abidicefajoj
08-20-2016,
There was a recent derisive discussion here that got me pondering things a bit. The basic conflict, I think, was a professional in a trade made issue with the owner/builder's ability to perform his trade safely and effectively.
First, I'm glad there are professionals out there---an important part of the owner/builder experience is finding your limitations. I know I have to buy my powertools, I can't build them myself. I know I have to look up span tables some other Smarticus developed; I'm borrowing info from the pros.
There is no feeling quite like successfully completing an owner/builder project. There is a series of hurdles to overcome, and every discipline requires research and a well thought out approach so as to end up with a safe, efficient structure you can be proud of.
I can understand why some tradesmen are threatened by owner/builders. Many people attach a big part of their self worth to their career, and for a hobbyist to complete a project in that trade somehow takes something away from them.
There's a great compare and contrast available right here, though. An earlier post where I was installing a portable generator had an electrician offer some very valuable input to that project---great because there isn't mush info out there for what I wanted to do. He was very respectful, and it was clear to me his passion was towards electrical work and helping people. What a great thing---sharing your talent to help people succeed in what they want to do. Then someone else came along, clearly threatened by owner/builders taking on his trade. Nothing constructive was offered. His passion isn't for safe electric work--his passion is towards being right, and being the smartest in the room.
We are owner/builders. We start with a vision and raw land, almost always financially challenged, and get to work. With help from forums, books, advice, and other resources, we strive to build a structure that's better than what's mass produced to the edge of what's allowable. We bring together all the disciplines of construction to make a safe, code compliant, fire resistive building.
To be sure a tradesperson will know the rules better. Can probably work faster, maybe even save some materials by closer estimates. But most tradespeople are doing a job and are not emotionally attached to the project. They aren't creating something new, just following established rules. The electrician with an ego, for example, didn't discover Ohm's law. He may understand what Volta discovered and Ampere's Law and Tesla's work----but he is only leveraging what others discovered. The trades constantly improve, though, with input and invention from the trades to their credit.
Owner/builders are capable of the same leverage. In this age of internet, it isn't difficult to build on information easily accessed.
A tradesman can be of huge help in every single stage of construction. Find the ones that are passionate about their trade, not passionae about protecting their trade. People that are passionate about anything other than themselves are always great to be around and surrounded by friends and lead rich lives, from what I've observed. Good example---look at the moderators of this site. They are selling house plans here, but are just as willing to help people with projects here that have nothing to do with their plans including offering very valuable advice. If they called people stupid for not buying their plans, would this site be nearly as popular?
First, I'm glad there are professionals out there---an important part of the owner/builder experience is finding your limitations. I know I have to buy my powertools, I can't build them myself. I know I have to look up span tables some other Smarticus developed; I'm borrowing info from the pros.
There is no feeling quite like successfully completing an owner/builder project. There is a series of hurdles to overcome, and every discipline requires research and a well thought out approach so as to end up with a safe, efficient structure you can be proud of.
I can understand why some tradesmen are threatened by owner/builders. Many people attach a big part of their self worth to their career, and for a hobbyist to complete a project in that trade somehow takes something away from them.
There's a great compare and contrast available right here, though. An earlier post where I was installing a portable generator had an electrician offer some very valuable input to that project---great because there isn't mush info out there for what I wanted to do. He was very respectful, and it was clear to me his passion was towards electrical work and helping people. What a great thing---sharing your talent to help people succeed in what they want to do. Then someone else came along, clearly threatened by owner/builders taking on his trade. Nothing constructive was offered. His passion isn't for safe electric work--his passion is towards being right, and being the smartest in the room.
We are owner/builders. We start with a vision and raw land, almost always financially challenged, and get to work. With help from forums, books, advice, and other resources, we strive to build a structure that's better than what's mass produced to the edge of what's allowable. We bring together all the disciplines of construction to make a safe, code compliant, fire resistive building.
To be sure a tradesperson will know the rules better. Can probably work faster, maybe even save some materials by closer estimates. But most tradespeople are doing a job and are not emotionally attached to the project. They aren't creating something new, just following established rules. The electrician with an ego, for example, didn't discover Ohm's law. He may understand what Volta discovered and Ampere's Law and Tesla's work----but he is only leveraging what others discovered. The trades constantly improve, though, with input and invention from the trades to their credit.
Owner/builders are capable of the same leverage. In this age of internet, it isn't difficult to build on information easily accessed.
A tradesman can be of huge help in every single stage of construction. Find the ones that are passionate about their trade, not passionae about protecting their trade. People that are passionate about anything other than themselves are always great to be around and surrounded by friends and lead rich lives, from what I've observed. Good example---look at the moderators of this site. They are selling house plans here, but are just as willing to help people with projects here that have nothing to do with their plans including offering very valuable advice. If they called people stupid for not buying their plans, would this site be nearly as popular?