Building in Dallas County.

Clay soil in this part of Texas moves with the seasons. The foundation design isn’t a formality here, and neither is the drainage that keeps water away from it.

Change orders aren’t inherently bad. They are how a house adapts to what you learn while standing in it. What is bad is a change order you find out about after the work is done, or one priced as a favor and settled at the end. Mine are written before the work happens, with the cost and the schedule impact stated, and you sign them or you don’t. That’s it. It keeps the conversation about the house rather than about the invoice.

How the house sits on the lot decides morning light in the kitchen, afternoon heat on the back wall, and what you see from the room you’ll actually spend time in.

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing get coordinated before anyone cuts anything. Where the ducts run, whether the trusses can carry them, where the panel sits and how far the longest plumbing run has to travel. Done early, on paper, it costs a few meetings. Done in the field by whoever shows up first, it produces drilled structural members, soffits nobody planned for, and rooms that are colder than the rest of the house for reasons no one can trace.

If I can't do it right at the number, I will say so before we start instead of finding out together.

None of that’s exotic. It’s just what happens when someone is actually paying attention.

Every job has something go sideways. The difference is whether you find out from the builder or from an inspector.

Change orders aren’t inherently bad. They are how a house adapts to what you learn while standing in it. What is bad is a change order you find out about after the work is done, or one priced as a favor and settled at the end. Mine are written before the work happens, with the cost and the schedule impact stated, and you sign them or you don’t. That’s it. It keeps the conversation about the house rather than about the invoice.

Slope is the difference between a slab and a much larger number. A lot that falls three feet across the building pad can mean retaining, extra fill, a stepped foundation or a walk-out basement that turns out to be the best room in the house. Which of those you get is a design decision, and it is cheaper to make it before the plans are done.