We’ve done a bit of work around Rancho Deluxe over the years, including turning an attic into a master bedroom suite many years ago.
(Photo credit: brianbutko)
We hired a local architect to design it and due to our budget constraints he asked if we’d mind letting a young associate turn his designs into the actual plans. He assured us that the kid was certified and knew what he was doing.
Fast forward to the construction. One afternoon as the framing took shape, our contractor asked us why we wanted a door that was less than 5 feet high. Not being sure which door he meant, he pointed to an area and said “that one.” It was the main door in and out of the room. He made adjustments to the plans and we’ve lived in the space ever since.
I raise this today because you might every well be in a similar situation. Think about how many times you hire a contractor – coders, accountants, lawyers, consulting project managers, etc. – to build what others have designed. Or ask yourself how often you give an employee instructions on what you what them to do. The bad ones do just that – they execute the instructions they’re given. You get exactly what the plans called for, even if the plans were screwed up. The good ones think as they go – they ask why you want a short door. You get a product free of errors and that’s a slight improvement on what might have been planned originally.
The great ones figure out what you ‘re trying to accomplish and tell you how to get there faster, more cheaply, and with a better result than might be in the plans. Not only do they see the short door but they think about the door in the context of the traffic flow through the house and the room and point out options you might not have considered. Those are the contractors (and employees) you need to hire, since the best laid plans might just have doors that don’t suit you needs.
Consult Keith 