Professionalism makes all the difference

Being a true professional in any given field isn’t easy. Some of the traits attributed to becoming a professional in any line of work include education, desire, effort, motivation, experience, dedication, perseverance, and time. Often along the way to becoming a professional there have been mistakes, errors, oversights, and other occurrences detrimental to the final outcome expected or desired. If we’re a true professional we understand that not everything is easy, for if it was easy everyone would do it.

We’ve come to understand that through all of our experiences we learn best from what doesn’t work, from our setbacks, and then we make continual adjustments to make sure these setbacks no longer occur. Success has always been the goal, but now we understand that the process matters.

Building a luxury home requires professionals from different areas of expertise to come together for the common goal of creating something very specific for a client. The team assembled for completing such a task must all be focused on the same goal or the end result will not be the client’s desired result, and let’s be truthful, the client’s desired result is all that matters.

The team typically starts with an architect or a designer, and then other professionals are brought onto the team as the design and building process moves along. Builders are interviewed, and ultimately one is selected for the project. Budgets are established, plans are distributed to trades for takeoffs to be performed, budgets are revised, and a massive amount of information is assembled that will be the framework for completing the project.

This discussion about the initial phases of a construction project and the assembly of the project team matters as it sets the tone for professionalism early on in the project process. If industry professionals are consulted during the design phases of a project then chances are a substantial number of oversights can be overcome before ever becoming costly issues during actual construction. Stone Source is a carved stone materials and installation trade professional that should be consulted during the design phase and throughout the construction process, and the reasons are numerous.

During the initial design phases of a client’s home, it becomes apparent to the designer and architect that their client likes natural stone would like to have stone at their front entry, exterior doors and windows, exterior and interior columns, fireplace surrounds, and at other strategic locations both at the exterior and interior. At the next meeting with the client the plans now show stone details throughout the home as the client had desired. The plans aren’t specific as to the profile details of the stone or how it is to be attached to the structure, but the elevations show stone and the client is happy.

This may not seem like a crucial moment in the design and construction process, but it is at a few different levels. For starters, the profile and overall dimensions of the stone are important as they directly relate to the building structure and cost. It also affects how other trades involved with the project may be required to perform their tasks so the final outcome desired is achieved.

Prior to the development of a final set of building plans there should have been at least one meeting between the design team (architect and designer), builder, and each material supplier and/or building trade (concrete, framing, electrician, HVAC, plumbing, stone, etc.). These meetings are critical so the final building plans accurately represent what is to occur at the building site, establish an open line of communication amongst the entire building team, and to allow the trade professionals to offer feedback about the project and to establish a timeline for their involvement in the project.

It is at this meeting stage that Stone Source can offer a tremendous amount of value. We can work with the design team to address the actual design and dimension of the stone products, how the stone should be attached to the structure, what structural components performed by other trades need to be in place to support the stone, and which trades with whom we need to work closely to ensure the stone finishes properly.

In the end, we save the client money by offering advice relating to the size and proportion of the stone, time by ensuring all of the trades impacted by the stone are involved in advance of their task being performed, and frustration as their project will continue moving forward instead of delays occurring due to the plans not correctly representing what needs to occur in the field.