the Artisan Builders Workshop: First Visit

Considering that a simple bath renovation can be $20,000 and a whole-house make-over ten times that amount, it is amazing how little time and money people have to make such a large decision. In actuality, the first visit can decide everything for the builder, including not being invited to return.

Amazingly also, often the most basic courtesies can be overlooked, or worse, ignored completely. I have a notorious reputation among my co-workers for being late (always trying to squeeze something else in), but for a client, I am usually complimented for being on time. Since cell phones have become a tool (and we really did manage to live without them), a call acknowledging 15 minutes of tardiness is actually impressive.

In the last ten years, it has become common that houses are “shoeless”, so removing them immediately, waiting to be asked, or tromping right off the last job site and splattering mud all over the carpet of this one gives the owner a lot of information. I know a contractor who whipped out medical booties upon arrival and immediately established his expensive-but-worth-it reputation.

Again, this is the time to get to know each other. The builder needs to get oriented to the house, learn a little about the client’s needs and their expectations. Owners also have a lot at stake when inviting a stranger into their home to make months’ worth of mess and (hopefully) clean it all up again better than ever before. Feel out how you might get along. Are you each understanding the other? Are the ideas translated accurately? Finding a common ground beyond the project creates a connection and the trust begins to grow.

Standing in the space to be renovated while chatting through introductions gives the builder a chance to eye the surrounding trim, measure up the style and characteristics to be matched. As the owners explain their thoguhts, reassurances and expressions of confidence draws out their enthusiasm. Perhaps a brain-storming suggestion leads them to simple solutions they had not envisioned on their own. In the best of circumstances, it is an open dialogue of questions and ideas to shape the scope of the project.

Only after the full tour and careful, focused listening is the tape measure produced. With a CAD program that requires accuracy, I take my time, sketching the floor plan and writing every pertinent measurement on my intake sheet. The owners feel useful holding the “dumb” end of the tape; others rush off to tend to children, leaving me to calculate alternatives and ponder scheduling issues.

This modern age has given us digital abilities to take all the pictures, angles and details we need to recall accurately the existing conditions a week and three other sites later. Being thorough, even if the work is limited to one room upstairs, it matters to see the electric panel to know if there are additiional circuts and no ancient wires. The heat system could have bearing on the plans, or a critical post directly below the renovation might be necessary.

How much to discuss the budget is a topic all on its own. Some people tend to hold their number closely, fearful that revealing it will raise the price to just over that amount. Others admit they have no clue what such ideas might cost (they usually balk and postpone). In actuality, I believe—being honest and forthright—that a discussion of the budget on the first visit is healthy. The builder gets a sense of how serious is the prospect. The client may get a reality check to temper their expectations.

Usually, the owner cannot resist asking for a “ballpark” estimate. This is extremely dangerous because no matter how informal their request may appear to be, an inaccurate number offered at this early stage can haunt the negotiations a year later. I have learned to quote in very ridiculously broad strokes ($50 to $100 thousand), gracefully exiting with a follow-up date and an agenda to narrow that number to within 10% on the next visit. Then, they're looking forward to my return.