One summer, in my youth, my siblings and I, with my mother, spent several months with her mother and father. The wide porch of their house rose several feet above Calhoun Street, affording my grandfather a view of the New Orleans neighborhood for several blocks. Sitting in his rocking chair several feet above the street, my grandfather visited with folks passing by. In his age and failing hearing, he would lean into the rail to not miss a single word of the conversation. Attentively, he engaged each person, listening to their family and activities' stories - his real Facebook. He and his open porch invited passersby to stop for a while and catch-up. Days later, he could recall each person and their discussion. THA believes the best projects are born from a collaborative creative process with our clients. This process allows for an interactive experience in which we come to learn about what you expect your life to be like in your completed project.

Confusing a buttermilk pie with a chess pie may result from a lack of planning, research, or not truly listening to the chef. Each pie's fillings consist of a mixture of similar ingredients poured into a pie crust:

Upon completion, the two pies appear similar. Three of the five ingredients are the same. However, if the expectation is for a buttermilk pie and the reality is a chess pie, the receiver of the services may not be satisfied.

Closing in on completion of the project (the baked pie is pulled from the oven to cool) the owner begins to notice subtle differences of the reality not meeting the desired expectation.

Occupying and experiencing the project (tasting the pie), the expectation of the buttermilk pie and the reality of the chess pie reveals an old understanding that the REALITY will not converge with the desired expectation.

The curve line (reality) represents a hyperbola. In a Cartesian grid, the edges of the curve (asymptotes) grow ever close to the X&Y grid, but will never converge. The project phases create opportunities for the design team and the owner to help each other maintain convergence of the design’s reality and the owner’s expectation.

Through program management, design, and construction, the Tom Hines, Architect (THA) Team is skilled to ensure your project's reality and the desired expectation converge.

This material is for informational purposes only to provide a general understanding of the recommendations for choosing a contracting firm. Tom Hines, Architect accepts no liability for the content or for the consequences of any action taken on the basis of the information provided.