Communication Is The Key

This weekend a close contractor friend of mine asked me to meet with his clients about doing some custom tile work.



I had this couple meet me at one of my finished homes to show them my work and to get an idea about what they had in mind.



Within 5 minutes of the meeting I found myself listening to their complaints and concerns about their contractor / my friend.



I asked them if they had addressed their concerns to their contractor to which they said they had, however they felt they were not being taken seriously.



I spoke with my friend about what was going on and he was aware of the problem however he felt that this was a couple that nobody could make happy. I listened to his side of the story and when all was said and done it was evident that the main problem was lack of communication by all parties.



Yes, this couple could be challenging to deal with, however with a little observation one could tell that if he would have catered to the female gender of the two then much of the problems would have been avoided.



I hate saying it (not really) but women are not the easiest to deal with. They are very emotional creatures and must be dealt with differently then the average male species.

Us men are happy with food in our belly in the remote control in our hand. (can I have an amen, women)



Most women need to be re-assured.........they question themselves constantly and they will question their male counterparts just as often if not more. (can I have an amen from the men folk here)



So how could many of these problems been prevented.............yes, I know....not to deal with people like her is one answer........and that may be plausible at times.....however if the contractor would have laid some firm ground work on what they as clients can expect from him as well as what he expects of them.......then they would not have found themselves in this mess.



I tell new contractors that the first 3 question I ask of potential clients are what I call the three "B's".



1. What is your Budget?

2. Do you have Blueprints?

3. Who is your Banker (lender)?



If they can answer question 1 and 2 then they get to meet with me in person...........question 3 we can work on together.



This couple had a budget of 200k, they had blueprints that could have been built for that price however their desires would push the budget up to 250k plus.



While the contractor did meet with them, he failed to go over the blueprints to ensure that there were no changes and if so, what were they. There were also problems with the blueprints that were not caught until in the middle of the project. While the architect is responsible.........the contractor should check for accuracy of the plans as well as noting any changes on the plan itself.......all sets of plans should be annotated once finalized.



Another area that contractors often fail is that they do not ask the client what they are trying to achieve. Some clients prefer aesthetics over functionality and vice versa. A contractor should take such things into account when he is reviewing the blueprints. I have never built a custom home where we did not make changes.........often those changes cost very little to nothing in price.....at times we were able to increase the size or functionality of the house while staying in budget. However when changes come in the middle of the project then we are more often then not taking big bucks.



Realistic time tables or what is called a flow schedule should be given to the client when possible with their understanding that delays will happen. I have never done a large project where we did not experience some sort of delay. It's going to happen, its just a matter of analyzing and predicting where they might crop up.......this takes experience, pure and simple.



This particular contractor also failed to clearly define and or show the client what was standard and what would be an upgrade.



I often have my clients meet me at one of my houses that will be comparable to what they are having built.



I show them everything from windows, doors, trim, tile, flooring, siding, etc.......I want them to be able to visualize what their house will look like. I also explain to them what is standard as well as what their options are.

This is also the time in which I use to educate the client about the process, materials, methods, subcontractors....etc.



This particular client was getting her knowledge from Consumers Report. While I love reading such material, I do not put a whole lot of stock in their magazine when it comes to construction materials and alternatives. She ended up blowing her window budget by picking out a window she saw in CR that cost an average of $400.00 per unit. She could have gotten the same type of window for half the price......which is what the contractor had allotted. She did the same thing with siding as was attempting to do it with ceramic tile when I stopped her in her tracks and educated her about tile.



Once I explained to her and showed the difference, she was satisfied but more important felt re-assured.



Many of the problems that have arisen out of this incident could have been prevented if all parties were communicating clearly and honestly prior to starting their project.



Clearly the clients were trying to have a house built that they could not afford. The contractor was thinking about dollars signs instead of listening to what these people were wanting.



In the mean time my friend has informed me that if need be he will walk away from the job and the clients have hinted about firing the contractor. Neither of these two options are advisable because in the long run all will have much to lose.........except the lawyers, they will be the only winners.



Communication is the key to any successful endeavor...........lack thereof will often be the beginning of the downfall.



In the mean time, while I ponder on weather to take on this job, I shall fill my belly with lots of ice cream and find the remote control.......life will be good.



NC_Yank

(NC_Yank is a licensed contractor and inspector in the state in which he derives his name)