There is no end to the learning that’s possible - and necessary - in the building industry. Every project, every professional, every situation has something to teach all of us, no matter what our role, and no matter how long we’ve been in the business.
As any industry veteran will attest, the minute you’ve said you’ve seen it all, you better watch out for what’s around the corner - there is always some new crazy situation lurking, for even the most seasoned pros!
I’ve been so fortunate to work with amazing folks in this industry, and as a result, to learn from them.
Here are three big lessons, one each from contractors, owners, and architects [and as a bonus, one of my favorite all-time all-timers from a carpenter].
Something I’ve learned from great contractors: Always check with the guy doing the install.
When designing a building, or planning construction, or estimating construction costs, it’s easy to focus on counting up quantities of material, thinking through how many days a crew should take to do a certain scope of work, and calculating the costs of equipment.
But it’s easy to miss the subtleties of specific scopes of work that only an installer might know.
For example, early in my career, when I was a PM at a GC, I was working out some details with my super onsite, related to some tricky interior trim and cabinetry. I had sketched out an option or two, and we were talking through how to do it.
Him: “Well, this looks really good, but…”
Me: “But what?”
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