Construction projects can be an exciting time as well as a stressful time. To make things as enjoyable as possible, it’s important to have a strong relationship with your builder. Some people enter the relationship looking at the builder as an adversary and those relationships are doomed to fail from the start. Rather than an adversary, the builder should be looked at as an advocate and team member. There are several key things that can be done to make this happen.
When the builder is doing something right, tell them! No one wants to be patronized with insincere gratitude, but we’re all human and love to hear when we are doing well. If your builder is doing a good job, remember to say, “thank you”. You’ll find your builder will bend over backwards to help you if you demonstrate sincere gratitude and appreciation for what they do. On the other hand, if the builder is always confronted with anger or a condescending attitude, they are only human and may start slipping to only doing the bare minimum required.
Things aren’t always going to be going well though and there will be problem areas. If something is bothering you about the process, clearly (and calmly) communicate those concerns. Then allow the builder the opportunity to address your concerns. Every builder is going to run into problems, that isn’t a sign of a good or bad builder. Good builders will handle problems well.
Different expectations can be a great source of problems. Your builder wants you to be happy and if they know your expectations, they will try their best to meet them or explain why the expectation may not be realistic. The important thing is to clearly communicate your expectations with the builder, so they know what expectations they are trying to meet.
Once a strong relationship is developed where there is open and honest communication about what is going well, what isn’t, and what is expected, let the builder do their job. If you try to retain control over the entire process and hover over your builder and second guess everything they do, it will make the entire team reluctant to make any decisions on your behalf. A quality and experienced builder will always make decisions with your best interest in mind and seek your input when required, if you let them. Don’t make the process more complicated than necessary by trying to do their job for them.
Another piece of advice is really good advice for life in general, but when confronted with problems or disagreements, “think win/win”. Your builder is just a regular person, who probably isn’t making as much money as you imagine. All most builders want is to do a good job and be paid fairly for their service. Try to work towards amicable solutions to problems where neither side feels like they are losing.
If you follow these helpful hints, your builder will love you. If your builder loves you, there’s a good chance you’ll wind up loving your builder!