We have all been there, on a site inspection with an owner’s representation when things take a bad turn—the architect sees something he doesn’t like. You did the work, fought to make a small profit and then see your profits begin to dwindle away. The architect might even state that you failed to meet industry standards and/or project specifications. Then a third party is asked to come in and review.
I have been in all three pairs of shoes at one point in my career. I contracted work and found myself frustrated by overzealous architects with what I believed to be unrealistic expectations. I have been the third party who provided an evaluation report to determine if the work met “industry standards”. I have also been the project architect where my job was to represent the owner’s interests and sign off on subcontractors workmanship. How can we manage expectations?