But that Utopia is not always the case. I shudder to reminisce about one past horror story of a project I was on. The drywall had been completely installed in the bathroom before the shower faucet was put in the wall. After approaching the drywall installers with the problem, they informed me that they were on a tight schedule. Really?!?! That’s like putting an empty casket in a burial plot because your schedule it too tight to wait for the body!
When I informed that I would have to remove the sheet of drywall to install the piping, and it would have to be their job to then reinstall the drywall, to my horror, the installer said, “No problem, we’ll just sign off an extra on the job!!!”
WHAT A CROOK! Gee it’s nice to see so-called professionals being cavalier with other people’s money! I cannot tolerate that word --- EXTRA!!! That means larger, unjustified costs to the consumer.
Or how about not-so-bright plumbers, who are clearly still wet around the seal, installing toilets and lavatories before the walls have been painted? It’s uncanny how many times I have to change toilets where either wallpaper or paint becomes visible because it wasn’t done properly in the first place. That’s like trying to tie your shoes tightly, before putting your feet in them.
And speaking of feet, what about flooring finishers, whether it’s for tile, carpet or hardwood, who install too early, meaning other workers have to traipse across newly unprotected flooring, with all the grace of a herd of buffalo? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what happens to a finished floor that isn’t covered properly. It could end up finished in more ways than one.
Why do these screw ups occur? One good reason is a lack of coordination. When the coordinator of the job just executes and delegates work to subcontractors without keeping all trades people in the loop, mistakes will occur. The correct procedure is capsulated in a single word – Teamwork.
Everybody working on a project must know scheduling and devise a work strategy to properly execute the renovation. While coordinating a renovation isn’t exactly like planning the D-Day Invasion, there is something to be said for when the battle plan, or lack-thereof, greatly affects the quality and cost of the finished product.
Frankly, when it comes to teamwork, I really don’t care which rusty wrench of a brain is responsible for bad coordination. It’s up to us, the subcontractors (plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc) to work together and make each project run as smoothly as possible. It’s imperative, not only for having a good work attitude, but also to have thoughtfulness for the end user, the paying client. It’s bad enough that certain circumstances could arise that might alter scheduled work from getting done, so let’s not try to add gasoline to the fire.
If you’re a consumer getting work done on your home, make sure you’re in the know of ALL aspects of the renovation itself from the basis of the general contractors scheduling. Ask if the contractor’s scheduling is on plan, and if not, ask why. If for some reason you are coordinating the project yourself, make sure all your subcontractors follow the proper schedule and ask if your scheduling is reasonable. One thing you don’t want to happen is to discourage your subcontractors. Have on site meetings frequently, making sure everything is running to plan.
Withholding changes to all the subcontractors is another no-no. A lot of prep is sometimes needed for a change order by one or many subcontractors. That means more cost to you if things have to be done twice. Understand that all projects don’t always fall into plan. Be prepared to make quick decisions based on on-site conditions and circumstance.
Listen to your subcontractors. Most do have experience, however many have a lot of bad experience! Sadly, I come across some so-called professionals on the lower end of Darwin’s evolutionary scale on a weekly basis. “I have 30 years of experience,” one subcontractor might say. To which I could easily respond, “And from the looks of things, it appears to be 30 years of bad experience!” Usually that retort leads to my not being on their Christmas card list, but I believe in standing up for the client and doing what’s right. If that puts me at odds with trades people who do shoddy work, or worse, don’t care, then so be it.
Finally, home owners should try and chose fixtures that can easily be repaired in the future and make sure replacement parts are readably available. Conventionality is the word of choice. Buy fixtures that you can easily find generic replacements for. Options are extremely important in a “reno.” Look for or ask your general contractor for different options way in advance of the project start date. Perfectly executed jobs are far and few between. Reno disasters are more and more in style. Please try to prevent those disasters from happening. I really do not need the extra work!
See you around the drain!!!
