I think of myself as a good guy. And my wife is an even better person than I am. I wonder though if there is something wrong with us. We have taken the time to meet with four different contractors, going over our needs for renovating our home and not one of them has given us a quote. This makes me wonder if we are off-putting in some way or the work we need completed is undesirable for some reason.
With the first two painters, who came recommended to us by a real estate friend, we went over all the things we needed for our whole home, inside and out, from the roof to the basement. I think we scared the first two off. Or to better describe it, our job is not as appealing to them as the other jobs they can choose from. Which is part of the problem – there is more work for painters than there are painters to do the work, so they can pick the preferred work and pass on more complex jobs. I can understand this, part of our job would be removal of popcorn ceilings in various rooms in our home as well as filling in exterior window glazing where some has dried and fallen off after 38 years of existence. Two projects I would hate to do.
With the third painter who is actually a remodeler (more than a painter), we decided to focus primarily on our kitchen renovation and a renovation of our master bath. Hopefully, the smaller scope of the project would not to scare him off. After meeting with us, we never heard from him again. Which is a curious thing to me. All three made time to meet with us, have at least some time invested in our job, but I guess if the work is harder than they want, I shouldn’t think of the situation as odd.
Then a fourth meeting happened – this time another remodeler; actually a state licensed home builder. I was careful to break the project down into even easier segments, looking for a way to make the project less intimidating. After three weeks, we are still waiting for a quote.
I know that I am at least a part of the problem. When I discuss with these people the work which needs to happen, I include the story about how I made the kitchen doors and drawers. I know for a fact that this drove away the third guy. He called me a “craftsman” which meant that I was going to have higher standards than most people. So, I am giving our fourth contractor another week and then I’ll be looking for someone else.
I wrote the previous paragraphs as a lead up to this point: It is looking like I am going to have to do this work if I want it accomplished any time soon. But it won’t be accomplished soon due to my limited time to devote to the project.
But, I am having fun getting my yard in shape. A nice break from the year-long kitchen woodworking project. We have had beautiful spring days here in Alabama (but it seems severe weather is almost a weekly occurrence). I’m enjoying the time outside and I hope you are as well.