It is no secret that women are the decision makers when it comes to buying the house.
This is well documented. Many times you’ve heard a woman’s partner say, “whatever makes her happy”. Women know what we want and we get it.
We understand the social climate and habits of our family more intimately than our male partners. Although there are exceptions (I don’t want to over generalize) women are the heartbeat of a home, even if we work outside of the house.
Our antennas are keenly aware of space in the kitchen, food prep needs, family event planning and children’s areas. This alone makes women qualified to customize the layout and design of a home to her family’s needs.
1
Women buy the home…
…thus we understand the functionality of a house.
This is well documented. Many times you’ve heard a woman’s partner say, “whatever makes her happy”. Women know what we want and we get it.
We understand the social climate and habits of our family more intimately than our male partners. Although there are exceptions (I don’t want to over generalize) women are the heartbeat of a home, even if we work outside of the house.
Our antennas are keenly aware of space in the kitchen, food prep needs, family event planning and children’s areas. This alone makes women qualified to customize the layout and design of a home to her family’s needs.
2
Women are more organized,
and are better multitaskers and communicators.
Building and construction takes a lot of effort. You must continually chase down and communicate with sub-contractors, extrapolate a firm time that they will be at the job, and make sure they do what they say they are going to do. It’s kind of like babysitting…but with big boys!
To talk with clarity and a purpose is second nature to us ladies. Sometimes we even over-communicate to make sure things get handled.
We also have many balls up in the air with our kids, work schedules, husbands, sports events and social activities, not to mention household tasks, managing cleaning people, and home repairs. As women we keep all this perfectly organized, mitigating chaos while mopping up the floor from the dog’s pile of poop. This multitasking skillset is incredibly suited for the craziness of construction.
“Women’s natural skills and tendencies make them especially suited to overseeing construction projects.”
3
Orchestrating large groups of people is in women’s blood.
Women are a nurturing bunch. We know how to attend to emotional needs and get our brood motivated and moving about our day. I recall many times empathically listening to a carpenter about the divorce they are going through while pounding nails into a 2×4 stud. Or running out to get the crew lunch to keep them efficiently working. Heavens – we wouldn’t want anyone to go hungry. Definitely a woman’s thing!
4
Most households are run by women.
Although it may not always look like it from the outside, this is true. The finances, the budget and family activities are a woman’s specialty. Women are amazing jugglers. This is key with construction. Most projects are at different phases in the process, so the overlap is manageable.
The same goes for how we manage the house. Construction requires spreadsheets and checkbooks and accounting just like a family budget, workplace, or career does. It’s the same balance sheet of profits and losses, maintaining budgets and overspending that needs to be kept under control.
5
We know how to motivate the men in our lives.
We encourage, listen, nudge and create deadlines. I have been a cheerleader for my entire construction career. I know it sounds funny but get out your pom-poms ladies – ‘cause it motivates everyone to have the peanut gallery cheering those that work hard physically.
This sort of personality trait – distinctly female – rocks when it comes to construction. We were made for managing a construction project. Our punch list* includes a savvy and smart woman that directs without being a dictator, encourages with a heart of compassion, and yet accomplishes all that she sets her mind to. We do construction with class!
*A punch list is a document that lists work which doesn’t conform to contract specifications; it’s prepared near the end of construction and has to be completed by the contractor before any final payment is made.
Happy Renovating,
