when we […]
“Nancy, we’ll be out of here in six months”, replied Bob the builder. He was confident that the addition to the back of Nancy’s home seemed routine and Nancy started planning accordingly. What they did not count on was the “Big Five”. My five recurring most common reasons for delays: 1.Poor planning- this concept can […]
Something about my favorite Bowie song and his passing always makes me think about the nature of design and construction. I’ve never seen a project get fully built precisely according to the drawings. Changes are simply part of the project, but when ill-conceived are disasterous: The most common changes happen because of : a change […]
It may seem a little mysterious if you have not been through it before. But we have-and here’s the 8 Step Intro to the Design and Construction Process: 1. Talk to lots of people who have been through it before from different vantage points: builders, architects, neighbors, friends, colleagues, building inspectors. Ask them lots of questions. Develop […]
