I finally snapped at a client over their insistence on using 1/8 inch scale for everything

This guy kept sending me floor plans for a commercial buildout where he wanted every single detail, down to the furniture, drafted at 1/8 inch. I told him flat out, you CANNOT read furniture dimensions at that scale on a 24x36 sheet, it's just a blurry mess. It matters because the contractors are going to be squinting and guessing, which leads to expensive change orders. I had a project six months ago where a similar mistake on a door schedule cost the client an extra $1200 in rework. How do you politely explain that different elements need different scales without sounding like you're refusing the work? Anyone have a good script for this?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela_allen532mo ago

Costly change orders" is why you need a firm script.

noah_chen172mo ago

Hey @angela_allen53, that's a good point, but what about when the client's needs actually do change halfway through? A super firm script can make you seem rigid.

xena_kim1mo ago

Noah, you're totally seeing something real here. It's the same thing as when you go to a restaurant and order something, but then the waiter won't let you swap out the fries for a salad because "that's not how the menu works." Life throws curveballs, ya know? A rigid plan is like trying to build a house without checking if the ground is even level first. You gotta have some give in the system, or you end up building something that doesn't fit the real situation at all. It's about having a flexible framework, not a straitjacket.