You got the project
you had been hoping for; you signed a contract to build a house and in it is a pretty sizable early completion bonus.
It's Friday morning and the day is starting off great; it's sunny and warm, your project got off to a really good start and you're looking forward to your Saturday BBQ. Then the phone rings - it's the homeowner, there seems to be a problem. The foundation crew who has done numerous first rate jobs for you had finished this foundation last week and the forms were loaded on the truck ready to head out to the next job, but they are now staring at the foundation with their boss who has a look of complete bewilderment. The openings that were supposed to be there for the basement windows seem to be missing and no one is quite sure what happened. The excavator is pulling in with the loader to backfill around the foundation, the lumber pack is due later that afternoon and the framer is starting Monday morning bright and early. The homeowner who just stopped by all excited to see the completed foundation, is a little nervous as to why the foundation crew has such perplexed looks on their faces. As the homeowner is relaying all of this, you are becoming rapidly convinced that your nice BBQ weekend just died an early death.
So - how well do you handle stress?
While the possibility of this happening with a very experienced foundation crew would be extremely slim, big problems can and do arise from time to time. I had one develop on a project and yes it was a foundation. I typically did all of my own foundation work since it's something I really enjoy. This time however I had planned a family vacation and decided to use another contractor. The company came recommended by a friend who was also a general contractor. The company I hired was to pour a new foundation that tied into an old one for a large bathroom addition as well as another small foundation that would attach to their back porch to enlarge it. I laid out on the outside of the existing bedroom wall excactly where I wanted the top finished surface of the new foundation wall to be. I put in big, black bold marker, "top of new foundation wall HERE" and drew a large arrow to the line. This was important since I had to blend a new hardwood floor with an old one and have it tie in perfectly! I met with the foundation contractor and explained everything. We were all on the same page and I left on our family vacation assured that all was well. This contractor had been recommended to me by someone I trusted and I thought I was in good hands. No worrys! Simple job I thought, no reason that we can't go on our trip, I mean, this guy really knows what he's doing - my customer will be in good hands and then I will be back to continue on, the timing would be perfect.
When I returned the foundation was a disappointment, it was too low! I had a conversation with the contractor and he came out to look at it. His crew had just plain screwed up and he knew it. They had also gotten the small back porch foundation an inch and a half out of square. I had to do quite a bit of work to fix everything and it was very costly. I also had to charge the foundation company for the fix which they paid without any further problems.
One thing to remember is that everyone makes mistakes, how we deal with those mistakes is the important part. Mistakes on a building project can cost a lot of time and money and add a lot of stress on everyone. As enjoyable as contracting can be it is not without it's downside. Every type of work has a "downside" but that doesn't mean it's not worth pursuing. Just remember that you always have to take the good with the bad and it's important that it be done with grace, patience and a professional attitude.