This morning, I was on site at Parkview Mountain House reviewing construction progress and finalizing some finishes with our contractor. And during that time, he said two things to me that I was frankly happy to hear.
The first is that we are his only client — ever — where they didn’t need to touch the construction contingency line item. (Knock on wood. We are about 2 months out from completion at this point.) And the second is that he loves working with us because we are also his most decisive client.
Now to be fair, both of these things are easier to do when you’re not building your own home, or something else for yourself. The process becomes less emotional and more just about business.
Even still, this is generally the aspiration with all construction projects. As an owner, you want to leave your contingency untouched. You want to minimize changes. And you want to make decisions as fast as humanly possible.
In fact, this is a prime example of the mantra that “any decision is better than no decision.” And that’s because poor decision making is the kiss of death for construction projects. You need to keep things moving.
I also find that decisions tend to seem more daunting in the moment. When you’re staring at 37 different shades of white paint and being asked to pick just one, it can be easy to get analysis paralysis. Is a yellow white with a subtle green undertone really the right one?
But more often than not, when the project is done, you’re probably not going to remember the other 36 shades of white you didn’t select. Or least that’s been my experience. So choosing speed over perfection is typically your safest bet.
