As an EE, I often get pissed when the electrician/technician does what he feels like, and in the process ruins careful planning around often difficult design issues- there are many times where compromises have to be made on the minor things so that the major ones work, and it's a LOT easier to do them on paper beforehand than to do them wrong on the jobsite and have to undo it and do it twice. Especially when the changes made are *wrong* and done just to cut corners. I try to always notate the intent on the plans- like a canned note saying that "only general locations are shown, minor deviations are authorized" etc. On the other hand, there are a great many things that are more apparent when you're right there, hands-on, and I'll actively defer to the electrician's judgement. That judgement is also the last chance for mistakes to be caught.
If in doubt, give the engineer a call! I'd much prefer getting constant calls than have expensive problems pop up. (Minor disclaimer: I work on aircraft carriers, not houses... boils down to the same process, though)
[This message has been edited by SteveFehr (edited 03-25-2005).]
