When The Drywall Guy Pipes In!!

Bjd

Have any of you guys had this happen.

When a sub decides that you are not quite as good as him, and he takes it upon himself to let the home owner know.

The other day we were starting up on a remodel of a bathroom when he decided to let the ho know that he should go with a "rounded shower" than a 4 foot shower.

Well to make a long story short, the ho went along with the nitwit, great ha.

Get this it only gets better the shower is 4 weeks away now, as its a special order.

Lets just say I in the market for a new drywall guy!

BJD

Mike Finley

I want to give subs as much respect as I would want to have, so I don't think they need to be treated like children "seen not heard", but it is career suicide for anybody not to know the pecking order on a job site. I guess this guy is a perfect example of Darwinian selection in action.

PipeGuy

Hmmmmm? Customer = ho, sub=nitwit. Dude, do you need some time away from the job or what?

I love to hear customers ask "can we change something?" after the job has started. It's almost always a great profit opportunity. 'Special Order' is usually icing on the cake. I'd say your sub did you a favor.

As far as him thinking he's better than you, let him keep thinking that if he's adding value to the jobs. Maybe the nitwit can help you improve your position with the hoes.

mdshunk

HO is shorthard for homeowner and doesn't mean like "tramp". However, in this case the sub was a nitwit. If he wants to act like a GC then he should become one. I'm about 99% sure I'd either make my displeasure quite clear to him or never use him again. In this case, I might even "forget" to pay him until he reminds me. That's aggrivating...

PipeGuy

Oops...my bad Show's you where my head is.

PipeGuy

In light of recent posts, here's one for you. Would it be unethical to arrange for subs to intentionally plant change order ideas in a customer's head?

Teetorbilt

Ethically, would it be to improve the product or line the purse?

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WCC

one of my dad's framers got into an argument with the Homeowner- actually told her that he knew better what she wanted.

Grumpy

What does this have to do with marketing?

plumguy

How does that saying go "don't step on any toes today because they may be attached to the foot that kicks you in a$$ tomorrow".

CARPENTERDON

Any subs that I use have to sign an agreement with me.

It states that they will not attempt to side bid jobs (agree to do work for my customers, without asking me first) or interfere with or undermine my business relationship with the customer in any manner. If they do, there done with me, fired that very minute, and I let the other local contractor's know what they did as well!

Same goes for the customer. Their agreement states that they will not contract with any of my help or subs without discussing it with me first.

So far, I've only had one incident happen like that. Once the word got out that I was such a "bastard" ( *laughing* ) about it, no other subs tried it and I've never had a customer do it either. I don't know if it's due to dumb luck or good business practice.

At any rate, if that sub had done that to me, I would have fired him/her right then and there, out-of-sight and ear-shot of the home owner!!

While they might have helped by "up-selling" the job, that is not proper business practice, and makes you look bad.

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Dimensional Carpentry & Custom Woodworking - Historic Renovations, Restoration, & Custom Log Homes

Longacre

I had a situation like this last year when my crew was building my parent's new home. We roughed all the interiors accoring to plan and when time came to do the rough plumbing the plumber didnt like the layout of the second bathroom, specifically where the tub went.

We come in monday morning to my dad telling me we need to eliminate a closet and move a bathroom wall. The plumber (total hack judging by the holes he cut all over the place that I had to fix and the fact he NEVER showed up when he said he would) had already run his pipes anticipating said change.

My first thought was "who the f* does he think he is", but we made the change and we all liked it better.

plumguy

I'm starting to get the feeling you don't like plumbers . This is you're third post in as many that has been OUCH!!

ConcreteGuy

Everybody hates change. The only question is if the Owner is willing to pay for it And it is never enough.

Your subs should respect the process.

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A reasonable expectation becomes an assumption when it goes wrong.

Bjd

Changes are changes, and yes HO will make many of them through out any project, what sets me off is when you have subs, makeing changes for the HO, because they feel that this or that will look better.

The only thing that adds to this mix, is when they do it behind your back and go to the HO with their ideas before they talk to you.

Now dont get me wrong, I am full willing for any ideas and am full up to makeing them without any problems, hey I will even give credit where its do.

Just dont go behind my back, or step on my head to make them known.

BJD

plumguy

"Pecking order" you need to get off you're pedestal!!! You want to give respect to subs, it does'nt sound that way to me! You portray an attitude that they are SUB-standard. Just remember one thing, you're only as good as you're subs!

Humble Abode

I think all he meant by that is that the GC is the "boss" and the direct line of communication between the project and the customer. Being a sub-contractor I would say I have to agree with him.

If I am working for a GC I would feel strange if the customer asked me about certain policies or aspects of the project without the GC around, it's his/her gig after all.

Whats more the GC's customer is NOT the subcontractors customer the GC is. And I definently wouldn't offer up my unsolicited advice.

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The NAPP
Milwaukee Painting Contractor

ProWallGuy

I'm the most kick-a$$ paperhanger in the world, but I know the 'pecking order' when on a subbed job. Its the GC's baby, and no one else's. Questions, problems, concerns, please talk to the GC, I only work here.

Besides, the GC cuts my check, no one else.

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Wallpaper Hanger St. Louis
Digital Murals Installation

plumguy

Yeah, I agree with you and Humble 100%.But, as a businessman you should not be looked down upon or not respected by the GC. Maybe it is poor choice of words on his part!!

Mike Finley

Having a bad day Plumguy? Sorry the words pecking order offends you, but those words pretty much describe it as perfectly as possible. When it comes to a job site there is a pecking order, anybody that wants to pretend there isn't is going to run themselves afoul of it sooner or later.

Weren't you the one that said "The GC is the boss of the job and SHOULD make the rules and should find subs that will follow them or move on. "

I don't know why "pecking order" offended you so much, perhaps you skipped over the other words I used such as "give subs as much respect as I would want to have" and "I don't think they need to be treated like children "seen not heard"".

Once again you are assuming quite a bit again. You are percieving, wrong so I must add that I have no respect for subs, you couldn't be farther from the truth. I regard all subs as part of my team and a valuable and intergral part of the process that allows me to service my customers.

Regardless I hope you stick around and get to know some of us better before making judgements. I guarantee you don't know me at all. My last plumber, in fact the one that I used on this job in regard to the drain and slab said to me, "Wow, I never had a GC help me out before!", because I was drilling his holes through the studs for him while he was installing the drain.