Thursday, July 11

It had rained early that morning, and everything still felt damp. The plumbing inspector had shown up yesterday about 11:00 a.m. He was gone within 15 minutes. Tom, the house architect, and the supply chain architect were standing in the kitchen, each holding a cup of Starbucks coffee.

This is going to be an exciting day for you. It s a good thing your wife is able to stay home to direct all the traffic, said Tom.

Yeah. She was able to juggle her class schedule to stay home today. I m going to be leaving soon because there is an important meeting this afternoon at my office. What happens in the kitchen today?

First the sheet rockers will come in and finish the ceiling and the walls. They are amazing to watch as they work the room on their stilts. While the sheet rockers are taping and spackling, the cabinet maker will be here to take a final set of measurements. Then the refrigerator is being delivered late this afternoon.

That is exciting! How did you get all that to come together so fast when it took days just to get the plumbing inspector?

It took quite a few phone calls last night to get it all coordinated. On a small job, like this one, the architect ends up becoming the project manager and general contractor all rolled into one. At this point in a project, it often seems to be a continuous negotiation, communication, and coordination effort.