At the company he worked at there were plans for tollbooths for a thru-way and the teams could not make the oil pumps work to heat them.
The architects specs were for pumps about 20 times what was needed. Dad figured every little opportunity to increase that 10% bottom line that goes to the design firm.
He also believed that architecture as a career was for the kids in UMC families who could not bear to have little Johnny become a guy with a truck.
Here is another true story: I did a store front with window display and the Architect had very few details on the print so I built it to his specs and did my common sense carpentry on the part with no details. He came by an made me tear it out because, in his words, “ that isn’t what I had in mind”. All I could say was, Well Harry, could you please put into your detail pages exactly what you had in mind.” Needless to say I didn’t make any profit on that job.