digging my way out of a job from hell …
all my close buddies know the story … may as well document it here … for all to pick apart and maybe learn from.
it’s long, involved and convoluted … so it’ll come in bits and pieces …
to set the scene …. the last kitchen install of a 4 kitchen “package deal” I worked with a kitchen dealer. First three … one remodel and 2 new construction …
flawless. Went too smoothly … for which I’m almost done paying for.
background … a kitchen “designer” I’ve worked with before … she actually came into a remodel I was working and since she had worked with the HO’s before … their fist kitchen … she graciously offered to step in and steal my deal on the kitchen design part of that job. I was the GC .. the deal from the get-go was I’d work with any subs they choose … she wormed her way into it and I fixed her design mistakes as we went.
Fast forward a coupla years … she calls … she’s at a new dealer … they need installers. I see my chance to earn back a bit of the loot she “stole” … meet and really like the owner.
one of “her jobs” … a remodel … 2 of “his” … her’s … some minor complications … I remedy then … life goes on … then knock out his two new const jobs for a “difficult GC” … difficult GC is thrilled … everyone is happy.
Start the last of the package deal … her’s … a remodel.
day one … demo tile floor … demo “little stub wall”
First problem … “little stub wall” is load bearing … supporting the back half of the 2 story house with attic access.
can’t “just cut it out”.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Edited 11/12/2005 12:51 am ET by JeffBuck
Replies
can't just "cut it out" ...
call ... she sounds suprised.
U sure it's load bearing? We "checked" ...
so I check .. yes ... it IS load bearing.
so ... do U redesign/reorder cab's ... or do I see how to support the load?
she's all for redesign ... as she doesn't wanna spend "a couple hundred bucks" to get a PE in size a beam ... HO wife calls out of town husband ... price it out ... they want that wall gone.
so I switch from cab installer to beam installer.
First mistake. Now ... I remember exactly why I only "sub" known items .... like tile/trim/cabs ... and don't "sub" remodeling. Because I can't control the job from the start ... and I can't control the customer. Really gonna rememebr this one next time!
I call the PE ... price the labor ... price the materials. They seem like good people put on the spot ... I give myself a best case, way too low/ hope for the best low ball price ... tell the kitchen designer ... Her job, right?
and when she hears the rock bottom price of $3,400 she decides I should work directly thru the HO's for this portion of the job. She's afraid of the number.
Me ... I'm plenty dumb. I say ... OK. and offer to work directly with the HO's.Takes a week for the PE to come out and add it all up. Takes a week to line up and order the materials ... takes a week to arrange a last minute crew. So we're "3 weeks delayed".
Not actually "delayed" ... as we're doing a whole lot more than install some cab's ... but that cab install is now "3 weeks delayed" ... which everyone involved seems to focus on. I find out the kitchen designer had guessed this would actually take a coupla days as opposed to the coupla weeks I told the customers to expect ... guess who they "believed" ? Suddenly ... I'm on schedule ... but I'm "3 weeks delayed" ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Edited 11/12/2005 12:53 am ET by JeffBuck
I write up the bid ... present it directly ... get the check in full for the "beam work" ... held the additional drywall work as a "final payment" ...
the wife pays to get the ball rolling.
find out later ... directly from the husband ... He's pissed she just wrote a check while he was out of town. We seem to have some control issues here ... with an engineer?
how odd ...
anyways ... I hope to start the beam on a Wed ... crew can't all make it till Fri ... and Fri afternoon I get 4 cell messages from the kitchen designer ... who is upset "that beam wasn't set on Wed" ... the beam which she has no official part in?
So I ignore her calls ... and work. Get half the beam set Fri ... rest is just gonna have to wait till Mon ... as the crew isn't real excited about working past 8pm on a Fri nite.
I think about her messages ... call the owner of the company(Fri Nite) ... and tell him in no uncertain terms ... one more mesage like that from her ... and I pack up and never come back. Remind him ... I found her mistake ... and am correcting it. A little less back stabbing to cover her own a$$ would be nice. He seems cool with that idea.
So ... come Monday ... we set the beam. Rest of that week ... I finish all the beam cover-up work.
Then get the wiring straight ... then hide all the sins with drywall.
Finally, back to square one ... and I'm setting cabs.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Edited 11/12/2005 12:54 am ET by JeffBuck
by this time ... 2 weeks have passed ... since the 3 week delay ... and I see hide nor hair of the desgner.
she's afraid to come to the site with the upset customers. I don't blame them ... the beam should not have been a suprise. I do blame them for thinking I'm the idiot that didn't set a beam in 2 days. I blame, but understand, them for putting all their faith in the idiot that draws kitchens for a living, as opposed to the guy that actually installs them for a living.
Now along the way ... I find other hurdles. Like the bid included extending the gas line 5 ft ... from the existing island to the side wall run of base cabs ... moving the cook top from the island to the wall.
only problem ... I demo'd an electric cooktop! No gas line within 25 ft. Had my plumber run all new. Other little things like "rewire new double ovens with existing feed" ... cept the existing was 8/2 and I needed the 8/3 as spec'd by the manufacturer.
and little minor annoyances at this point like ripping down scrap skins to make for last minute toe kick base ... when don't ya have enough toe kick base?
and the fact that the trim moulding she sent to be used as built up crown didn't actually make the crown hit the ceiling ... she sent undercab lightrail as opposed to a tall base that'd fit for sure. So I decide I have just enough waste from the filler strips to pad up the tops of the face frames ... and rig it all to work
So ... when I called in my "final invoice" yesterday to collect by today when I'd be finished ... except for the punchlist "after granite work" ... I was told(by her) for the first time ... that I'd have to wait till "everything" was done ... which went 180deg from the way the owner had insisted up till this point ... he's a pay early and come back kinda guy.
guess not now.
suddenly I can't be trusted?
anyways ... seems thru a series of events ... mistakes from an inept kitchen designer who was afraid to speak in person to her customers ... I'm the bad guy for finding that damn load bearing wall. Then ... I'm the idiot who didn't build that beam in 3 days ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Edited 11/12/2005 12:57 am ET by JeffBuck
Don't take this wrong, but....this is the kind of situation you'd think be happening to me. I see to always get a x-amount percentage of jobs like yours. Again, don't take it wrong, but for once, glad to hear it ain't me this time :)If at first you don't succeed, try using a hammer next time...everything needs some extra persuasion from time to time. -ME
granite went in today ... and again I was there and the designer showed up 2 hours later ... I was busy cleaning out the garage and loading the van ... and directing the granite subs ...
as of today ... the customers can finally see thru the "delay" and see a beautiful kitchen ... so aside from being pissed about the unexpected dalays ... which I guess I still caused ... she loves the final product.
I left 2 voicemails with the owner of the company ... about my "check by the end of the week" ... and he never returned any calls ... so I'm pretty sure any more work from them is shot to hell ... which is fine ... as I told him coupla weeks ago ... I'll do his prints ... won't even look at hers or take her calls ... can't afford to!
But it's a shame a nice opportunity is apprearantly gone.
He'll be complaining somewhere about not being about to find reliable subs ...
no one will ever be able to figure out exactly what went wrong ...
and it all boils down simply to one designer being inept and in over her head ... with no business skills to walk a customer thru an unexpected event ... which she missed in the first place ... or choose to miss so she didn't lose that sale.
and from my end ... I now remember ... why I don't sub remodeling.
Life would have been much better if I simply said ... "uh, found a load bearing wall, call me when that's fixed ... I'll come back and set the cabs".
But NO ... I had to once again rise to the occasion and meet the challenge.
idiot that I am ... "Hey, I can do that" ....
and I did ... and it turned out freaking great.
But now ... it's "all my fault" ... what ever it all was. Shoulda stayed one step removed ... and I'da had kitchen install work for the next 5 years.
now ... I gotta add up all the extra time spent ... and turn in one last invoice for additional/extra work ... and turn in the full balance as opposed to being "nice" about it as was the initial plan ... before my "early pay" turned into "late pay" ...
and in the back of my head ... I see me having to go to the magistrates to collect on this.
what a shame.
the hero never gets the girl.
and the real shame is that killer of a beam install should have been one fun/challenging job instead of a pressure cooker than nearly killed me. If the customers had been handeled right from the start .... woulda been a fun project. I re-learned a lesson I already knew ... maybe next time I'll remember it?
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Edited 11/12/2005 1:02 am ET by JeffBuck
Wow, what a story. There I was thinking what a shame I lost a day having to re-make a cabinet (for free) because the HO wanted to fit the largest set of kitchen taps I've ever seen. BTW, the HO did offer to pay but I decided to eat it because it was maybe 30% my fault and the goodwill was worth more than I could have asked.
Anyway, I think everyone here would have done the same as you, find the problem- fix the problem. It's what we do.
Perhaps there's something about being a 'designer' (a term of contempt as far as I'm concerned) that maybe makes them behave like ar***oles, or maybe it's just that ar***oles are drawn to become designers
JohnIf my baby don't love me no more, I know her sister will.
>Perhaps there's something about being a 'designer' (a term of contempt as far as I'm concerned) that maybe makes them behave like ar***oles, or maybe it's just that ar***oles are drawn to become designersThank you. What term would you prefer that I use, or should I just stop creating plans altogether?Please hurry with a response, as I need new business cards, and don't want to mis-step.
Ahh, another remodeling horror story! Music to my ears.
Seriously, I feel your pain Jeff. I've had to deal with many hellish clients even in new construction. These are not the fun times.
In hindsight, I would have suggested more tact when dealing with the designer's supervisor. I'm only suggesting this because you sound like you would have liked to maintain some sort of ongoing relationship with this firm.
In our business, we often encounter unpleasant situations. Frank, the young hotheaded Italian, often wants to react in similar ways as you have. Often, I intervine and play the "what if" game. For instance, if a builder is taking 30 days to pay us and he had promised to pay promptly. Now we run of cash and we have to fund our business with other funds. Frank wants to smoke the builder. I force him to look at it in terms that reflect financial reality.
The financial reality of our theoretical situation is this. The carrying costs of the unintended loan might be 1% for the month. If the bill is 20k, that equates to $200. I explain that this particular builder has created a lot of bad will because of the way he reneges on his word. He doesn't have a lot of people that will deal with him. Since we actually meet or exceed our hourly needs when we do his work, he's actually a good client. I then point out that we've already added into our budget for his jobs a substantial amount for aggravation.
When we finally think things through, we figure out that each job we do from him nets us 10k or something like that. He finally thinks things through and calms down as he looks at the balance of $10,000 vs $200. After he thinks about it in those terms, he's a lot more respectful when he talks to the builder.
So, even though I understand that this is very hard in the heat of the battle, you probably should have created a simple spreadsheet before you had any conversations with the company. One one side of the sheet, you should have added up five years worth of profitable work. On the other side, you should have listed all the real expenses associated with the job. When you compared the two numbers, maybe you might have chosen a different tact.
I used to be a young "buck" too. I was quick to lash out and be demanding. I'm a lot more humble now and thanks to some great mentoring (How to Win Friends and Influence People), I'm a lot more inclined to think things through before I speak up.
You mentioned that this was something we all could learn from so my question to you Jeff, is this. Now that this is behind you, what would/could you have done differently to save this relationship?
blue
Blue,
what I would have done ... is as soon as I found that load bearing wall ...
I should have stepped out of the project.
I was there as a cabinet installer sub ... should have said ....
This ain't installing cab's ... here's what I found ... please let me know as soon as this project is ready for cabinets. Then packed up and left.
Beam ... I know nothing about beams! At the most ... I should have recommended one of the buddies that came to help me out as the "go to beam guy" ...
Then ... I'd come back when all the beam mess was taken care of ... still 3 weeks "delayed" ... but those nasty delaying beam installers would be gone and I could get back to what I originally contracted.
I also should have never worked directly thru the home owners while on a job I started as a sub. This wasn't my idea ... actually wasn't the kitchen designers idea until she realized she was afraid to tell her customers there was money involved with her oversight. She said Go ahead and work directly with them.
To me at the time ... wadda I care? Someone just pay me for making their dream kitchen fit, ya know?
That added one more level of confusion. Too many chiefs. The HO's were listening to the designers guesses at answers on a project she wasn't even involved with. Can't blame them though ... they started the project with her ... it was a natural assumption she'd have the answers. Problem was ... she'd ask me .. I'd tell her ... and she'd tell the customers what ever they wanted to hear.
But the big thing would have been to not take the added responsibility in the first place. It was a fairly major hick-up ... if they had called me in from the get go .. as my customers ... would have been a completely different situation.
They still woulda been pissed about the extended time and additional monies ... but the mindset would have been different ... and I could have kept them better informed without outside conflicting info.
That's another thing that went south ... absolutely no communication. The designer stoped making site visits as soon as the problems arose. U can't handhold a customer over the phone.
as far as dealing with the owner differently ... I was very professional with him. Let him know my thot's ... but waited till I could talk and not yell. I'm not a yeller ...
I will however, discuss in no uncertain terms.
Wouldn't have changed that part one bit. If I had said one less word ... that'd have been akin to lying. I have a problem with telling the truth ... and the whole truth.
Has nothing to do with youth either ... both of my parents and alive and well and into their mid 70's ... and both of them will give you an honest answer to any question you ask. Learned from Dad years and years ago ... you get more respect when you have no problem quietly packing up your tools and letting who ever it is know you will not work under certain conditions or with certain people.
That is one part of my "business" that I'll never change. Stand tall or get walked over.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I should have stepped out of the project...came back when the beam was in.
I was thinking exactly the same thing.
blue
jeff - it's sound like you've had a tough coupla weeks.and that little voice from the get go knew something might be a miss. i could get into the "designer " issue . but you know the line , we refer to them as "interior desecrators" . how many times have they been at the root of a major rub on a job that youve been on. more than five you can recall in one minute or no less than a dozen within an hour.... let the dust settle and you may be pleased, designers in my opinion ride a very thin edge because there poorly equipped with practical knowledge . and on the whole pretty damn insecure, and will squat and walk over anyone to keep there thin veil of crediability intact. take a breath , take on another job . than make some phone call's, if nothing else hope you took some pic's there pretty damn powerful in a future presentation. that will be your just desert, you rose to the occasion ,adapted , and executed the task . there big merit in that . i'd talk with the homeowner later and ask if everything is satisfactory, i've done that they we're flabbergassed when i showed up and spent a coupla hours fixing little something here and there. there probably nothing to earth shaking in my 2¢ , but felt compelled to answer none the less. relax and have a good weekend....." we judge ourselves by our motives, and others by their actions........."Edited 11/12/2005 10:36 am ET by alias
Edited 11/12/2005 10:38 am ET by alias
What term would you prefer that I use
Curvilinear abode artisan.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
"Pre-Creator"
<g>
Seriously, though, there are good and bad folks who put their names in front of all kinds of titles (regulated and unregulated)
The guy that graduates last in his class from medical school uses the same title as the guy who graduates first: "Doctor"
By 'designer' I do not mean everybody who designs things. I certainly wouldn't refer to people like Colin Chapman, Alec Issigonis or William Towns as 'designers' although that is exactly what they did. (for the sake of younger readers, William Towns designed the 1960's Aston Martin DBS, the best looking car of all time)
I meant 'designer' in its modern sense as someone who has decided for him or herself that they are qualified to design kitchens or interiors or clothes or whatever. I trust that puts your mind at rest.
May I suggest that when you have your cards printed that you avoid the term 'designer' at least as a stand alone description. 'House designer' or 'architect' or some such term would avoid the negative connotations assosciated with the type of designer that I was referring too.
John
If my baby don't love me no more, I know her sister will.
"Architect" would get me arrested, or sued. I know you were using hyperbole in your wording, but be aware that blanket condemnations of professions cut both ways, and you'd no more like me calling all builders/carpenters a..holes be/c of some of the winners I've seen.But then, we're all heros in our own minds and stories...
as an aside ...
got a second invoice today from the PE
first was for 5 hrs at $70 ... $350 ... very reasonable.
this second issue of the second round ... 2 hrs for revisions ... $140.
the agreement with the HO's was for them to deal directly with the PE ...
to save them any mark up on my end.
the husband had questioned me about the revisions ... I had a feeling he wasn't gonna pay what he owed and agreed to pay.
looks like I'll be calling the PE on Monday ... explain I left the second invoice as I did the first one .. which they did pay ...
and I'll send him the $140.
I'll also write a letter for the HO's and bill them the $140 plus an hour office time plus profit and markup ... and let them know that I plan on contacting their local magistrate if I don't get reimbursed within 10 days.
that would be one trip to the magistrates I won't mind making.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
But then, we're all heros in our own minds and stories...
nah ... I'm still a short/fat guy in mine ... stronger though ... and better looking.
U may have a point!
jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
but be aware that blanket condemnations of professions cut both ways, and you'd no more like me calling all builders/carpenters a..holes be/c of some of the winners I've seen.
Cloud the problem is we carpenter types wear these names as
badges of honour......:) regards
Cloud, you might be a designer, but you're not in the same class as the folks he's talking about.
These people who think they're a genius just because they've got a 'kitchen designer' PC program. They have NO clue to the construction issues involved with installing a kitchen or how prices are influenced by moving a drain or gas line. All they know is that a blue cabinet door might look nice next to that stainless range. So the HO has to eat huge additional costs because of the lack of knowledge on the part of the designer. And the installer has to jump through hoops to get the 'design' to work. And in the end, the person who was to blame for all the problems and who did the least amount of work (the designer) sits around bragging about how great 'their' kitchen turned out.
A good designer, like a good engineer, spots possible problems ahead of time and solves them prior to the design going live. A good designer is worth their weight in gold.
jt8
"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." -- Ronald Reagan
Edited 11/13/2005 2:01 am by JohnT8
Hey, Jeff,
As they say, "sh!t happens!" There are always people out there who aren't qualified, screw up, and then cover their a$$es. Then there are people who are honest, have integrity, and take great pride in doing the job right. Sit back today, have a cold beer, watch some football and smile to yourself knowing that you are one of the latter.
You can't be nice to anyone. I'd like to see a list of the contractors the kitchen designer has burned.
I used to help do a little carpet. The guy I worked for walked out on at least one job every couple of weeks. If it wasn't exactly the way it should be he'd leave until it was. It took me a long time to understand his point. But he never got burned. And he was good enough that there was plenty of work. His reputation was good because he never got bogged down in the drama.
http://bootliquor.com/
It rots your gut a bit, doesn't it? Knowing that you did a good job, in a reasonable amount of time, for a reasonable amount of money..... am someone is still not happy with you and/or your work? Still thinks you somehow screwed up.
I went through a similar experience last week and it is still eating at me. I remodeled a bathroom two years ago when I was slow. I took the job at a rock-bottom price because I was hungry and things were slow. It was a bathroom gut resulting from extensive water damage. Guy's wife showers with the curtain on the outside of the tub. They let the damage go to the point where a 6x8 beam near the tub was mush more than 1/2 way through.
I demoed everything including the beam and floor joists. Replaced beam per engineer's specs, and built a great looking little bathroom. I even let them "while you're here" me to death. My mistake.
Anyway, 22 months have passed since I wrapped that job up and I get a phone call. The tile next to the tub is coming up. I go look at it already knowing what happened. I asked the guy, as politely as possible, if his wife still showered with the curtain outside the tub. "Well, yeah but..... it's only been a year". I'm thinking we're a bit over a year at this point.
I said, "Look xxx, I'd be happy to fix it for you, but it won't be for free. Best case scenario, this is "normal wear and tear" and worst case scenario it's a case of owner neglect. And, not to be a stickler, but your warranty was for one year". This set the guy off big time and he raised his voice, calling me a hack that doesn't stand behind his work. And telling me that I was the highest priced contractor but he felt he could trust me..... BS. I walked out before I could feed into his crap and escalate the situation. I'm completely capable of doing that, so I just left.
I went home and sent a certified letter that night documenting the visit and what transpired, along with my opinion of the cause of damage, a cut and paste of our contract's warranty, and notice that even if he should come to agree with my assessment, I no longer had any desire to perform any work for him.
A day after he recieved his letter he left me a voice mail. Again told me I was thief, I do shoddy work, and that my letter was "weak", I am "weak" and I should have been "man enough" to call him and tell him that I wouldn't fix it for him even if he agreed to pay me.
WHAT?
We all have a boiling point. I returned this skinny little punk's phone call and told him in no uncertain terms that the letter was the proper thing to do to protect myself and my business. I also told him that I would have much rather called him directly and told him exactly what I thought of him, as he had done, but decided my opinion of him really wasn't the issue. I also told him that it's always a bad idea to call me out with a verbally abusive challenge because there's always a good chance that that is a battle I just might show up for. I then asked him if he thought it was a good idea for him to be speaking to me in such a way. I didn't think so. I told him I saved his voice mail in the event I need any future documentation of our events and wished him luck with his bathroom.
But it still bothers me that someone, somewhere, no matter how irrational, is unhappy with my work. Really bothers me. To the point where I consider just fixing it to make him go away. But would he really ever go away?
I'm not trying to hi-jack your thread..... just trying to comimserate. I feel for you. But I have no doubt you handled yourself and your business appropriately. Some just don't get it.... and can't be convinced that the real problem is right in front of their eyes.... the mirror.
Thankfully most people in the world are appreciative of an honest hardworking skilled tradesman. I talk to people after their kitchen or bathroom has been remodeled and they talk about the tradesman as if he is a doctor, lawyer, supreme court judge, or etc.On the other hand I know several individuals (real estate investors) who have had many jobs completed over the years and they do not appreciate a skilled tradesman. These people are impossible to work for.The result is these investors cannot find anyone who will work with them on more than one job. Once a tradesman gets the job finished and gets his money in hand he walks away vowing to never work for these people again.Maybe the tradesman should ask for references before starting a job.
Jeff, let the dust settle and then meet with the designer and explain the remodeling process, what she needs to do next time, what she shouldn't do, etc and make it a learning experience. She doesn't understand and she'll learn from this.Then listen to her perspective, how she plans a project, what promises she has made, what steps she's taking, and then try to learn from her perspective. Find out what went wrong from her perspective.Its not easy to do but I think it shows professionalism. I've gone through the same experience you've described and I've even had some of these situations where I thought some designers were inexperienced, flaky, nutty, off-the-wall, however you want to say it but they were out doing business left and right because they somehow seem to "connect" with their customers.
So who is the biggest DA - the guy or his wife?
Don't let the b astards get you down. One of my favorite sayings is: They're making better idiots these days. Same thing goes for: They're making better a$$holes these days.
But I know how you feel. One of the many reasons I couldn't do this stuff for a living. A couple customers like that would rot my gut right through.
I work on my own projects and only have to keep myself happy. Which probably means I always have an a$$hole for a client on EVERY project ;)
jt8
"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." -- Ronald Reagan
Edited 11/13/2005 2:23 am by JohnT8
Sounds like a real PIA – glad you are almost done. I remember the thing about the bearing wall and the beam from before… Sounds like you should submit a bill to the cabinet company for managing the job.
I noticed you said:
>> then knock out his two new const jobs for a "difficult GC" ... difficult GC is thrilled <<
Sounds exactly like me… I’m difficult in that all I expect is my subs to give accurate bids and make me aware of any upcharges at the time they become necessary, arrive on the job site on the day they said they would be there or call me several days ahead of time with a revised schedule, do quality work, follow my direction or discuss with me alternatives with no wining since I’m the one who is responsible for the overall outcome of the job, work the job continuously once started and do a 100% complete job, don’t waste materials excessively, don’t damage any other part of the job such that “someone else†has to fix it, clean up all their mess and put it in the trash bin, submit me a bill in a timely fashion so that I can pay in a timely fashion. And yes, I hold pay for work that is incomplete, even in the event that there are other processes that need to take place before the first contractor’s work can be completed; It's not a sign of distrust, it's just business.
Generally though, I’m happy with the work my subs deliver – since I know I can only expect so much.
the "difficult GC" is a long standing customer with the owner of the cab distributor. Always too tight a budget and too tight a time schedule. Plus I was told if he freaks out about the smallest little thing ... just keep a closed mouth and ignore him ... as he gets stressed ... he likes to yell at who ever is standing there.
Luckily ... it never came even close to that. He was a hard nut to crack ... not much for small talk ... but I got thru to him.
the kitchen dealer, who I was subing for ... told me he had been asked a few times in the past to "not send that guy back" ... as pretty much anyone could rub the guy the wrong way.
first kitchen ... he ignore me and I made the usual small talk.
second kitchen he actually made a bit of small talk and I tried joking a bit with him ...
third kitchen ... small talk galore ... and he started F'n back with me. His long standing plumbers and electricians were stunned. He even told me they had one "customer from hell" coming up ... and he was gonna "special request" me so I could partake in their misery.
He was this dealers hardest to please but most consistent customer ... and we got along just fine. I had no problems with him ... he just played a bit of a hardass ... fine by me ... U gotta in the fast paced/new const world. He saw I was a good installer and cut the sh!t and let me work.
Took me a while ... but no one scares me ... I'll small talk anyone into submission.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
RE your "difficult GC" I will say that I have never yelled at any worker on my job site... I always look for good work and compliment the guys on their job and do so to their bosses too. On the other hand I also say when I want something fixed and usually let them know when something is poorly done. Sometimes I'll just run my hand over the item in question, put a level on it, or whatever and then look the guy directly in the eye... Only on a few occasions have I ever had to resort to "don't send that guy back", but I would be more likely to say "in the future send anyone but him", just to make my point.
I also make a point of having the material on site ahead of time that I am to supply, and if something is missing I will go get it - pronto. I'll also do little things to help like maybe give someone a handfull of nails or screws, or maybe sometimes offer to go get lunch (they pay) if I can see they are bustin' a$$ to get my job done and don't look like they have time to stop and I do. I also make a point of just being available to answer any questions, and when something does arise, make a point to answer directly, or do whatever is necessary to get a quick solution. What I see a lot of is guys who won't ask though - and just leave something incomplete or whatever.
We all have to make occasional decisions of who we want to work for, and who we want to work for us... In the end it's a give and take situation, but everyone always has to remember who the customer is.
What a story. Sometimes projects go south despite your best efforts.
Is the kitchen designer a member of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers?) If so, she has a code of conduct and ethics she's supposed to abide by. Quoted from the ASID website at http://www.asid.org/, "If you experience a problem working with an ASID designer, follow the Procedures for Filing an Ethics Complaint."
As Cloudhidden mentioned, persons holding themselves out as professionals (designers, architects, engineers, etc.) without the proper credentials can get in a lot of trouble when they're found out.
Great story about saying 'NO THANK YOU'.
We all hate it when we re-learn a lesson - exp. a costly one - learned years ago.
Figuring out one's specialty or line of business isn't easy in the remod field. It is an expensive hard-won bit of knowledge. Yet it is so easy to step away from what pays, and take on something else because of the challenge.
I'm still figuring it out for myself. Proud that I said 'no thank you' to a concrete kitchen countertop last week. Gave the woman the name of a good concrete dude instead. What goes round....
http://www.costofwar.com/