I'm a big believer in being proactive in your build, but there is a definite line between being pro-active and vigilant, and being an interfering PITA..... even if you are paying the bills.
Webzone, I reckon you well and truly cross the line..... and I am not a concreter. I've always tried to think about my behaviour as an owner in terms of how I like to be treated as a worker, and have related it back.
My working life has been in horse racing, yep and owners pay the bills.... and some of them are just plain dangerous. I have had owners let their kids run around the stables while horses are on the move to be worked, hosed etc. I've had owners tell me how to bandage a horse's leg or apply a poultice... WTF??? I've had owners rush a horse for a "cuddle" while I am down at the horses leg attending to something.... no worries, it's only my head that could get kicked. I've had owners move metal gates across concrete while I walked past with a horse.... both me and the horse have ended up in the air when the horse get the sh1t scared out of him.
I have had owners tell me that I have tightened the girth too much and I'm "hurting the horse" as I saddle for race. WTF???? So do I listen to the owner, because he "pays the bills" and has a "right to be there". Or do I saddle as I know I should and as I've been entrusted to do? Hey, if I listen to the owner, I'm only putting the jockey's life at risk when his saddle slips and he could fall and maybe bring down other horses and jockeys. Yeah, owner you can F**K OFF in that instance.... and I have in effect told them to do so. Didn't make me popular sometimes, but it made me damn good at my job.
Just because he in effect pays my wages doesn't make him any less of a PITA, distraction and danger.
Most owners shouldn't be in stables until the horses have finished work and been fed and are away for the morning..... sounds harsh as they are the "owner" and "pay the bills". But when staff are hurt or interefered with by "well-meaning" owners you start to see things that way.
I know I have waffled, but I worked in an environment very similar to a building site in many ways. When you are surrounded by like-minded people that understand how the whole thing works, you can relax and enjoy your job and just get on with it. Add in some "owners" who think they have the right to do whatever the hell they like because they pay the bills.... and the job gets a whole lot more frustrating, a whole lot less enjoyable and a whole lot more dangerous.
Like I said at the start of this post, I am a big believer in being pro-active and vigilant in your build. But at the end of the day, you employ people to do a job.... just let them do it.
I am not sure there is a strong parallel between being a horse trainer and being an owner-builder. Very different industries dealing with very different people with very different outcomes.
In any building project you can take it as a given that shortcuts will be taken and mistakes will be made. The less supervision the higher the probability of mistakes and the more likely small mistakes will compound into bigger problems.
If you are an owner-builder then you have to watch the job very very closely otherwise you going to end up with a very poor job. There is absolutely no way you can sit back and let the contractors just do the work. It is a recipe for disaster.
If you are employing a builder or alternatively have engaged a very good supervisor then you may be able to get away with less supervision but you are still at risk of getting a substandard job.
In my case I am engaging the individual contractors directly and I am responsible for supervising the project. So I have no qualms about donning the rubber boots, lending a hand and doing my best to keep an eye on everything. I want the job to be done properly.