It would be hidden by our walls, invisible to the outside, but essential to the inside. This girder would support the steel beams that would in turn support the chimney that would give our house its perfect visual balance. It was then that I began to realize just how difficult it must be for an architect to have to work with people who come with preconceived ideas. We came with our own house design, our own floor plan, room sizes, stair design and of course a desire for two perfectly balanced chimneys. In his 17 years as an architect, Mr. MacMillan has had many such requests.
Some jobs are architectural and some jobs are nuts and bolts.
While the architectural challenges are certainly more gratifying, Mr. MacMillan believes it is great when people have specific ideas of what they want. However, some of the problems he encounters and some of the frustration felt by customers could easily be avoided with a little advance planning. Often problems arise when people have a wish list that includes a certain number of rooms sized to their needs with little attention paid to the actual number of square feet sized to fit their budget. They might want a 20x20 living room, but forget that they need hallways. Sometimes you find someone who thinks they can stick a bathroom in an area where there isn't enough room.