About two years ago, my company designed and built a master bathroom renovation for a terrific client. In the end, the job came out looking wonderful, and I’m sure I could win an award with it….if I ever get around to taking some professional photos of the job…or even some decent ones myself.
A few weeks ago, my client called to let me know that there seemed to be a bit of a leak at the shower, and could I pop by and have a look? Water being my mortal enemy, I went straight out. It seemed to me that the plastic stripping on the shower door had become a little out of whack, and that water was getting through and pooling on the floor. I put in a call to the folks that installed the door, and they said they’d be happy to come out and make sure everything was in order.
Well, wouldn’t you know, before they had a chance to come out, I got another call from the client saying that there was A LOT of water coming out now…more than you would expect from a misaligned plastic strip. Uh oh.
I called my tile setter, since this now seemed to be a potential problem with the waterproofing membrane. Turns out he has his crew take digital photos as their work progresses. He threw them onto his laptop and met me out at the site this morning.
By looking at what was now buried under finished work, examining carefully what was there now, and water testing the shower (I even brought a swim suit and a towel…just in case!) we were able (I think!) to figure out just what was going on, and how best to fix it.
In the end, he agreed to send a couple of his guys out next week to take care of the problem at no charge. The job is out of warranty for both of us, but since it was a problem with the initial detail, neither of us could, in good conscience, bill for the work. It just needed to be made right.
As I left the job, I thought to myself how fortunate I was that my tile setter had those photos. Musing some more, I thought how fortunate I am to work with subcontractors who have that kind of forethought, first of all, but who are also smart and solid professionals who stand behind what they do. It’s not just my tile setter that acts this way, it’s most of the people I work with.
These people make my job easier. They do what they say they will, WHEN they say they will. They are experts at what they do, and they own their work, whether it’s two months or two years later. Together, we are an excellent team; a team of which I am proud to be the captain.
Are we the least expensive team you can hire? We’re not, but ask yourself this: The people you hire to work on your home or car, the doctors whom you entrust with your health, even the friends you rely on to help you along in life….are they “A” players? What about those that surround THEM? What about THEIR team? What do YOU value most?
There’s a fine line between cost and value, to be sure, but if pressed, I think I come down on the side of quality first. It’s why I surround myself with those sorts of people and companies. I pay them well, when I’m sure I could find someone to do the job for less. In the end though, I am rewarded by a guy who has pictures I need to see and who knows how and is eager to fix the problem right away. I’ll take that deal any day of the week.
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