holidays Solution Building

And I Don’t Mean Getting a Stocking Full of Coal

The weather is getting cooler, and Halloween has come and gone. This means the holiday season is upon us. Some people like this time of the year more than others, and I get that.

It’s a little like a home construction project. Different people have had different construction experiences…some good and some not so much. The problem with construction is that there are more bad experiences than good, and it shouldn’t be this way.

A home construction project should be like Christmas.

Each day building up excitement of opening a present on Christmas morning as the project progresses. Or the warm, comfortable feeling of sitting in front of a fire with a blanket, hot chocolate, family and friends after the project is finished.

We know what to expect when getting gifts from friends and family. You should have the same sense of trust and comfort when working with a construction company.

I remember one time when I called a customer to give them the production schedule for their construction project, they were relieved to hear from us. They hadn’t heard from us since we met to sign paperwork and get their first payment a few days earlier.

They were concerned that we had taken their money and weren’t coming back.

We’ve all heard the stories of the “storm chasers” that came through town after a storm. They get money for material and then never come back to do the work.

Or what about the guy that was laid off from ‘his job’? He has a pickup, a hammer, and a skill saw. Heck, he built a deck for his buddies’ cousin.

Oh, and don’t forget the kid that worked for a contractor for a couple of months and got fired because he wouldn’t show up to work. He’s now an ‘experienced contractor’.

I read a study years ago that ranked building contractors below used car salesmen. This is not to say that all used car salesmen are bad, but they have, over the years had a stigma of…shall we say…not being the most honest and trustworthy.

For builders to have been ranked below them was very confusing and a little disturbing. I then realized that I viewed my customers differently than most builders.

For me, my customers aren’t just customers, a project, or a way to earn money. They’re friends. When considering what it costs to have a construction project done…

Having a contractor who’s looking out for your needs and has your back is better than hiring someone who just sees you as a paycheck.

As a customer, it’s important to find a builder that will help you make your construction dreams a reality and has your best interests at heart.

To do this you need to know what to look for, so you can find the right builder for you. Here are six things I would recommend when considering which builder, you should hire. –

Word of mouth – This is the best form of advertising. Find someone that you know and trust that has had a building project done. Ask them who they used and what their experience was like. This will give you a view from someone who is independent of the industry with nothing to gain.

References – Don’t be afraid to ask builders for references. This is a variation of ‘word of mouth’ to find references in addition to people that you know. A builder should be able to supply you with 3-5 names of past customers that you can follow up with. If not, you should proceed with extreme caution.

Professionalism – The level of professionalism will vary between contractors. There is not one specific style or level of professionalism that should be used in every instance. What you want is to know that this builder takes what they are doing seriously. You should be concerned if you get a hand-written estimate on a napkin.

Experience – This comes with time. Not every qualified builder has years and years of experience, but the more years, the more experience. You don’t want to hire that ‘experienced contractor’ I referred to earlier that was fired for not showing up to work.

Communication – Even small and simple projects require communication. Of course, the bigger and more complex the project the more important it is to communicate. In today’s world there are all sorts of ways to do this. The specifics of how aren’t as important as the doing it is.

Compatibility – This is the bottom line when it comes to determining who to use. Depending on what is important to you, what your focus is for your project. Find a builder that shares those core values. Each one of us is different. Take the time to get informed and find the best fit for you.

Too many times I’ve become aware of construction projects going badly, leaving customers feeling abused and abandoned. I have heard too many people say the worst experience of their life was a construction project.

A construction project should be one of the best experiences of life, not one of the worst.

Walking onto your finished construction project should feel warm and cozy…like coming home for the holidays.

Labor and Work…What’s the Difference?

Labor Day is one of my three favorite holidays each year. Christmas being my favorite, which is no big surprise. Labor Day and New Year’s Day are tied for the second spot. These two are not typically ranked in most people’s top three.

My extended family celebrates both holidays in an almost identical way. They start with parades in the morning and conclude by spending the rest of the day, into the evening, playing games, eating and enjoying time with family. This doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy all the other holidays, because I do. These three are just my favorites.

As I was looking forward to the upcoming Labor Day I began thinking about the reason behind the celebration. Labor Day was started as a way to show appreciation for the hard-working labor force in America in the late 1800s. We often forget the reasons behind holidays. We need to remember the reason for this and all holidays and not just look at it as another reason to barbeque with friends or go to the lake.

The problem I have with Labor Day comes from the perception that there is a separation between labor and management / employees and business owners.

There’s no doubt a difference in the roles of these two groups, but too often it is seen as a confrontational battle between the two. It is a mindset of our side against theirs. There certainly have been and still are situations where this is true.

It doesn’t have to be this way. This attitude is a problem for both groups. It’s a view that there is a limited amount and if I don’t get my piece of the pie, there may not be any left. This scarcity thinking in a world of abundance isn’t beneficial to either side. God will provide enough for everybody.

If we would quit viewing labor and management as two competing entities and instead look at both as on the same team working together, both would benefit.

Having been on both sides of the employee/owner relationship I can tell you that both work hard to achieve success. If all involved work hard together toward the same goal everybody wins. It is easy to look at other people and think they have it easy, but rarely is that the case.

The definition of labor focuses mainly on the physical while work (link) refers to both physical and mental actions. Work seems less divisive than labor. We can and should work together toward the same goal.

On the first Monday of September this year I’m going to celebrate WORK instead of labor.

How Your Home Building Experience Can Feel Like the Holidays

And I Don’t Mean Getting a Stocking Full of Coal

The History of Labor Day and My Problem with It

Labor and Work…What’s the Difference?

If we would quit viewing labor and management as two competing entities and instead look at both as on the same team working together, both would benefit.