While sticking as close to the schedule as possible should be a goal, you don’t want to take it too far. Squeezing as many trades as can fit on the site in order to stay on schedule is likely to make them even less happy than a last-second delay. Costolloe says that he can price a job fairly precisely under the assumption that his crew will be working without interference from other trades (as a painting contractor, he’s usually on site toward the end of the project). However, if the schedule is squeezed, his efficiency will suffer. And, he says, “it’s hard to estimate what that interference does to production rates.”
A good number of these schedule crunches come when homeowners request changes or take more than the allotted time to make selections. The best remodelers, says Costolloe, are the ones who are “confident enough to push back” and explain that change orders and selection delays will alter the project completion date. “But a lot of remodeling companies are fearful of saying that,” he says.
The end result of the “crunch” scenario is that someone loses money — and it’s usually the trade. “Rarely does the remodeler want to take on an additional charge for the inconvenience,” Costolloe says. Put trade contractors in this situation too often, and you’re likely to end up with business owners who aren’t willing to go the extra mile for you when you need it — or to work with you at all. “A lot of painters just swear off remodelers forever,” Costolloe says.
PAYMENT PLAN Money is another area where you should apply the Golden Rule. Fannin’s goal is to pay his trades ahead of schedule, when they bill him (rather than having a standard invoicing period). Horen says that The Lifestyle Group pays its trades every Friday for work completed through Wednesday — with Thursday reserved to verify the work being billed.
These examples describe an ideal, but the main thing, Costolloe says, is that “we want to always be working on someone else’s nickel, instead of our own.” Sound familiar? If you’re not willing to work without payment from the client, why should the trade work without payment from you?
Whatever payment schedule you and your trade agree upon, stick to it. “I don’t have to get paid a certain way,” Cissel says, “but I do need to know what the plan is.” If a problem arises, be up front about it. “If it’s going to deviate, I’d much rather that [remodelers] call me than me call them [looking for a check].”
WALK THE WALK It is also up to your company to set standards for your projects. For instance, telling the trades that you expect a clean jobsite isn’t sufficient. It’s the responsibility of your lead carpenter (or project manager or supervisor) to enforce those rules.
Why? Continuing with the cleanliness example, “If I show up at a site and it’s not clean, I’m not going to leave it any cleaner when I’m done,” O’Harra says. Part of that is practical: O’Harra schedules and estimates based on having to clean up after he’s finished. If he spends that time cleaning before he starts, he doesn’t have it to spare when he’s done.
But there’s a more subtle, psychological aspect: “If I have to clean the area before I install cabinets, it reduces my respect for the job,” O’Harra says. That’s not to say that he intentionally does inferior work on those projects — what good contractor would? — but there are bound to be ramifications of this perception bouncing around his subconscious. And the negative influence of this attitude will be even more pronounced in someone who, unlike O’Harra, isn’t attuned to it. That probably describes most people, and work done under those conditions is likely to be sloppier.
REAP THE REWARDS If you achieve positive and mutually respectful relationship with your trades, chances are you’ll be rewarded with more than just a profitable job that runs smoothly. Good trade contractors rarely lack work, and quite often will have two or more general contractors vying for their services. They do their best to accommodate everyone, but there are times when they have to give preference, and their decision to choose you over someone else hinges on your history with them. Cissel says he’ll give preference to a remodeler who exclusively uses Apple Electrical Services. O’Harra says he may push back another project or work his guys overtime to accommodate the schedules of his best contractor customers. Henry says he’s willing to help his preferred contractors solve problems, but adds that “it may not be worthwhile” to peel personnel off one job as a favor to certain others who he works for.