How to Be a Good Client
Our goal is your satisfaction
We build homes that are environmentally friendly, healthy to live in, well built, durable, and beautiful. This is why you hired us. We want your new home to make you, your family and your friends happy and proud for decades, even generations. You are our partners in this and play an important role. Below outlines the important role you play in the building of your home.
Understand that building projects can be EMOTIONAL: it is your home, where you will spend time with your family and friends, where you will seek shelter and rejuvenation and a project you have been imagining for years. Partners don't always agree on decisions or selections, there are misunderstandings, construction takes a lot of money, being stressed out during the process is NORMAL, we are here to support you. Keep the end game in mind: You will enjoy your home for many, many years- the challenges will be worth it!
Understand the Fee Structure: Your project will be built under the Cost-Plus fee structure. This is the fairest payment structure: we get paid for the work we do; you pay for the work that is done. There are no pretended low-ball budgets that seem too good to be true, no secret planned upcharges, no surprise change orders.
Be a good communicator: Misunderstandings are unfortunately a part of communication. To limit miscommunication, use clear, decisive language, be redundant, ask for feedback and confirmation that you were understood. Communicate digitally, follow up conversations via email or preferably your client portal. Drawings are interpreted by people differently: The builder and tradesperson see one thing, but the client may have an entirely different picture in mind. Be sure to understand your construction documents! These are the language tradespeople use to build the ideas you communicated to your architect / designer. Ask questions- Remember if it’s on the construction documents it is client approved and will be built the way it is drawn and specified.
Communicate timely: Answer questions within 3 days of receiving them, or sooner, if possible. Delaying answers can translate into schedule delays, cost increases, extra rental costs, mobilization costs, material costs etc. Remember, our goal is your satisfaction. Communicate in a timely manner so that your project is not delayed or unnecessarily more expensive.
Be ready for cost overruns and cost underages. Estimates are based on past projects, best guesses, and musings on what future events will be. Estimates are goals, they are not fixed in stone. Material costs increase, labor costs increase, inspectors make whimsical requests, there are surprises, and mistakes in estimates, construction documents, specifications. Clients or architects come up with better ideas during the work and make a changes. All of these can contribute to higher or lower project costs.
Be prepared for project delays. Weather, the inspector, sickness, surprises, hidden conditions, material shortages/delays/damage, tradespeople's delays, acts of God etc: Schedules are guidelines. We will do everything possible to work to the schedule and deliver your home as soon as possible.
Pay your bills on time. Think of your project like it is a car: you have a destination and an anticipated arrival time. If you don't buy fuel (pay your bill) at the right time the car runs out of gas. There are extra costs related to this: time to pull into a safe spot (demobilize work), time to get the gasoline, time to refill the tank and then speeding up to make up for lost time which creates the perfect environment for accidents, cost overruns and delays. If you have questions about your bill, we are happy to answer them, however, know that late payments may equal increased costs, not savings, and extend the length of the project, not facilitate its completion.
Respect the chain of communication. Tradespeople and suppliers are coordinated, managed, compensated and communicated with through the builder. Do not open outside conversations with the professionals on the job. Do not try to hire them for side work to “save money”. While the tradespeople are friendly and eager to please you, side conversations or requests can create alternative paths for the project that can end in disarray, extra costs, liabilities and misunderstandings.
Respect the trusted build team. MV is an island with limited access to resources. While no one is perfect I have developed a team of skilled, reliable and responsible tradespeople. It has taken years to develop trust, rapport and confidence in each other. I have leverage with my team that enables me to deliver the best service and deal for my clients.
We are building your Home, but it is our jobsite. The jobsite can be dangerous, people can get injured, and this opens up one to liability. Schedule any visits in writing before showing up.
Trust. There will be times during the course of work when you will not understand what is happening or why. Why there is a lot of activity at this time but no apparent activity at others. Why a large sum was paid one day and there is no apparent activity the next day. Ask questions with an open mind, have confidence that we are working on your behalf and trust the process.
Expect the Unexpected. Thousands of materials, parts and pieces from supply chains around the world, involving thousands of people and as many factories make the things that become your custom home. In renovation projects we find rot, termite damage, faulty products, substandard installations, broken parts and normal entropic decay. During the build vehicles get stuck, trees fall into driveways, things arrive wrong or broken, we get rained out, freezed out, heated out. Trades people have heart attacks, divorces, lose a child, reveal addictions (from alcohol to surfing and hunting) and then there are events like the Great Recession, the pandemic, and the over catastrophized Y2K scare. The bottom line is that one thing can hold up everything and not everything is predictable. Expect the unexpected but also know I’ve done this for many years as did my father before me. My team will work conscienscously with integrity and skill- your job will move as rapidly as possible and as tight to the estimated cost as possible- your satisfaction is our goal!
Always Remember the End Game. Remember that the duration of the project is short compared to the many years you will enjoy your home with your family and friends. Keep that picture in mind throughout the process- it will sustain you during the difficult times!