I am getting the distinct impression that I am irritating the architect. Now I come to think about it, I think I have probably been irritating both of them (as there are two – Mark and Stuart) for quite some time. It isn’t much of an insight as my other half has been telling me this for sometime. I am just choosing to acknowledge now!
I am not doing it on purpose, you understand. It is just happening that way – it seems to be happening without me even really trying too hard – a sort of natural by product of the interaction between us.
What I am finding frustrating is that I can’t work out why this is happening! Irritating other people is all part of life (it has certainly been a large part of mine!). It is a natural consequence of opposing views or different styles of getting things done. But in this instance, I think we are all pretty much aligned in what we are trying to achieve, so the source of the irritation must be a difference in approach.
As I think about this further (as well as running the risk of sounding too corporate), it occurs to me that we have never defined the roles and responsibilities between the parties.
While much of what an architect does is very clear – producing designs for planning permission, sorting out building regulations – there are a number of other activities that aren’t quite so black and white. I think it is these activities that are the source of irritation.
For example, who decides on the internal wall colours? who chooses the type of windows? or the window supplier? who selects the type of central heating? or where the control unit goes? Some of the answers are simple. Some more complex as they can only be answered by working together. For example, the type of central heating will be impacted by level of insulation (U values), type of wall/ceiling construction, or how the services run throughout the building. And we haven’t even talked about personal preferences.
So if we take the lack of clarity over roles and responsbilities, then add in a certain amount of confusion (on my behalf around the process) and the occasional curved ball (“Well, I didn’t expect to find that under the floor!”), it is no wonder there is irritation.