Where Did The Quality Go?

Chris Johnson

I spent the weekend away with my wife for her birthday and our anniversary. Her choice where to go. She chooses a relatively close spa, wine tasting room, hotel...all in one. This place is what I call new, open for maybe 1 1/2 years.

We check in and go up to our room, balcony over looking the pool/hot tub area, nice ambiance. The place isn't cheap either, $ 350.00 for a night, so you would think for that kind of cash this place would be gussied up a lot.

As I start looking around the room it appears what I call tract home trades were working on the place. Doors not latching, out of level. Baseboards mitered on the inside with gaps and caulked by a lazy guy who makes no effort to smooth it out or properly fill the joint top to bottom (What happened to tight joints?). Marble bath floor with toe stubbers in 4 spots. They even wallpapered the commode area of the bath and it's lined wallpaper showing a wall 3/4" out of plumb OR the wallpaper is hung crooked.

Sitting on the balcony having a smoke, exposed straps on top of the deck flashing just painted, where the stucco meets the door frame looks like no one cleaned the edges prior to or after the stucco was applied, an aluminum cap with huge blobs of caulking over the face nails, inconsistant color chages in the corners of the stucco - just not straight.

The staffs attitude leaves something to be desired, but that has nothing to do with the trades working on the building. I realize there is more expensive places to stay, but what I saw would be acceptable at a motel 6, not this place.

I really think the bar is set to low for the acceptable standards in construction these days, there is no pride anymore in a job well done.

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Chris

Chris G

While you were looking at all that, your wife was thinking, "Where did the romance go?"

I think it comes from a mentality that all tradesmen are equal. Why shouldn't the guy who tiled the Motel 6 be able to tile our new hotel. It's just tile. A tiler is a tiler. A carpenter is a carpenter and so on. They all do the same work, right?

So we see the same defects on a Motel 6 as we do an expensive Hotel.

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daystoshort

when it comes to big jobs like hotel's and mall's some times the contractor or the sub has to go with what the GC says or the desiner and with the big jobs like say daysinn its not about quality its about quanity.

jazzbone

quality has been gone for awhile now I get on jobs where i'm the only one that speaks english ! I started a little townhouse facelift job last week I had to install new outdoor light fixtures, disconnects, and GFI rec. the siding crew took a hammer and ripped the existing rec.s out stripping and breaking the boxes, I tried to ask them about it and not one could speak english this is only the latest, as long as contractors hire the cheapest guy this is what were going to get

concretemasonry

Quality started to go downhill when trim was started to be used to cover up "last minute changes".

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Dick

Engineer, designer and consultant recently active domestically and internationally on construction and design in about 35 countries.

Ivinni

Dude. You're on vacation. Let it rest cause sometimes you gotta say what the f**k.

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its not going to get better with straps, or new footings or even aroma therapy.

MALCO.New.York

Quality began to deteriorate when COMPETITION grew. When it became more about price because of the number of "Professionals" out there.

The increase in COMMUNICATION, Radio then a few TV's, then EVERYONE had a TV, then National Broadcasts from Cable "Super Stations", then the Internet, has been the most influential factors concerning Price vs. Quality.

It has become, for the most part, a Generic Society. Generic equates to Mediocrity.

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Chris Johnson

I hear what you guys are saying, but lets put it in a different perspective...If the quality some of us are seeing was evident on our say GM vehicle we would not accept it, why is it being accepted in construction? If you were having to hold the drivers door closed with your arm while driving down the road it would be getting fixed properly immediately.

Licensing in States is one thing, pay some money, write a test, prove a few things financially and your good to go...Standards need to written and adhered to

It'll never happen, I know, give up I'm trying to fight a losing battle.

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Chris

MALCO.New.York

And I quote MYSELF:

"It has become, for the most part, a Generic Society. Generic equates to Mediocrity."

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Something to One may be Nothing to another!

Ultimate Wisdom---------
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SethHoldren

Funny!

Yeah, sometimes it's hard not to notice bad craftsmanship. But it's everywhere.

Here's what I do to get my mind off of it:

I think about Dwight Shrute walking through a party saying, "That's a serious fire hazard. There are too many people in this room, and that railing isn't up to code."

Then I'm cured. Who wants to be like Dwight Shrute?

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denick

Quality began it's decline in the late 60's. When we all became individuals. The beginning of the I, me, mine.

Then in the late 70's interest rates hit 20+ % and "fast" construction began. The only thing that mattered was how fast a job could be done.

The third factor and maybe the biggest was the slow down in boys learning trades from fathers, uncles and grandfathers. Many mothers and grandmothers pushed for education and "good" jobs for the next generation.

This is a topic that gets me going. There's much more to it but this is where it started.

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Nick

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving" Albert Einstein

Tscarborough

Denick is right about the speed of construction. It is almost impossible to do quality work with the scheduling of construction today. It is simply physically impossible. I see quality on houses that take 2 to three years to build, not on the similar value ones thrown up in 6-9 months. Those multi-million homes are simply large tract homes with expensive finishes and no quality at all.

Commercial is even worse, since they are mostly leveraged or developed and time is of the essence.

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Chris G

I think we do accept it. We have become too forgiving.

What concerns me is having the same workers that assemble a $10,000 car assemble a $50,000 car. Shouldn't the consumer be getting more for their money besides extra parts? Shouldn't build quality have a price too?

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copusbuilder

Quality left when people quit demanding it.
Now we have a generation of "Make it look good" people.

After Ike here in Texas people seem a little more concerned about quality building. I suspect that will wear off with just a little time.

Sad really.

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tgeb

It really comes down to whether a person takes any pride in their work or not, and many apparently do not.
I see stuff every day that boggles the mind.

But it is not only in the construction trades it is everywhere, people just don't give a rats ass if they are doing a complete and proper job.

Everybody is just trying to make "8".

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Tom

www.gebcon.com

denick

The original question centered on construction quality. And I directed my answer to that problem.

Chris G. and copusbuilder put forth the broader reasons. We as a society no longer "know" what "quality" is. We "accept" poor "quality". We personally deliver "less" than "quality". In our lives in general.

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Nick

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving" Albert Einstein

rbsremodeling

That is really the big problem most do not no truly know what quality is anymore. They just want it to look like the pretty picture

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tgeb

In my opinion it still comes down to the individual and does he/she care if they are doing a good job and delivering a superior end product.

The Individual that cares about his/her reputation and work ethic will always do a superior job.

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Tom

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silvertree

You know quality when you see it, because you know what goes into making something good. Most people today flat out don't know what to look for.

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bert0168

I agree. Some customers are satisfied with the "make it look pretty" attitude. That's where I kind of let it in one ear and out the other. I have set standards of quality in my workmanship that I have to live with, no matter how low those of the customer.

Now, this is all relevant to the price they are willing to pay. Those customers who are willing to pay for the quality, but seem to have had a lower expectation as to what that level of quality is/was. They are the ones who are so surprised at how beautiful workmanship can be.

Those who are looking for the lowest price, keep looking, because I'm not going to lower my quality standards to suit your budget.

In the end, our name goes on each and every project we do.