Jackson Strom

Shortsighted: nickel and diming your architect/beating them up on fees, only to have the GC chalk up change order after change order and blast away your "savings" many times over. Smart: paying your architect enough so they can create killer drawings and be fully present during construction, finding you savings and preventing mistakes/GC grift, more than making up for their fee Shortsighted: hiring a shitty/cheap architect to "save money," only to frustrate and slow down your GC, and make them deal with things that shouldn't be on their plate Smart: hiring a good architect who supports the GC and allows them to focus fully on their job Shortsighted: hiring a shitty/cheap GC to "save money," even after you've been warned many, many times, because you think you're magically different than every other project since the beginning of time Smart: hiring a solid GC, paying them appropriately tl;dr: you aren't special. You will not "save" your way into a well-performing project by cutting everyone off at the knees. - Pay properly [but don't overpay]. - Negotiate solid contracts [but make sure you understand industry norms]. - Know that just bc you're an expert in another field [ahem, tech/finance/etc] doesn't mean you know jackshit about construction and buildings [but you can learn!]