Hire That Designer.
Hire that designer.
I will talk about this generally as to not attack any one person or company. My words are not meant to place blame, but to bring an awareness to something that I am passionate about, my art. My time in this industry has uncovered that the vast majority of general contracting companies, even the ones that have ‘design’ as one of their services, don’t put much value in design at all. Hear me out.
I want to first say that this is a generalization, I have seen the effects of a symbiosis between the design and construction of a project, and the results are evident. However, it happens enough that I do perceive it as an industry norm. While I have knocked on many of those contractor’s doors directly, I believe that until their clients start having the discretion to demand it, it will not change.
From my perspective, and those of any great architect or contractor Frank Lloyd Wright anyone?, the most beautiful projects are results of either being led by a designer yes, most design firms can run projects as general contractors, or when a designer is brought in at the very beginning. And let me be clear, there is a vast difference from an independent design firm hired alongside a contractor, and a contractor who has Sally in house, to select some finishes from a small group of vendors that are…alright.
To select the ‘right’ finish you must have an understanding of how every other element in the space will work
Design is art, it is the building of the space that marries the visual with the utilitarian demands of its use. Ultimately, the end result is what one will see and experience. Having the expertise to select the appropriate mortar or galvanized nails doesn’t qualify that same contractor to source the appropriate tile. They must work together.
At this very moment I have not one, but two projects that I have been brought in on by the client, to advise, and in one case replace the more established like been in the industry for generations in this area established contractor. I am delighted to be working on these projects but, because I wasn’t brought in at the beginning there has been money and time wasted. A solution as simple and obvious as hiring a landscape architect, or plumber I am baffled at the amount of contractors and clients who ‘kind of’ forget the importance of a design specialist.
And when it comes to historic anything, believe me HIRE YOUR SPECIALIST….please. Knowing how to do construction on an old house or building, and understanding the many nuances of its construction and design is a different ball entirely. In addition to my general General Contractor I bring in preservationist and craftsmen trained in classical building arts on all of my historic projects. I have a design eye, but I owe it to my clients to run that vision alongside what is prescribed by someone whose primary focus is different than my own.
In welcoming these checks and balances it is possible to execute sound construction that also incorporates stunning design.
So I’ve said it before and I will say it again…