Questions Before Building

I’m 19, so walking into this industry, I obviously have a lot of questions.

And I’m learning that’s actually a good thing.

I’ve grown up around homes, real estate, construction and design, but there’s a big difference between being around something and actually understanding how it all works.

Now I’m sitting in meetings, looking at plans, walking job sites and hearing conversations about things I’ve never had a reason to think about before.

So I ask questions.

Why does that need to be decided now? Why can’t we move that later? Why does changing one thing affect three other things? Why is this option better than that one?

Sometimes the answer is design. Sometimes it’s construction. Sometimes it’s budget. And sometimes the answer is simply that there’s a much better way to do something than I realized.

I’m also learning not to be intimidated by being the youngest person in the room.

There are people around me who have been doing this longer than I’ve been alive. I’m not going to pretend I know what they know.

But I can listen. I can pay attention. And I can ask why.

My mom has always been someone who wants to understand how things work, not just what they look like. I think I’m picking up a lot of that from her.

The more questions I ask, the more I start connecting the dots between the plans, the construction and the finished home.

And usually, one answer just gives me three more questions.

I’m pretty sure that’s how I’m supposed to be learning.