This is my house. I'm pleased with the sketch ... so much so that I did not draw on the back side of this one. I do on every other one ... so more pictures to a book. But this one is special ... it is a place with history. It is my house.
At work, we are doing several major constructions and I get to participate in the big build meetings. Over the last two years, I've met project managers, architects, designers, property managers, real estate experts and the odd builder. I've learned three important lessons.
Lesson #1 ... holy permits, batman. You cannot do anything - not dig, pour cement, pass go to the next step until you have a permit allowing you to do so. There is a permit for everything. Zoning is also important. You won't get a permit to do anything that hasn't been reviewed first by the Zoning Gods. Permits granted can also also conditional. You can submit plans but they can come back with changes and / or caveates. One of the sites had to be moved 10 feet to the left because of an endangered lizard. Apparently lizards have the right-of-way in some municipalities. Their safe travels to and fro have the ability to hold up multi-million dollar constructions. No one puts a shovel in the ground until the gekkos are safe!
Lesson #2 ... details matter and in a build, there are about a zillion details. Caveat: every detail requires a decision. Some times highly paid people debate way too long about the stupidest details. I have unfortunately been in some of these meetings and have contributed to the debate with such passion that - in retrospect - I still think was worth it. Having said that - all I can recall is the desk-pounding. None of the actual content remains. This is beside the point. It is the passion that matters. But to give an example of the minutae ... I have been in meetings wherein the entire time was spent talking about way-findings, signage and "floor palette". Yes. People actually get paid to think about, design and create colour schemes for floors. You'd be amazed at the liveliness of the discussion, too.
Lesson #3a ... designers and architects have terrific printing. Seriously ... it's all that fabulous blocky stuff that goes really fast. They use roller ball pens - disposables - in funky colours sometimes. Green. Purple. It looks beautiful - so light and airy and legible. My printing and my handwriting is all scrawly and indecipherable. If you have a creative type in a meeting and they are not getting their point across (and even if they are), they often sketch out what they mean. I love those sketches. I wish I could tear off corners of some of the plans and just keep the doodling. It's so clean and simple and *right* - perpsective, line. They may even do shading while you discuss. Everything they touch is art.
Lesson #3b ... designers and architechs are the funkiest dressers. The designers mostly so. They wear with complete aplomb and style stuff that would look positively ridiculous on me. I so love them for that. It makes me keep my face straight when they riff on the importance of door colours and review their three-page colour scheme they have in mind.
I look at buildings differently now. There is so much to think about. So much to see ...
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