It's not often you meet a, rumoured, billionaire. Let's just call her a multi-multi to keep it safe.
Not many multi-multi's drive a ten year old Chevy S-10 and cruise slowly through Soulard. Then again, Anne McDonald is not an ordinary multi-multi or ordinary cruiser. She has been developing properties in St. Louis for twenty odd years. She stopped today to see what I am up to @ 1837-39.
I was given notice from my mason that she would stop by. She stops by all development work in the Soulard. I found her to be warm and...motherly: firm but compassionate. Like an adoloescent, I stuck to my belief that digging up a perfectly good foundation, just to see what's there, is not a great idea. "If you can tell me what's in it for me, the developer, then I will take that on" is what I think I said. This was after she mentioned it a couple times. I still did not get a good reason.
We all have our areas of expertise, or atleast, areas where we have a fair amount of experience. I like to think Ms. McDonald has come across a fair number of foundation issues during her development activites in the Soulard. I like to exist, and have learned to be, in the context of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." In rehab work, especially, the more you dig into a situation, the more likely you are to find unpleasant things. So your wall studs are only 13" apart; life goes on. The wall still stands. Happy happy joy joy.
So, today was the day I persisted in my opinion when faced with a highly experienced, skilled, and successful developer...who also happens to be well off. "well off", yeah, and I'm the king of France. I hope we all can look back on this day and laugh rather than look back and say, "Shit, what an idiot he was."
Huaw huaw huaw.
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