My recent ??? on the building forum

[john the architect]

Someone just asked me why, for when they build in Puna, I thought it was advisable for them to hire an architect. Here is a perfect example. An architect describes the work to be done and verifies that the builder is doing it. The architect steps in to arbitrated disputes between the builder (who has experience) and the homeowner (often a first-timer). Historically, there were architects first (the greek work for builder is 'tekton') while contractors are a modern invention primarily used to deal with requirements for insurance. I value the craft of building and the patience of its tradesmen and supervisors, but sometimes it works better to get back to the root of things. A contractor can certainly make suggestions, and a wise architect will listen to and vet them, but it is a conflict of interest for a contractor (or the homeowner) to determine the scope of work on the fly and using "assumptions".