Botched Audition
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The upshot of all of this is that they lost my future business and that of my friends, through word of mouth. Two of my friends are embarking on whole-house remodels right now.
What if every remodeler approached every job, no matter how small, as an audition for future work? What if every remodeler didn’t just create “systems” – the forms, checklists, protocols, etc. that are so often held up as evidence of professionalism – but actually lived them as well?
Following systems to the T is easier said than done, of course, but we all know the answer: Even a best faith effort to always be your most professional, combined with open and honest communication, would result in more referrals for you and a better rep for the remodeling industry. It would also go a long way toward helping homeowners feel comfortable with paying the markups you need to run your business.
Between my interview with Laurie March a few days ago, and some minor remodeling work I’m having done around my house, I’ve been having a number of conversations with others about the communications breakdowns and, frankly, sloppy oversights and omissions that are still too common among contractors.
Good Intentions, Bad Cop
Not long ago, an acquaintance lived through a $135,000 project that seemed easily manageable for the established design/build firm that took it on. The finished space looks and lives just fine, but the sour aftertaste remains. The quote that opens this blog pretty much summarizes the shot confidence of that homeowner.
In the spirit of my last post, in which Laurie stole the show by speaking for herself, I’m going to turn it over to that homeowner. This is an honest, unfiltered, unedited report. Listen up, remodelers.
“I think what irked me most was that I did buy the idea of a full-service, sophisticated ‘systems’ remodeler. And that set an expectation that ultimately was unmet. Part of it stemmed from expectations set by the rainmaker that then were not followed through by the job lead. And they began at the very beginning.
1. Follow-through: I expressed concern about dust in the house and workmen coming through the main living areas (we have no exterior entrance to where the work was being done). Company owner said, no problem we’ll provide a zipper door and plastic and put down flooring protection. Work began. Dust began. No zipper door and plastic and flooring protection. I had to follow up. Then it was done.
2. Quality control: Then we had the problem with the duct work and the excessive space and the framing—after a discussion that we wanted to preserve as much headroom as possible for the largest room of the space. There were a number of these problems in framing that I caught. It’s the problem with the lead being there only to walk the job with the contractor and then to see it after it's done. Do you want the homeowner to be the QA on the job?
3. Communication: People would show up with no notice to us--usually as I was trying to leave for the office. Suddenly I had to drop everything and deal with the unexpected visitor—an inspector; a delivery person with a mirror, slab of granite, or refrigerator.
4. Cleanliness: I found lunch wrappers with the remnants of food stuck in various nooks and crannies. And empty coffee cups, drink containers. Someone helped themselves to a beer (or more) from our basement cooler and broke a bottle they didn’t clean up.
5. Selections: I often had no notice that suddenly an important selections decision was needed from me. Or I needed to go to a showroom lickety-split. Then I’d be asked to choose—tile, fixtures, faucets, whatever—with no guidance as to how it might fit with my budget. Overall, there was no attempt to police the budget; I was expected to know that it was creeping up with this choice and that choice.
6. Care and Feeding: Once the company owner had sold the job, he never once stopped by or checked in with us to see how it was going. He only came at the very end to take photos for his web site. That’s someone who doesn’t care deeply about the work his people are doing or how happy his clients are. He only cares about landing the next job.
There are more things. Like the HVAC guy who hacked his way through the job with an inadequate plan. But that’s the gist of it all. I just felt that I had to watch everything, be hyper vigilant; and that I had to be the bad cop always—the client who is always bitching about something. "
Unmet expectations? Client as QA? Broken beer bottles? This isn't just one person dropping the ball; it's evidence of a systemic problem. The fact that it happened during this difficult economy, when every business should be thinking of each job as a friendly bridge to the next, is evidence that too many remodelers just aren't getting it. It will be a shame if they don't start getting it very soon.
Signing off for the homeowners.
Leah Thayer, senior editor, lthayer@hanleywood.com