Thomas Edison once said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Accordingly, a ‘genius’ is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.” What distinguished Thomas Edison was his ability to put in the hard and often tedious work, whereas others would stop out of frustration, disappointment and exhaustion.

Admittedly, designing and building a house is not quite the same thing as inventing the light bulb. In our case, plenty of clever people have come before us and given us the information and tools we need to do our jobs well. That’s why there is something to Edison’s assertion about work ethic and perseverance that’s undeniable.

I recently was asked to help out on the project management of a whole-house design and build. The architectural and engineering plans were already done when I was invited to join the team. The plans were drawn up based on the needs of the client. For example, the family had two special-needs residents who required an indoor swimming pool.

At first glance, the plans looked like a good design. But upon closer inspection, there were glaring errors: a structural post was smack dab where a bed would normally be; structural lumber was stacked on top of structural lumber; and critical elements were missing from the plans.

By the time I joined the team, the foundation for the pool was already poured. There were three designers for the pool house: the architect, engineer and in-home pool manufacturer’s engineer. The plans looked beautiful, but a problem surfaced because there was a lack of communication among the three vital designers.