When It’s Time Step Back And Empower Your Home Building Team
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By Bob Hoebeke
President, Hoebeke Builders
If you have been following along in this CandysDirt.com series, most of the hard work in planning for a new home, or remodel, has been done. It’s time to turn the corner, quit organizing, maintaining, directing, and give license to your team (architect, builder, interior designer, landscape architect) so they can begin to work for you.
Though it’s terribly important for the owner to be central in the process, you’re paying these professionals to pull your project together. With the direction you have already offered, and the parameters you have already set – get out of the way and let your team start designing and planning. This won’t be their first rodeo.
What now? As you pass the baton, here are four ways to encourage your TEAM for ultimate success:
Insist on the 80/20 principle.
Be adamant about having 80 percent of ALL work completed around the design table, so only 20 percent of the work is left for decisions on-site.
In our desire for instant gratification, human nature says rush the project initially so we can see some 3-dimensional progress out in the field. DON’T BITE on this temptation! Encourage team members to design, plan, and document as much of the project as possible before releasing two-dimensional blueprints for actual construction. Remember, planning not accomplished in the office almost always becomes much more expensive when done in the field.
When the reality of a two-dimensional plan actually becomes three-dimensional on-site, you and your friends will be able to walk through your home, and changes will invariably be made. Because you’ve gone to the trouble of collecting pictures of what you want; because you’ve measured your existing home to help understand what new spaces may look, and feel like; and because you’ve hired competent professional’s familiar with space and furnishings, “surprises” should be minimal, and easily corrected in the field.
Though you’ve worked hard with your team in the office to detail patterns and finishes, a lot of design and layout decisions (cabinets, paint, tilework, flooring, etc.) necessarily need to be completed on-site so installation “surprises” are kept to a minimum. Count on roughly 20 percent of the project being that way.
There’s no such thing as a bad idea.
As kooky as an idea may sound, encourage your team to give any idea due consideration. Some of the greatest results come from off-the-wall “brainstorms.” Resist the urge to discard something which may at first seem like a bad idea.
Let the professionals be professional.
Just as you wouldn’t tell a brain surgeon how to operate on your brain, allow the professionals you’ve hired to do their thing. They know their business; they’ve trained for their business; and they’ve got a lot of experience doing what they do.
With the parameters and expectation’s you’ve set previously (see “Setting Team Boundaries” and “Superman Died!” from earlier articles), encourage your professionals to “paint between the lines.”
Logistical matters:
Point person – Better one “Chief” than many chiefs. Your team needs to understand who’s directing traffic (husband or wife) so they know where to go with questions. Be very clear and concise so everyone understands your hierarchy, or you’ll find team members sometimes trying to play the “he-said, she-said” game, hiding behind others.
Calendars and schedules – Almost all jobs have a definite rhythm to them usually established shortly after inception. A candid discussion about when you are available, times working best with your schedule, and anticipated duration of meetings, will go a long way towards not creating disappointment. Remember: HOUSES, AND REMODELING PROJECTS DON’T DESIGN AND BUILD THEMSELVES, so plan for an adequate, to healthy amount of time for input.
Project billing – most team members work better when paid regularly. Establish early when, and how they like to be paid. Understanding their expectations for something as simple as payment, diffuses potentially difficult conversations when remuneration is needed.
Your project kick-off campaign has gone well! Next time, let’s discuss Creating a Communications Matrix so everyone ends up singing off the same sheet of music!
From, developing a “Lifestyle Inventory,” to building and monitoring your Project Team, Hoebeke Builders Consulting Services has all the tools necessary to dramatically increase your project’s efficiency, while decreasing your project’s cost! www.hoebekebuilders.com
