Somebody has to be the construction brain. Absent someone smarter, the default is always me. Somehow I know or am supposed to know more than everyone else about every facet of the build. This clearly is impossible as I don’t have certification or experience in a dozen trades. Actually as a builder I have basically no formal training in building. There is no degree/ticket/guild/union needed to be a builder in Alberta though you do need to have the funds to pay to enrol in various programs and certifications. The premise of becoming a builder is you either succeed and figure out what you are doing or you bankrupt yourself in the process of figuring out how to do it while making many costly mistakes. I do think I’m a way better builder now than I was back in 2012 mainly based on a vast body of time spent in the field managing the jobs and improving processes. But there is always some new hurdle to overcome on every job, or often many hurdles both new and old. A key technique is to immunize yourself from the stresses of it all and focus on the quickest path to a solution. Here is an example of the construction brain at work.
Here we have a beam in the worst possible location for plumbing. We need a way to get the drain pipe from one side to the next or it will be hard to flush that toilet.
Hole chart provided by the manufacturer
At this point the construction brain must slowly operate. Find the beam profile and characteristics of size and span. Match it with the manufacturer specs on what is allowed and you may solve your problem. With all these files and specs on my phone plus a website provided by the manufacturer we can figure this out lying in bed. Our 4 inch diameter hole will allow passage of the 3 inch abs pipe so we can avoid an unsightly bulkhead or mechanical chase in a living room.