”This must be finished by Thanksgiving. I’m hosting my entire family for the holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas!” I can still hear the clipped instructions, of the Owners as we neared the start of construction. My, how familiar was that!
After four months of negotiation with three Contractors and seven design iterations, the question now at the end of the summer months was how to make this a positive experience for everyone. How would I ensure that we would be done by Thanksgiving? How could I make these Owners live in the same space for three months during a major renovation and be happy at the end?
In these tough times, despite the scaled-back resources we have to work with, performance is everything. As a matter of fact, performance and on time project delivery are more important now than ever as we face stiffer and stiffer competition in a very tight market. Plus, I find that at the end of the day, the Owners don’t really care who didn’t do what. If the project is delayed or over budget they are generally ticked off at everyone; the architect being first in the line of fire.
Over the years, I've come to believe that project delivery sometimes require as much creativity as any aesthetic design solution. This was such a moment. Faced with only three months to completion, a limited and constrained budget and no change orders, I realized I had only one choice – Design Build. As an Architect and a licensed Contractor, it turned out to be a no brainer.
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And an astronomer said, "Master, what of Time?"
And he answered:
You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable.
You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons.
Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing.
Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness,
And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.
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