As a contractor, some of the best business advice I ever received was, “Don’t look for the right job. You know how to do the work; that isn’t the problem. Look for the right client.” And it is equally important for clients to find a builder who is a good fit for them. A building project is partly about technical ability, but it’s also about relationship, and the more we understand the other person’s perspective, the more likely we are to achieve a mutually satisfactory result. In my more than 30 years of experience working in a variety of trades and with a lot of clients, these are the concepts and practices I’ve come to appreciate as vital to a good relationship with a home-building contractor and that I think every client should know.

1) Clients make better decisions when fully informed

The more clients know about how the best results are achieved, the more likely they are to be comfortable with the price and the outcome. Understanding process, roles, and responsibilities can create cooperation and synergy that tends not to exist in less-informed adversarial relationships. I want my clients to fully understand the contract, the construction process, and the importance of their participation for our mutual success, and to be able to recognize when and how they are receiving full value for their investment.

For example, “meets code” should not necessarily mean “good enough” to an informed client. Model codes describe a minimum acceptable standard, and in some cases, it makes sense to exceed code. In the case of wiring, there different techniques and materials and while one approach might require a faster installation or lower labor and product costs, this could mean expensive and inconvenient issues for the residents down the road. A little humidity, or just time and a larger load like a vacuum cleaner or a space heater could produce a smell of smoke and a broken circuit.

Did the homeowner know this was what they were buying in the first place? Would they have made that decision if fully informed?  I want my clients to know we don’t do that kind of work even if it does meet code. This applies to so many aspects of home building. A poorly built house is a depreciating asset, but a well-built house can be an appreciating investment. It costs a little more up front to detail the drip edge properly, waterproof the foundation thoroughly, install a robust drain system, and get the finished grade right, but it will save thousands of dollars in repairs and maybe even a mold remediation. I want my clients to get their money’s worth, and if a small additional cost in the beginning pays great dividends in the future, I want them to be able to make that decision. Homeowners certainly don’t need to be an expert in the materials we are working with—that’s our job. But they should ask questions: What are the materials made of? What is the projected service life of what has been chosen? What are the specific warranty conditions?

2) Candid and forthright communication is important throughout the project

The quality of the relationship between the client and the contractor will directly influence the quality of the project. There are some discussions between client and contractor that are essential to any construction project and some of them involve degrees of uncertainty, amounts of money, and levels of trust and relative power imbalance that most people don’t routinely encounter nor are they particularly comfortable with.

Professional relationships regularly work better from a position of clearly articulated mutual purpose, which depends upon candid, complete, and forthright communication and some shared knowledge. Some of these conversations can be challenging or even uncomfortable for some people, but we’re going to have them at some point in the job. I’d rather have them at the beginning of the job, and I want my clients to know that these essential conversations are always welcome and encouraged.

When we insist on crucial conversations being memorialized in writing (change orders, for example) we are not playing “gotcha.” We’re trying to preserve mutual understanding under potentially difficult circumstances.

3) Every dollar spent on thoughtful design produces more value down the road

It costs a lot less to find and fix mistakes or resolve spatial conflicts when they are still lines on paper or pixels on a screen. This means coordinating sheets so the framing actually does fit on the foundation, making sure the kitchen appliance doors don’t hit each other, checking that the stairs fit, and ensuring plumbing stacks aren’t in the flow line of roof drains. Thoughtful design also includes recognizing opportunities for savings in construction cost (rather than throwing all that lumber in the dumpster, let’s make the house 3 ft. longer in that dimension) and savings in maintenance cost (if we put the water heater on the ground floor rather than in the attic, it’s going to be a lot easier to service).

Good design is also one of the best tools we have to control schedules and overhead, which are essential to a well-run job. I encourage my clients to take the time to procure good design because it’s a reliable way to maximize long-term customer satisfaction, minimize waste, and achieve great efficiency.

4) Contractors need to stick to a schedule

Contractors who do not make at least some profit tend to disappear; contractors who do not control their overhead tend to disappear even faster. As a client, you don’t want the contractor going under on your job.

The common factor to these considerations is schedule—the more efficiently and effectively we can work, the more value we can deliver to all parties concerned at a given price. If we do not control our schedule, we put all parties at risk.

There’s no reason to expect a client to understand all the economics of a building company, so I often take some time to explain that if I have an excavation sub scheduled, I also have a plumber scheduled to follow. The plumber has a certain amount of time allocated before they need to go to their next job. Behind the plumber is a concrete sub who has also fit me into their schedule. Nobody is sitting around doing nothing waiting for my call—everyone is balancing different projects and needs at the same time. This coordination, and all subsequent activities, are based upon project documents, which turn into a plan, which turn into a schedule.

A client can disrupt these arrangements if they want to make changes outside of the agreed-upon work and schedule. For example, if a client decides to move the location of a bathroom after the plumbing rough-in has been completed and back-filled, it isn’t going to be a matter of just bringing the excavation sub back and paying the plumber for some plastic if it knocks my concrete sub off the schedule. If the sub goes to the next job instead or sends me half a crew because they need to start another job on time, it can set off a ripple effect and I could have a problem with my painter and roofer even though the walls aren’t yet up.

It costs money to pause a portion of a job: a general contractor’s payroll and overhead still exist, and taking time away from production in the calendar year can diminish the profitability and viability of a company. I want my clients to understand the importance of schedule and I want them to share an appropriate sense of urgency about it.

5) Clients should not supply materials …

If there is something special a client would like incorporated into a project such as souvenirs from a family vacation as part of a glass block wall or wood from a great-grandparent’s house as part of the kitchen, they should say so in advance. We will usually be happy to do this if we are allowed to plan ahead and charge accordingly. Clients should not show up with plumbing fittings from the home center thinking they will save money because they are cheaper than what we buy at the supply house. This is potentially much worse than walking into a restaurant with your own eggs and asking for a discount on breakfast.

6) … or cookies

This has been a running joke with my crew: When the clients bring us cookies, we know something is wrong and trouble will follow. Some of us might look a little rough, but we’re professionals. We don’t want anything extra, and while we might be courteous, polite, and respectful, your home is our temporary workplace—we are here to fulfill the terms of our agreement and we want you to do the same.

7) Clients should only communicate with the general contractor

At worst, entering into separate agreements or inappropriate communication with a contractor’s employees or subcontractors is bad form, but most clients know this, and it isn’t usually a problem. More commonly, a seemingly innocuous comment or request can result in misunderstandings or can produce unintended consequences that can become quite serious. I want my clients to understand that every orchestra needs a conductor, and I am it. This means that other than polite acknowledgments like “good morning,” the client should only be engaging in conversation with the contractor. I make sure subs and employees know this as well.

This isn’t about keeping information from the client, it’s about clarity and organization. Nearly all of the tradespeople I’ve ever worked with are all too eager to do a great job and make the clients happy. What seems to the client like a simple request and might be something a tradesperson is happy to do could have serious and potentially severe unintended consequences for the course of the job. Keeping the lines of communication well-defined is in everyone’s interest.

Illustration by Arthur Mount

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