Excerpt from Cyclopedia of Architecture, Carpentry, and Building: A General Reference Work The superintendence of building Operations is one of the most important, and at times one of the most perplexing duties which an architect is called upon to perform. Plans may have been prepared with the greatest of skill and elaboration, and details may have been worked out to a marvel of perfection; and yet by the want Of atten tion given at the proper time, costly mistakes may be made and results attained which are a source of annoyance and expense to the owner, and often a lasting discredit to both architect and builder. It is only by constant watchfulness and by the exercise of a thorough knowledge of common practices and materials, that these errors can be avoided, and it is the duty of the architect, as superintendent, and a just and impartial referee between the owner and the builder, to acquire this knowledge and to exercise it freely and decisively. The owner, who has secured the services of an architect, will naturally expect from him something more than the builder could have furnished. Superiority in matters of taste he will expect as a matter of course, and beyond this a superior knowledge of materials and con struction; and an executive ability to handle men and direct the many forces which must be applied to Obtain a certain and satisfactory result. The architect should possess then, as' superintendent, a thorough knowledge of the materials at his disposal and should see clearly before him, in his mind's eye, the building which he proposes to erect. To do this, he must know how all the various elements of the building are to be assembled and moulded into a complete whole. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.