Contractors Are People Too
March 26th, 2010 | Published in contractor selection | 21 Comments
by Robert Wright
Why being nice to your contractor could be a sanity saver!
Building a good relationship with your contractor and his team can have some real benefits. You may think that being professional is the way to go, but that may not be helpful in having a smooth project experience.
Remember, contractors are people too and most of us will go out of our way to help you with any project or issue you may be dealing with in your home. They do not want to create a difficult situation anymore than you want to live through it.
When you are interviewing a contractor for your project, keep in mind that you are being interviewed by the contractor also. I have visited many home owners over the years, who have said “the other contractors won’t return my calls” or “they haven’t come back with their budget”.
When I leave, I usually know why you don’t get return calls…..the spidey senses are tingling! You have not made a good and/or comfortable impression with the contractor. In addition, if you do get pricing, it will have a built in aggravation factor because of the contractor’s nervousness about your future relationship.
Also, as you are conducting your interviews, please try to keep the distractions to a minimum. We would like to get as much information from you and provide it in return to you. If trains of thought are being disrupted by family, friends, and work, everyone loses as important things get missed.
After you have selected a contractor and continue to design and build your project; various issues will come up. It’s a given in our industry; when you are designing a project, then building the prototype and finished product in one shot. How you react to these issues will have an impact on your project experience.
As you are designing your project, are you questioning your contractors professional experience in a difficult manner? Can you make decisions quickly and not change your mind after it is made? Do you try to extract the very last penny of value from your contractor? You should ensure that you understand how your project is being completed and getting good value. However, these sorts of actions do not create a good start for the final project outcome. A professional contractor will help you to design your project, but they will not cut corners to reach a budget goal.
Treating the work crew on site well, can be very beneficial to you. My guys are always happy when our clients have a morning coffee or cookies ready for them at break time. They always comment about how nice the client is. As a result, I know the guys will do small things for the client that I will not know about and/or charge for. The site crew will also take more time to make sure things are perfect; instead of trying to get the job done and get out of your home quickly.
These things may seem to be relatively small, but they can have a huge impact on your experience with contractors. Most contractors want to enjoy working for you as much as you would like to have a pleasant renovation experience. The small things can be the difference between a good renovation experience and loosing your mind!
About the Author
Rob Wright has grown up around construction and in the mid 1990’s, Rob joined and took over Citadel Renovations in Ottawa. Rob has presented seminars at the local home shows on various renovations subjects and is a contributor to the Home Renovation Guide. Rob has been active in the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association for many years and previously served as the Renovation Council Chair. For more information, visit CitadelRenovations.com.
Looking for a local contractor? Visit the Home Renovation Guide’s Complete Directory or Get a Free Quote.
March 27th, 2010 at 2:19 pm (#)
Robert,
I simply can’t believe my eyes as I read this. You are the reason why we get so pissed off at contractors.
HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHO THE CUSTOMER IS?
So you want your CUSTOMERS to make things as easy as possible for you? Gee, we’re sooo sorry that there might be a distraction while we meet with you, or that our questions for you are worded in away that may offend, or that your damn cookies and coffee aren’t to spec.
The construction/renovation industry has had a free ride for too long in Canada. It leads to these arrogant, self-centred blog posts from people who think their paying customers should be treating them better.
Here’s an idea: treat people the way you’d like to be treated and that’s what you get in return. As well as a paycheck.
Steve
March 30th, 2010 at 8:22 am (#)
No Steve, you are the reason contractors get so pissed off at clients!
Your attitude is exactly what contractors are trying to avoid.
In fact, you have provided a perfect example of what contractors have to put up with on a daily basis on the job site.
Thank you for that.
April 3rd, 2010 at 8:07 pm (#)
As a contractor I understand what Rob is saying. He is in no way saying that a homeowner should have coffee or a snack ready for the workers. Contractors and workers do not expect this. He is just saying that some homeowners can be very difficult to work with and as a result they might not get some extra attention above and beyond what was agreed upon. Also how you approach your contract with questions or doubts is key. This is why Rob asks if you are questioning your contractors professional experience “in a difficult manner”. Contractors expect questions, we just don’t expect to be questioned on every single thing we are doing.
April 5th, 2010 at 11:38 am (#)
for my newest (proud to say)
renovation in calgary, it taught me to see contractors and myself as a married couple trying to work things out. i believe i had my fair share of bad moods but patience and working things out should be mutual.
April 5th, 2010 at 8:52 pm (#)
This is a great article and truly appreciated by a long time contractor… Sometimes just a simple please or thank-you can make a job so much easier.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:33 am (#)
Yeah Robert i think you are talking about client & contractor relationships. I am agree with you. It’s very importatnt to understand the both of us.
How much money do you have for remodeling your home, kitchen etc.?
What part of the remodeling can you do yourself? and similar questions…
April 14th, 2010 at 12:34 pm (#)
Thanks Bob for a great article. I recently was looking for a company to remodel my kitchen countertops and cabinetry. I found a company located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sims-Lohman Fine Kitchens & Granite that specializes in granite countertops and fine cabinets.
They were very quick to respond to my call, discussed thoroughly what the job would entail and did everything just perefectly.
I would recommend them to anyone, check out their site: http://sims-lohman.com/kitchens/
April 17th, 2010 at 10:12 am (#)
First of all, contractors who work with each other can achieve balance. You might be good at some service that your partner is not and he might be excellent in a field where you are struggling like crazy. Your team up will be a collaboration that can bring you both growth and success.
April 17th, 2010 at 1:22 pm (#)
Good article.
Ignore Steve… the whole “that’s the reason why we get so pissed off at contractors” thing is pretty funny.
I’m willing to wager the whole reason he hates contractors is because no good contractor would return a call from someone like that and he’s stuck working with the bottom of the barrel.
April 22nd, 2010 at 1:18 pm (#)
As a contractor I fully screen all my clients. It’s never worth dealing with a client with a bad attitude or someone like “Steve”. Perhaps, Steve is the kind of guy that wants something for nothing. The kind of client that will nickle and dime the contractor because he feels there is this sense of entitlement. Not everyone is out to rip you off Steve. Perhaps, if you had some people skills you would understand what Rob was talking about. Its about understanding people.
Joe.
April 22nd, 2010 at 1:39 pm (#)
I think that people like Steve are pissed off because good contractors will not be undersold for their services. I find it funny when someone calls me back and tells me that they found someone else who will build their 1000sqf finished basement with a 3 pc bathroom for 10k instead of the 25k they were quoted. Those are the kinds of reno’s that end up on the show Holmes on Homes. I really think Steve was ripped off and now has a bad taste in his mouth about contractors. I think he didn’t have the sense to know better and now blames the whole industry for his lack of good judgement.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:18 pm (#)
I believe that 99% of everything that happens during a remodel project is within my power to influence or control. I mean everything and that includes clients and weather. After all I am the one who does this for a living not the client. If something goes wrong it is because I dropped the ball or because I failed to exercise the necessary forethought to prevent it or account for it. If the client doesn’t meet my requirements for a partnership I send them a note declining the bid request.
May 2nd, 2010 at 1:57 am (#)
A good contractor is hard to find.It’s a matter of knowing where to find them and,more importantly,how to screen them,especially trust them.
General Contractor
May 10th, 2010 at 12:13 pm (#)
oh boy, what set me looking up “contractors getting ripped of by clients” I have a successful kitchen business and work to great lengths to satisfy all of my customers. Lately I am finding a different type of client…the one who claims to be unhappy therefore not willing to pay the full amount.. Last client thought the sink looked bigger than she had in mind and wanted “compensation”, WHAT ?! the compensation she was after was the granite tops for free. there are clients out there who are looking for any excuse to be unappy so the can weasle out of paying their bills.
Another found a minor 1/2″ scratch the bottom side of her tub near the floor, between the toilet and wanted the tub for free. “No don’t rip it out, I just wont pay for it”.
I believe that there is so much hipe about home owners being ripped off by contractors (Holmes on homes) that it has encouraged this type of client who has ridiculous demands and unrealistic expectations. The client who has no knowledge of the process now sees themselves as having to protect against all evil contractors who are going to cheat them. I have recently seen and experienced an increase in dishonsety on the client’s part not the contractor’s.
June 10th, 2010 at 9:07 am (#)
Hey Dude,
Really your thought will be a great mainstream for those who are looking for Appliances Ad. As it sounds very good though i would like to light it at the wall of my facebook.
June 13th, 2010 at 5:01 pm (#)
I found it extremely helpful reading all the posts. I am new in the business; myself and my employees consider ourselves a family of craftsmen. We take great pride in our work and are always willing to go the extra mile. For the first while this was a great working relationship between our company and our customers. We have never been to court and we have never left a customer behind. Everyone makes mistakes, but we will always be back to fix them.
Lately I have been finding that there are some customers with the sense of “entitlement”. They want something for nothing and take our good will and our commitment to a happy customer for granted. As such we have now been abused by these customers and maybe I haven’t developed the hardened skin for this business, but I take it personally.
For example.. I have a customer who has paid us for the work we had done (indicating he was happy with the work right?? wrong!) He then proceeded to call an inspector who pointed out minor problems that have now got the customer all worked up. He wants his money back and is willing to drag our name through the dirt in order to get what he wants. He is causing me more grief than I have time for. It doesn’t help that he is a veteran business owner, extremely wealthy and retired with way too much time on his hands.
He told me it’s not about the money it’s about the principle and “I will bring you down son!” I’m just not sure how to deal with these people when they come around and it scares the crap out of me…
Graham
June 15th, 2010 at 12:53 am (#)
This is Steve again. (I must be a sucker for punishment).
In any other profession, if you were to write a post telling CUSTOMERS how to behave, you’d be drummed out of business. I personally recall attending a meeting with my senior management with a vendor who will remain nameless (but the initials are I.B.M). The vendor started our meeting by saying “let me give you some advice on how to deal with us”. This infuriated senior management to the point of switching vendors. That story reminds me of this discussion.
YES, there are a lot of really bad customers out there. I sympathize with some of the nightmare stories. But at the end of the day they are customers.
In my profession (information technology) customers change their minds all the time (and it’s okay to charge them for this). They work to extract every penny of value. And they’re usually distracted in our meetings. While I may grumble about it, I wouldn’t dream of not returning calls or answering questions. In my competitive market we can’t just go find another customer.
I have excellent relationships with a small number of contractors that I return to again and again. These guys usually charge a premium, but I’m willing to pay it for professionalism. The unfortunate thing is that it took me many many years to find them. And because they are true professionals, they get the treatment they deserve. There’s always snacks and coffee for their crew.
My final point: people like Mike Holmes have drawn a significant following for a reason.
September 9th, 2010 at 8:21 am (#)
Mutual Respect and consideration is the key. Straight to the point. Sometime the client need to be reminded that we Home Renovation – Remodeling contractors are consumers too.
September 22nd, 2010 at 5:03 am (#)
Thanks bob.to provide the information home renovation services.this blog cover all the areas to improve our home. thanks.
February 11th, 2011 at 10:14 am (#)
Hi. I’m not here to slam the consttuction industry as there are good and bad in everything. I’m here to share my storyand maybe learn how not to wind up in this situation again. I did my homework and talked to references when I hired my contractor. It all started off
Great the first week of November on out bath remodel. On November 10th we were asked for a specific amount to pay for the order of cabinets. No problem. They continued working on remodel until end of November. Now we are waiting on the cabinets which we were told would be about 3 weeks but I factored in some extra time due to the thanksgiving holiday. When I asked about them in the 2nd week of December as well assume tile trim. I was toldthey are on order and to be patient. I continued to be patient until January 3rd when I had not heard anything from my contractor. I know holidays can be busy for everyone but a phone call or text message telling us we have not been forgotten would have been nice. So, I call the cabinet company and they don’t have a record ofan order for us. I call the tile company and the tile that was in back order is in but no order for us. I call and text our contractor and leave messages to call us asap. Dint hear back from him. I try again and leave a message about the cabinets and did he order them. I finally 4 days later receive a text from our contractor saying how sorry he is that the order he placed on the computer didn’t go thru and to please forgive him. At this point I figure he never followed up on the order and how did he not know it didn’t go thru as I’m sure he gets confirmations Anyway after two weeks of going back and forth playing hide and seek we finally pin him down. He tells us he never ordered our cabinets, spent the money elsewhere andhaa had a hard time of it fir the past year and is broke. We have no complaints on the work that has been done and tell him we will try and work with him so he can finish the job but that he needs to not lie to us and needs to communicate what is happening
February 11th, 2011 at 10:21 am (#)
With the cabinets. He did get the tile trim and installed that. He is now telling us he just placed the order and the factory is going to work with him but he doesn’t have the money to pay for them so for us to make a claim against his bond. Which I had already started last weekbut was told there were two other people and we won’t be getting the whole amount we paid him for the cabinets. So my question to all of you is what should I do now? Continue to believe him that the cabinet company is willing to make our cabinets with no money but won’t release them until they receive payment? Will cabinets company custom built cabinets before receiving payment? Thanks in advance for any advice.