A client in Phoenix told me my detail callouts were 'too clean'

I was showing him a set of foundation plans last fall, and he pointed at a section and said, 'Your lines are perfect, but where's the grime?' He meant I'd drawn the rebar and blockwork like a textbook, not like something a crew would actually build from. How do you balance showing ideal design versus the messy reality of a jobsite?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_simon3mo ago

Ha, that's a great point from your client. It's the classic fight between the perfect drawing and the guy who has to read it in the mud. I always try to add a few "builder's notes" right on the sheet, little details that show I know how things actually go together. Maybe sketch in a typical splice or call out a common field fix. It tells them you've been in the trenches too, even if your lines are clean.

karenh561mo ago

Three years in the field taught me that my "perfect" drawing is basically a suggestion. One time I sketched a fancy detail and the foreman called me to say it would look good if we also had a time machine. So now I just add a note that says "or do whatever works, I'm not your supervisor.

laura_schmidt823mo ago

Isn't this just like cooking shows versus real dinner? The TV recipe looks perfect, but at home you know you'll have to swap an ingredient and your pan's kinda sticky.

parkerbrown3mo ago

Exactly, those little notes are what turn a drawing from a fantasy into a real set of instructions. It's all about showing you get the messy reality.