Crazy Construction

We are having some construction done on our home and it has been nothing but one nightmare after another.  I’ve always heard the phrase, when referring to construction, “twice as long, twice as much,” but I never realized the truth in that statement until now.  In fact, I would venture to say truer words have never been spoken.

We are building a wet bar and our job was supposed to start on June 10, 2013.  It did not begin until July 11, 2013, one month and one day later than promised.  This was evidentially due to the fact that the cabinets were backordered.  Why, while waiting for the cabinets to arrive, they couldn’t have gone ahead and completed the electrical, flooring and plumbing part of the project is beyond me; but then again, the work ethic (or lack thereof) that I have witnessed in the construction world is simply something to which I cannot relate.

 

This delay made me have to cancel birthday plans for my birthday, my mom’s birthday, Fourth of July festivities with neighbors, and left our home in complete disarray during the visit of friends and family from Kansas City.  To say it left me frustrated is putting it lightly. 

Once the project finally began, it was one disaster after another, but that wasn’t the part that un-nerved me; it was the slowness, laziness and procrastinating-prone behavior that drove me to the edge.  “We’ll do that tomorrow,” became a common phrase.  “We’ll get that done for you next week,” was said countless times.  All the while I was thinking, You’re already here so why not just get it done now!

“Why do today what we can put off until tomorrow,” seemed to be each construction worker’s motto. 

Not only did the project start late…but the flooring came in slightly a different shade and thicker than the existing flooring to which it was supposed to be attached.  When the carpet was torn up and then replaced, they cut the padding too short, leaving staples sticking up through the carpet.  With several bloody toes, my daughter can personally attest to THAT disastrous mishap.  Once the cabinets arrived, one unit had shorter doors than what was required to allow room for the ice maker door to open.  This little error wasn’t caught until the cabinets were fully installed, thus making it necessary to return the ice maker and look for a smaller option.  Smaller ones undeniably produce less ice at a time, which is not what we had wanted; but, alas, it’s what we’re stuck with now.  The company who was coming to install the rock was scheduled on the wrong day, pushing project completion back yet another week. 

“I’ll come back and do that later,” became a daily remark.  All the while I wanted to pull out my hair.  How can people stay in business with such a terrible work ethic?  I struggled to remain polite and calm and smile in the face of delay after delay after delay.

The rock installer never showed up and never called to explain.  Perhaps he’s dead or incarcerated… who knows?  Certainly not me because I never got a text, an email or a phone call to tell me that he would not be coming to finish the job. 

During this process, I puzzled as to how these people stay in business.  Why do residents continue to hire them when they either don’t show up, don’t show up on time, delay, procrastinate, make excuses, etc.  Why do we let them get away with it?  I think it’s because most of them are nice, friendly, smiley, talkative, and make it seem as if they really do want to do a good job.  After all, all of the delays are outside of their control…right?  (Insert eye roll here.) Simply put, they are sales people…selling their trade.  In the real world, the corporate world, the retail world, no matter how friendly a person is, if they don’t show up and get their work done in a timely manner they’re fired.  Why, then, does this rule not apply in the construction realm?  ~