Appreciation post: The super who showed me how to read a blueprint properly

I was on a job site in Portland about 4 years ago, a big mixed use building, and this old super named Tom pulled me aside after I messed up a wall layout. He didn't yell or anything, just pointed at the mechanical section and said 'you're looking at the reflected ceiling plan, not the floor plan, see the difference?' Has anyone else had a moment like that where one person's simple correction saved you from a whole redo?

2 comments

2 Comments

milam422h ago

Oh man, that super sounds like a real one. I had something a lot like that happen to me a few years back on a big remodel in Seattle. I was all ready to start demo on what I thought was a load bearing wall but this older foreman just kind of put his hand on my shoulder and said 'hold up, check the joist direction again.' I felt so stupid but he just laughed and said everyone messes it up once. I mean it really is those little moments that stick with you, right? That one person taking two minutes to show you something simple can save you so much headache down the line. Idk why more people don't do it, honestly.

gavin_mason311h ago

@milam42 did Tom ever show you how to spot the difference between ceiling and floor plans at a glance?