I started a discussion a few weeks ago about I Love My Client and some of the stuff I’m going through with her. It hasn’t stopped, not that I thought it would. At least she pays well, and today she said “We don’t think you can meet the schedule with all the changes we’re making.” Duh.
I’m putting in a wood ceiling, about 1,300 sf of it. Still working on it (ok, so I’m slow). Last week she finally picked a paint color for the walls, and one for the ceiling (I had 18 samples on the living room wall for her to look at). Today she calls and asks if I have started painting the ceiling yet. Nope. Good, cuz now I’m thinking I might want it stained or left natural. Oh joy.
Last week she asked if I could make the kitchen window wider. That’s about a week after I finished installing the Anderson double hungs. It’s a remodel, not new construction, and the exterior is stone. So I gave her a price I could live with to go from 3’6″ wide to 6’6″, which of course includes a new header, electrical changes, etc, and she agreed. In the same conversatyion today about the ceiling paint, she asks if I have started the kitchen window. Why? I’m having second thoughts. Sorry, too late, the new window is ordered and the sheetrock has been removed. Oh good, that takes that decision out of my hands…I’m excited about the bigger window.
I can’t wait for next week.
Do it right, or do it twice.
Replies
As always, easier said than done. Have fun. :)
Edited 11/3/2003 10:35:42 PM ET by TOMCHARK
Well, outside of the money and the work, sounds like a nice kettle of fish you've gotten yourself into.
Course, that's coming from a d..............
This is getting to be a nice serial novel, keep us informed.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I'm far enough away to see the humour in it.
Excellence is its own reward!
I'm far enough away to see the humour in it. Actually I'm enjoying it. She really is quite fun to work for/with. Money is not an issue, and since it's their second home, livability during construction is not an issue either. She has a great attitude and is thrilled with the work.
Here's a pic of the color samples... edit - just realized that's not the final color selections :) There's three more around the corner, then a couple more were added. They went with a variation of the green in the lower right corner.
Not sure how much of the background I have given before... It's a 300 A working horse ranch with two original ranch houses and a new one (being remodeled). The foreman lives in one old house, the other is falling down. Ever since the second or third week they have been talking about replacing the junk house with a new one, but can't decide if it should be smaller than the remodel and thus the guest house, or larger than the remodel and thus the primary house with the remodel becoming the guest quarters. And of course I have already been selected as the builder. Oh, and her brother is due to retire from the govmint next year, and they (the HO) plan to give them 5 acres at the back of the ranch and have me build their retirement home. This could be a long term project.
Do it right, or do it twice.
Edited 11/3/2003 11:50:15 PM ET by ELCID72
"Would it be much trouble...?" No, not at all.
So ELCID, you're all set now. After you build them homes you're ready to build your own retirement home. :)
Why don't you see if they will throw in some nice acreage for you as part of your payment? Then you would have a place to build that retirement home."Objects in mirror appear closer than they are."
Klakamp Construction, Findlay, Ohio
Why don't you see if they will throw in some nice acreage for you as part of your payment? Then you would have a place to build that retirement home.
Something tells me that living anywhere near them would make "retirement" impossible..........
Don't you love it when they change their mind, you replace it and then they realize they liked it better the 1st way.
Just for conrast, I've gotta tell you about one of my favorite jobs in memory.
It was a total rebuild of a kitchen, right down to replacing floor joists. Itwas critical that we accomplish it as quickly as possible so I ahd to co-ordinate closely and have all decisions inplace to beginm and materials on hand. It was a modest qquality place with not much for custom stuuiff in it, but when I took the box of samples to them, I expected to be ther half the night weighing options.
These tow sisters sat down at the kitchen table and leet me make my prresentation and suggestions for ten minutes, then one of them said, "Well, I think we should use thius cabinet, this top, this flooring and paint the wals that colour. What do you think Sister?"
both agreed as quick as that and I was out of there - in shock that two women could decide that quickly and that they could stick to it.
I did that kitchen with two helpers and a plumber(ten hours) in seven straight days. I would be totally bored with this work if every job went that smoothly though..
Excellence is its own reward!
Indecisive clients (especially those who change their minds frequently) are a double edged sword: on one edge is the employment factor, you're sure to be working for as long as they change their minds about what they want and when. Of course, on the opposite edge is the inconsistent factor, or more simply, the inability to schedule any job for them, because it is sure to balloon out beyond your next scheduled project, which creates a domino effect, possibly costing you clients. So the only question left is, which edge do you want used to have your head handed to you?
Look at it this way, if you're happy, and employed, and doing what you want to do, don't worry, be happy. (Simplistic, I know, but sometimes you just gotta keep it simple.)
I've had a few of these types of clients, and I found out that after you get about 2/3 finished, it really starts to wear thin. I've had to draw the line at some point as insist that we finish the project at hand, take a breather,(so I can catch up on work for other customers, and take a mental R&R), and after a certain time, start talking about the next project or phase.
When times get slow, this kind of customer can be a godsend, despite the hassles.
sounds like you could retire off this one.
What are you doing here? Back to your books.
BTW are you almost done?
43 days
Its all in how you look at it.
I worked for these groups of real wealthy Iranians yearssssssssss ago...ugh...and the changes never stopped BUT after the work restarted the refused to pay for additional work stating they had given me plenty of money and work already and this is "after" they signed change orders.
Now that is something to really keep you awake at night!
In your case, theyre willing to pay the asking price....your tools are already there, people are nice.....probably will get plenty of reccomendations from them so....smile! Seems you can look at it in a positive way........
or not...your choice.
Be well paid!!!!
andy
My life is my practice!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Same thing happened to me. In fact its been the only client I have ever took to court. It isn't a good feeling to be told that you have already been paid enough without being paid for an extra months worth of work. With everything documented, the moment I left the house I went to file papers. The moment he had them delivered by the Court Sherif he wondered how we could settle the problem. " Pay me what we agreed upon " was my position. I couldn't believe he even went so far as to give me a certified money order. Mabey I just ended up calling his bluff... I don't know but he wanted to be my best friend again and have me do more work. I'm still trying to fit him in and that was 8 yrs ago. Man have I been lucky over the years. The ones you worry about sometimes ask you if your sure if they paid you enough. Never tried saying no.
I might think you were working for me, except that no one is working for us except my poor husband and he feels your pain!
I sometimes wonder if my indecision is a sign of something wrong in my brain. I mean, I second guess EVERYTHING we have done on our house. It gets tiresome. I'm convinced that whatever I do will be the wrong thing. I swear sometimes I think I need decision therapy. Scary!
And all those color choices? Holy cow, they are all beautiful. Where would I start? Oh my. Thankfully our house is all wood and there are very few paint choices. I probably narrowly avoided a nervous breakdown just on that alone. :-)
I think I've bought just about everything we need to finish our house in the last week, so maybe my brain is overloaded. Your post definitely struck a chord with me! Good luck with your client.
---"And all those color choices? "---
How about any color, as long as it is white?
That is my solution. Now, the tile choices.........
first off ... check yer belt loops!
I bet they ain't there no more...
second .... bet your gonna lose money on this one in the long run ...
and third ...
18 color choices? Why would U ever give anyone ... let alone a confirmed "Poor Decision Maker" ... 18 choices on anything!
No wonder this lady can;t make up her mind ... you're confusing the situation more than helping it.
3.
That's it.
tops.
3 choices ...
customers can't handle any more ....
they want more ... let them figure it out ... on a timed deadline.
feet to the fire ....
you're gonna go broke.
luckily right about the same time she drives ya nuts ... that way you'll never know...
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Jeff, it's not that bad. She went to the Benny Moore store and picked up 8 quarts of paint, asked me to put samples on the wall. Well, actually I put samples on scraps of 1x6, and that was ok but she wanted to see bigger samples. The first batch was a bust, so she tried 4 more. Still no go, so she bought 4 variations of the the ones she liked. All the sample paint has come out of her pocket, I just splash some on the wall and listen to her comments.
I'm not going to lose money on this one, but my margin is down a little. I will gladly work with her on stuff like this so that the walls only have to be painted once. ASnd things like the kitchen window change are a change order, so I'm covered there.
Do it right, or do it twice.
>>I will gladly work with her on stuff like this so that the walls only have to be painted once.
Does anybody here want to put a bet on that? :)
You know how it goes... when you paint the whole room with the sample color, it doesn't look like the sample color anymore. You should tell her that well in advance. Not trying to scare you, just want to have some fun. :)
You want simple? They make white tile too!
Dan
Thanks for the tip.:-)
"Sorry, too late, the new window is ordered and the sheetrock has been removed. Oh good, that takes that decision out of my hands...I'm excited about the bigger window."
This line from your first post stuck out like a glowing neon sign to me. This client is begging for some strong professional direction but doesn't know how to ask for it. She probably feels pretty strongly that she has to make all the decisions in order for the home to be exactly what she wants but she lacks confidence in her capability as a designer.
She would be way, way, way ahead in the end to hire a top notch architect or interior designer with the guts to make a decision for her and talk her out of changing it when she wakes up in the middle of the night second guessing herself. I'm not talking about someone who will take the decisions away from her, but rather someone who will give her strong and disciplined guidance, based on their education and experience, that will allow her to realize her dream in the most concise way possible.
At any rate, it looks like you may have plenty more, "installed once but never used" building materials for sale in the future.
Keep us posted in the classifieds on those treasures will ya? :-)>
Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
Dw and I put up almost a mile of 1x6 eastern white pine t&g bead board ceiling in our house. We stained it with Cabot whitewash which is the interior stain base. Did not wipe off but let soak in. Did it on sawhorses before install. The knots show through beautifully.
We tried starting at bottom and top. With scissors trusses my bottom chord was about 3/12 so it is not too steep. I shot them up with 2 1/2 "16g with multiple nails at each location.
We liked the stain so much we did the six panel pine doors the same but wiped them down and put three coats of satin poly over them, they look like marble.
Sounds like you have a good client, but it can get to the point where you are ready to do another job for a while. I am working for a minister who is fixing up a retirement home. It seems like every time I see the light at the end of the tunnel it is the one on the caboose going away from me.
Well, you guys and gals can rag on me all you want, but it has been an enjoyable project with a nice customer. I hope I can say that with a straight face when the last payment is due.
Do it right, or do it twice.