Or the story of why little things matter.
I’m sharing partially to vent, partially to admit to the world I made an error and get it off my chest, partially hoping someone thinks about it and doesn’t repeat it.
The job was simple. I’d trimmed the house months ago, and for reasons beyond the scope of this synopsis, one rooms hardwood was late in getting installed. But it finally came, and I finally went back just to throw the shoe on. I got the saw, the hoses and cords, all the stuff you need to just cut shoe. I realised when I had everything cut and I was inside that the nails I had in the gun were 2 1/2’s, and while that was overkill, making one more trip out to the truck to grab something different at the time must have seemed like just adding another five minutes to an already eternal time spent on such a trivial task. So I didnt.
A couple of weeks passed. I received an interesting phone call. “Did I tell you about the water leak” No, I hadn’t heard. You might have guessed by now. A nail, going in at an angle, missed the plate on the stud and drove just below it, sinking squarely into the center of a 3/4″ water line, which proceeded to drip slowly. By the time it was discovered, and by the time it was fixed, the ceiling below and a wall were damaged, as was baseboard, and there was a nice hole upstairs where the plumber had gained access. Drywall below had also been cut and removed.
Well, it’s my bust. I’ll fix it. The builder and the plumber worked something out, or must have, since I haven’t been back charged for that. But I fixed drywall, retextured a ceiling, replaced some base, and repainted. All of which, on such a small job, has totaled a number of small trips 20 miles out of town. Grand total, were I charging for the time, easily at least $1000.
I thought about that today after hearing someone grumble about subs that just don’t take the time to pay attention to small details and get things right. At first my mind was on board, I was with him “yeah, those rotten people.” But it didn’t last long. I was that guy. The one who couldn’t spare five minutes to go make the change he knew was the right call. It didn’t feel good.
For all the time we spend going over bids making sure we arent either overcharging or cutting ourselves short, it struck me as a little ironic. You get on the job and that goes to the wayside; you do something in the name of saving a minute that costs you so much more down the road.
End of story. Tell the rookies. Heck, tell yourself. I did it. I admit it. I’m going to remember it in the future.
“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.” – Mark Twain
Replies
Could easily have been a $10,000.00 nail. You got lucky. Mistakes are like masturbation. Everybody's done 'em (except me), but nobody likes to admit 'em.
I invented pants.
Once I was trimming a house & the HO's decided they wanted hardwood floors where caprpet had been speced. I stepped right up and said I'd lay that flooring. Doh!
The sheetrock and metal corner beads had been run right tight to the subfloor. I'd always liked a little space between the flooring and the walls, so I figured I'd run a skil saw around the joint. Hey, the base plate kept the blade an inch and a half off the subfloor. Was that good or what?
I'm whacking away through a corner bead and hear this sound like an electrical short. Zit zit ziiit. Canny me, I didn't smell any electrical malfuntions, cut on!
Well, out of the corner of my eye I saw a glass door moving...woah, it was doing that tempered glass crazing into little tiny particles thing. Yikes.
Son of a bitch, after that saw blade stopped turning I could see that one it's teeth took a little trip into the very bottom corner of that full glass door. That was a 500 beaner...but nailin' shoe with 2 1/2s, doode, do I have to send you a pinner LOL Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Done that twice, in two different houses. First time I missed the stud completely, nailed higher than the bottom plate, and hit a pipe. Fortunatley the house had stained concrete floors.
Second time was part of a remodel, and the only change to this bedroom was new carpet & paint & base. The sheetrock stayed in place, so I didn't see that they had not installed nail plates 15 yrs before. That house had wool carpet and wood floors.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt