Which is Cheaper; The Architect or The “Experienced” Mason?
He is a member of my club (the toastmasters international), and he never knew I’m an architect. But in one of my speeches in the club, where I had to mention my profession, he got to know about what I do.
So at the close of the meeting, he pulled me aside, to get more details about my job. After discussing for some minutes, Dr. Matthew was full of regrets for not knowing me at least two years before.
He had made a great mistake that he lives to regret and may regret all his life.
When I asked him the reason for saying he wish he knew me at least a year before, he gazed at me for a moment, the muttered, “Architect, there is this project I have been doing for close to two years now.We’ve had a lot of delays. We’ve run over schedule by almost a year now.” “
Oh yeah? What’s the problem? Is it approval hiccups? I asked.
“Yeah my brother, approval, plan check…well, and the Mason guy too. He supplied.
I was shocked, “hmmmm! Mason guy?” I asked in shock.
“Yes mason guy. He said he has been in the construction industry for more than 25years and he also showed me some of his works.” He answered.
“Huh. So what happened? Did the mason guy mess somethings up? I asked.
“Well, I like him. He gives me a good price. I use him because he is cheap. But since he’s just an ordinary mason, he was limited in producing drawings that are functional, as a result, the drawings where rejected several times at the approval office. So it took several weeks to get the plans (drawings) approved.” He explained.
“Wow! That’s disgusting.” I replied.
“Yeah. Indeed if there is any word worse than disgusting, I rather qualify it with that. I am really frustrated now.” He lamented.
“To worsen an already precarious situation, do you know that we needed to do a lot of demolition in the course the construction proper. Because I later discovered that in the process of rejecting the drawings at the approval office, he decided to hand the job to an architect who eventually did the drawings for him, as a result, he could not interpret some technical aspect of the architect’s drawings.” He added.
“So what have the delays cost you?” I asked.
“My brother, if I tell you that I have wasted more than a million naira in this project, I’m been modest. But that is not the issue. The problem now is that I’m stuck in the project right now. I don’t even have the money to complete the project.” He submitted.
Can you see that? This is the story of many prospective home owners. In the bid to cut cost of building construction, they end up cutting their throat in the hands of bricklayers, masons or draftsmen who claim to have been in the industry for donkey years.
If you need a functional home, look for the qualified architect. If you need fast approval of your drawings, search for the real professional. If you need a building that will stand the test of time, the architect is your best bet.
So, I ask you, cheap bricklayer or an expensive architect, which is really cheaper? You tell me.
