Author unknown.
IF ARCHITECTS HAD TO WORK LIKE PROGRAMMERS...
Dear Mr. Architect:
Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need,
so you should use your discretion.
My house should have between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure
the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted.
When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of
what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdowns for each configuration so
that I can arbitrarily pick one at a later time.
Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the
one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all
the deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen
vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don't have nearly enough
insulation in them).
As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance
costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of extra-cost
features like aluminum, vinyl, or composite siding. (If you choose not
to specify aluminum, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.)
Please take care that modern design practices and the latest materials
are used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a showplace for
the most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that kitchen
should be designed to accommodate (among other things) my 1952 Gibson
refrigerator.
To assure that you are building the correct house for our entire family,
you will need to contact each of my children, and also our in-laws. My
mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the house should be
designed, since she visits us at least once a year. Make sure that you
weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. I, however,
retain the right to overrule any decisions that you make.
Please don't bother me with small details right now. Your job is to
develop the overall plans for the house and get the big picture. At this
time, for example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the color of the
carpeting. However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue.
Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources to build
the house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and
specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the
house to be under roof within 48 hours.
While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind
that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It therefore should
have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. Please make
sure before you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the
potential homebuyers in my area that they like the features this house
has.
I advise you to run up and look at the house my neighbor built last
year, as we like it a great deal. It has many things that we feel we
also need in our new home, particularily the 75-foot swimming pool.
With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our
new house without impacting the construction cost.
Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at
this time to do the real design, since they will be used only for
construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held
accountable for any increase of construction costs as a result of
later design changes.
You must be thrilled to be working on as an interesting project as
this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be
given such freedom in your designs is something that can't happen very
often. Contact me as soon as possible with your ideas and completed
plans.
PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the instructions
I've given you in this letter. As architect, it is your responsibility to
resolve these differences. I have tried in the past
and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can't handle this
responsibility, I will have to find another architect.
PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer.
Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case.
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