“He’s drawn house plans on the back of a paper towel….”

Sickening. I found this quote in an industry trade magazine describing builder who shall remain nameless. I have no ill feeling toward the builder. I know nothing about him other than what the small article said, which was all positive, or at least meant to be. My issue is with the reporter, in a professional trade magazine, who touted that the builder has drawn plans on the back of a paper towel….and meant it in a positive way. Is this really the professional image that builders should be striving for? I try to stress to my clients that we DON’T draw your plans on the back of a napkin. We DO have an award winning designer and CAD software to ensure quality, detailed plans that not only look nicer, but have been thought thoroughly through to make sure the plans “work”. When bidding out jobs to sub-contractors or suppliers, which way do you think will get you the best price, a paper towel sketch of what the project will sort of look like with a few dimensions, or a complete set of plans drawn to the level of detail that different trade contractors and suppliers will need? If an issue arises over how a certain aspect of the project is supposed to work, do you want your builder referencing his paper towel, or pulling out a set of real plans? Like many builders, coming up in the industry I’ve built from some plans that were sketchy plans at best. I’ve redesigned homes on the hood of my truck. I’ve redesigned aspects of homes after they were built. I’ll admit, at times this can be fun, but most of the time it is just frustrating and rarely is it an efficient way of doing things. Potential clients should be looking for a builder with enough professionalism to be providing well thought out CAD generated drawings, not a sketch on a paper towel. Yes, the initial cost of paying an architect or designer for their services is more than Joe the builder is going to charge for his handy work on the back of a paper towel, but as the saying goes, “you get what you pay for”. If you want a professional job, hire a professional. The industry already has a perpetual black eye, because of shady “pickup truck” contractors. I don’t believe this particular contractor fits that stereo type, but the reporter’s portrayal of him as “that guy”, and meaning it in a positive way, because it helped keep his costs low, is not the message that needs to be portrayed about the building industry, especially not by the building industry.

~ Russell Ives