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Gotta rant a little bit. I’ve been doing construction/ remodeling my whole life. But I’ve been noticing a big trend over the past year or two where the homeowner wants to be hyper involved in the whole process of remodeling their house, to the point where they are a detriment to the job itself. I absolutely want them involved in the stylistic decisions and picking out colors etc. But they don’t wanna just see a finished product anymore and be happy about it, or even be able to point out the things they want to fix at the end of the job. They want to be there every day and be integrated into the process. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if they knew what the fuck they were even talking about, but they have a laundry list of things they want done when I show up to the job the next day and can’t accept that somebody who’s been doing in their whole goddamn life might know what the hell he’s doing. Things are done in a certain order for a reason. Nail holes don’t get filled till the end. The trim gets caulked after it’s installed and there may be some gaps that will get filled. Or even worse they just decide that they don’t like the flooring that we’ve already put down that they picked and just expect we’re going to redo it in between commercial breaks. That isnt how this works . They think they are experts because they watch a fucking TV show every night. People need to turn off the goddamn TVs and let people do their job. Now that I own my own business I’m starting to hate people more than I ever have. Don’t get me wrong, some people are super cool and and pleasant to deal with. But goddamn do these people love to feel like they are Joanna Gaines when we’re coming to do some minor bullshit in their dilapidated house.

Gotta rant a little bit. I’ve been doing construction/ remodeling my whole life. But I’ve been noticing a big trend over the past year or two where the homeowner wants to be hyper involved in the whole process of remodeling their house, to the point where they are a detriment to the job itself. I absolutely want them involved in the stylistic decisions and picking out colors etc. But they don’t wanna just see a finished product anymore and be happy about it, or even be able to point out the things they want to fix at the end of the job. They want to be there every day and be integrated into the process. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if they knew what the fuck they were even talking about, but they have a laundry list of things they want done when I show up to the job the next day and can’t accept that somebody who’s been doing in their whole goddamn life might know what the hell he’s doing. Things are done in a certain order for a reason. Nail holes don’t get filled till the end. The trim gets caulked *after* it’s installed and there may be some gaps that will get filled. Or even worse they just decide that they don’t like the flooring that we’ve already put down *that they picked* and just expect we’re going to redo it in between commercial breaks. That isnt how this works . They think they are experts because they watch a fucking TV show every night. People need to turn off the goddamn TVs and let people do their job. Now that I own my own business I’m starting to hate people more than I ever have. Don’t get me wrong, some people are super cool and and pleasant to deal with. But goddamn do these people love to feel like they are Joanna Gaines when we’re coming to do some minor bullshit in their dilapidated house.

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[–] • 18 pts

Then there's assholes that take shortcuts at every opportunity if you're not breathing down their neck. It balances I suppose.

[–] • 3 pts (edited )

I agree, but usually when you are hiring Jose and his amigos or a craigslist hack. And if a customer has an actual problem with something they absolutely should bring it to attention. But I’m talking about something a little different, where the homeowner becomes something of a project manager and takes it upon themselves to direct the contractors all day long. Or at least not being able to see the big picture because of ignorance of the trade. The point is though, if you have no clue what you’re doing then hire a good contractor

[–] • 0 pt

I'm torn here, in that I agree and understand where you're coming from. It's the same issue with google and webMD. Everyone is suddenly 'educated' and wants to push this new-found "expertise" in areas they just don't belong in.

That said I'm also of the understanding that it's their HOME. Where for any worker its simply a job site. When it's your money, and the work is being done where you live and plan to live...it's emotional (especially for women).

Perhaps stating in the contract that you'll spend the last 10 minutes of your day going over the changes you've made and answering questions but under no conditions will they be allowed to be "actively involved" or within the work area. Cite safety and put in potential additional charges or allowing you out of the contract if you feel it threatens yourself, crew, or the job.

As much as humans hate restrictions, everyone can compromise on boundaries.

[–] • 0 pt

I’m with you, and I do remind myself and my guys that these are people homes. I do think they have a right to be picky. I think for someone to truly understand what I’m talking about they have to be on some of these jobs and see how completely ridiculous a lot of these people are becoming.

[–] [deleted] • 3 pts

Yep every single worker except one lied to us and didn't finish the job. You have to monitor them every damn day. Had them argue with me? Don't fucking go there. Paid $$$$$ of money to complete assholes. Sorry the sting is fresh. We are finishing with the one guy that wasn't an asshole. We went through 4 fucking crews. So yeah.

[–] • 0 pt

Re-write the contract to have a set end date (usually 2 weeks after their estimation) and IN the contract you have to state that if the job isn't finished that you're not responsible for any further payments and if the job needs to be redone that they will pay back the cost for their work to be undone.

You'd be surprised at how their estimations, costs, and expectations (verbally) change from their sales pitches.

[–] • 1 pt

This. Fucking this.

Especially with the spics that get sent out...even though you may have signed a contract with a white guy who spends time telling you about HIS experience in the field...but doesn't show up until its to collect the check.

I made that mistake about 15 years ago and every time I've had to hire someone new (I have a regular plumber & electrician) I end up rewriting their contract to state that they will be on-site anytime a crew is there to do work. It pisses them off , but if they want the contract, its become a non-negotiable deal.

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

Yeah, I've had a few fuck-ups because the guys were left alone to do whatever the fuck they wanted.

[–] • 0 pt (edited )

I think subcontractors are less likely to do a shitty job when the client shows they have even a little bit of knowledge about the job. Maybe they'll feel less tempted to cut corners.

Most of the hired hands are low IQ retards, though. Can't do much about that other than hope that the contractor and subcontractors are decent people who hire good workers.

[+] [deleted] • 0 pt