In today’s highly competitive world, the lowest priced merchandise with so called outstanding product delivery and service is advertised on TV, the Internet and newspaper. So why does it take companies several attempts to deliver the goods on time, undamaged and as it was presented to the consumer?

Case in point: I ordered a five burner free standing range and a four burner range showed up. I upgraded my office furniture only to discover that the computer desk was damaged upon delivery and the replacement unit was also damaged. Which leads me to my beautiful driveway, made from the most expensive concrete pavers known to mankind. Because of the tumbling process, the concrete pavers developed hairline fractures along their sides and tops. After the first freeze-thaw process this past winter, the corners of the pavers were falling apart. We were led to believe that concrete pavers were strong and would perform well in the harsh New England weather. Well, they did not and they are being replaced.

What is happening? It seems to me that there is never enough time to do the right thing the first time, but there seems to be plenty of time to fix, replace or reorder material again and again! Someone once told me that the difference between doing something correctly as opposed to cutting corners is about 20 minutes. I know that in today’s world those precious 20 minutes could be used to delete several thousand e-mails about erectile dysfunction or take a call from a telephone company wanting you to switch to their service from whom you switched last month!

How much time would it have taken for someone to recognize the difference between a four burner stove and a five burner stove? Probably less than twenty seconds. I know, it sounds like I am ranting like a typical homeowner who complains about how business is conducted today. But if this is the typical way that the American consumer is handled, what a great opportunity we have as professional designers and builders to elevate the process. The thought of returning someone’s call is mind numbing. Telling someone that you do not know what they are looking for, but that you will research and try to solve their problem before calling them back maddening!

I challenge each person that may read this blog to commit to what you say, say what you mean and mean what you say! I would be very interested to hear what happens to you and what happens to the people you might affect. If you respond to this blog I will commit to writing back to you, and you know I will.

Builders and architects are changing how they work together as a team, but what about the architects and designers that do not drink the Kool Aid of the design/build process. I have been working on a $2.5 million project for the past six months and mopping up a residential designer’s mess! He designed a 10,000 s.f. home for a family that is dealing with a child and husband with Multiple Sclerosis.

The overall look of the project was well thought out but the details of how to build it were horrible. In this case, the designer and the engineer made a decision not to communicate with the builder, subcontractors and homeowner throughout the design process, which led to disaster. The foundation did not close, the garage was sited too close to the lot line making it impossible to access the garage, there were no vertical plumbing chases, bedrooms were 11×18 on the second floor and the list goes on!

The window package was another disaster. The window and door header height was to be 7′-0″. The designer wanted a 9′-0″ x 6′-0″ triple double-hung window. Nice window, but that left the window 1′-0″ off the finish floor in the master bedroom. I don’t want to bore you by going on and on with the details of the on-going problems, but once again the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Designers and architects want to do the right thing, but when it comes right down to brass tacks, their egos win out and the homeowner is left holding the bag of manure. I am tired of mopping up someone else’s mistakes and trying to make silk from a sow’s ear. Taking on a project that is clearly over your head will lead to headaches and financial chaos. Know your limitations. And please, get an egoectomy as soon as you can. The Design/Build community needs talented architects and designers to help builders and their homeowners make their visions come to life. Help them …. don’t fight them!

All business owners are faced with company personnel issues and often, personal issues that each of us carries. Your employees, subcontractors, vendors and suppliers drag their invisible personal head luggage to your company. Sometimes their personal issues become your personnel issues. Business owners who are depending on other people to work, produce and represent the company are truly at the mercy of the people that the company decides to hire.

People who are looking for work can put on a good show in order to look as if they are the right choice. People will always try to put their best foot forward during the interview process. Nobody drags their head luggage into the job interview and announces their issues! They would never tell their future employer that they plan on: not following the rules; calling in sick regularly; not doing paperwork; balking at using a computer; using the company cell phone for personal phone calls; and parking the company truck at local watering holes on Friday and Saturday nights!

Assembling the design and build “A” team is a challenge. But getting the team to believe in the company culture and vision is the ultimate goal. People buy from people they know and trust. If your team members know and trust the company owner, then the team will be viewed as dependable and consistent. 

Think of your internal and external team members as if they were an Alaskan dog sled team. Your lead carpenter might be the lead dog while the production manager brings up the rear, picking up the pieces as the team makes its way from project to project. In a perfect world, each dog would pull his own weight. Together they would work as a team and victory would be theirs. But this is not a perfect world and people are far from perfect.

Take a moment to think about your dog sled team. Are some of the dogs pulling to the right while others are pulling to the left? Are there some dogs pulling extra weight because other dogs are sitting on their tails? Look closely. Are some dogs sleeping on the job and being dragged along? The other dogs know this, but they may be too afraid to tell the boss that the sleeping dogs need to be cut from the team.