Jacob Miller prides himself on his decisiveness. No matter what options, alternatives or dilemmas forthcoming, he makes a choice and sticks to it. That is of course, until he chose to construct a home.

Miller, a recent transplant to Indianapolis, felt that the only way to get a perfect home was to build it to order:

My wife and I had a laundry list of things we wanted in a house and really didn’t want to compromise. So, we figured instead of spending hours searching for something that didn’t totally fit our needs, we’d build a home that could satisfy everything.

So, with contractors in place and blueprints made, the extensive project began. Yet, little by little, Miller discovered it wasn’t so easy.

There were millions of tiny decisions we had to make—hardware, light fixtures, flooring, paint. You name it, we picked it. We were so detailed that we even decided where we wanted all the electrical outlets to go in every room. The only problem was that with every change we made to the original floor plan, the more it cost us.

Turns out, before breaking ground the Millers were already $10,000 above their initial quote. They soon found themselves at a crossroads: relinquish their deposit or continue building despite their original budget.

To help make up their minds, they requested a tour of a completed home that was similar in cost and style. If the finished product was nice, they would stick to their plan.

We didn’t make a single decision in the show home and yet we loved it more than the one we were building. In fact, when the contractor told us it was a bigger, more expensive version of the one we selected, it didn’t matter. We decided right away that we wanted it.

Despite being financially over-extended, Miller and his wife decided to move forward building the more expensive home—utilizing the exact floor plan and interior concept. In the end, their decision-making came down to one thing: accepting someone else’s design.

When it comes to defining a project, knowing what you want can be a great advantage. Clarity assists in making smart choices and helps battle indecision. However, at times even the most decisive person needs assistance on some level. Whether its making small choices that influence the larger outcomes or by providing suggestions that broaden the point of view, having a collective team you can trust is invaluable.

When aspiring to create a project in a team environment, take into account all points of view. Success begins and ends with logical, thoughtful and collective decisions. As The Methodology Blog has covered before, Slaughter Development believes perspective is extraordinary when it comes to innovation and efficiency. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you design, build or even reconstruct a project to make it the best it can be.

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