Construction Finishes: What You See Is What You Get

One of the most enjoyable times for customers during the construction of their home or commercial building is when the time comes to choose their finishes. Unfortunately, when they actually see those finishes installed can be one of the most frustrating times for you as the builder or general contractor. Many commercial customers don't care too much about their finishes, they're more concerned about when the building will be done and they can be open for business, but even some of them can get concerned if a carpet isn't the right shade or cabinets in the reception area are a little too dark.

In the past, if you happened to be building in a larger metro area, there were Expo Centers where customers could go to make their selections or one of your employees could escort the customer to tile, flooring, and other vendors' showrooms to see what choices were available. However, with everyone working shorthanded these days, some of those responsibilities now rest with the vendors and customers - not a problem until they walk into their home and state that the wrong tile or carpet has been installed.

So what's the solution to what can become a very expensive problem and damage customer relations? The answer can be as simple as most issues that arise during the construction process: good communication with your customer at the beginning of the project can solve problems before they occur and make everything run much smoother.

At the pre-construction meeting (you do have one, right?) explain that samples seen in showrooms are not always going to be an exact match for what goes into their home or building. Natural products such as wood, granite, and marble differ from piece to piece and manmade materials such as brick, carpeting, ceramic tile, and even paint can vary depending on when they were manufactured. Explain that they should be absolutely sure about the finishes they choose as once they're installed, unless a real mistake has been made by the vendor or the installer, they are staying in place.

When times were good, it was often possible for a builder to absorb the cost of a vanity top or bathroom floor if the right product was installed, but the color shade was a bit off. However, with today's tight profit margins, the rule of thumb with customers when the correct material is installed should be: what you see is what you get.

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