What would have been the outcome of the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day in World War II without a detailed, but flexible, plan of attack? According to the logic of a particular group of custom builders with whom I recently spoke, the invasion might have gone just fine without a plan. We still would have defeated Hitler ... no problem.

Those same builders also do not believe that a comprehensive, detailed set of construction drawings (CDs) is necessary to build a home. They might be right.

During a meeting of the Builders Association of Greater Boston, several builders sat on a panel discussion with some architects. The topic of discussion centered on what exactly was a good set of CDs. To my surprise, the response from the builders gathered was that architectural drawings were virtually unnecessary, and in fact were often a roadblock to building the home. The key, they believe, is to understand and adroitly translate the "vision of the homeowner" when constructing the home.

Why? Well, often the architect's elevations and cross sections are not based "on reality" and are difficult to decipher. Examples of this are CDs that call for measurements such as 19/32 of an inch.

Heck, most framers are using flat construction pencils that are already 3/8 of an inch thick. How can they be expected to draw a line at 19/32 of an inch? I agree that before a person can become an architect, he should -- at a minimum -- be required to spend a year with a nail bag strapped around his waist building homes.

But there's also a downside to working without good CDs: time. One builder described how he had just completed a four-year job constructing a single-family home, working without any CDs. He was just "following the vision of the homeowner." He said that he built and then subsequently tore down 20 different parts of the home, adding later that "since I was working for time and materials, I didn't care."

It's funny, but sad. Even if the homeowner was extremely particular, a four-year job is nothing to brag about. Moreover, it's a poster-boy example of what can happen when you work without drawings. Add to this that there is a very high likelihood of potential litigation from the homeowner if you are a custom builder working without drawings. Those elevations, schematics and renderings are your evidence.

What are the solutions? One idea is to hold an initial, all-day summit with the homeowner and the architect before the job gets started. This is your chance to create rapport with homeowner and architect.

It's also a good chance to ask lots of questions about their visions. Another idea is to insist on good architectural renderings of the job. Even if you are a custom builder who insists on working without CDs, have renderings made.

So I agree with the logic of those work-without-a-plan builders that eventually the Allies would have still defeated the Axis powers during World War II, even if we were "just winging it." Then again, if they are wrong, Paris might still be German territory today.