That old house #8: Down to the wire - crunch time

Its been a while, I understand what you mean I am about to embark on a new endeavor around the end of the year. The shop should (I hope) be 100% done by the end of Oct and I must say it is taking me longer then I had anticipated. Both money and time plus having to make repairs to the home inside and out I have had to trouble shoot many electrical problems and the list goes on I hope to get back to working on the shop starting tomorrow.
Priorities for me are always changing

Sometimes you have to explain to the client that you hate having odds and ends lingering and they need to be finished first before moving on to other “add-on/extras”. This has happened to me before and then the client starts complaining about nothing is “finished”.
If you take the scheduling control back, this shows the customer that you are professional and you know the order that things need to be completed to keep the job on track and orderly.

But then again…I always say that the best plan is a flexible plan (especially in renovation work).....lol

Good luck!

-- The difference between a pro and an amateur, an amateur points out his mistakes

Gary – I’ve tried that with this client. Unfortunately, it does not compute. I guess when you are her age, the priorities she sets are always the most important for her.

Now that I’m finished with my full-time job, I hope to finish this week. I’ve already told her that once her job is finished, I will not take on another until I finish what I need to do for my boss (SWMBO). My client’s list is already growing. From last count, she wants me to build book shelves, another cabinet for odds and ends, paint a couple of rooms, and work on the trim around her front door.

My bosses list is longer.

-- No matter how many times I measure, I always forget the dimensions before I cut.

Billy – Your blog series is absolutely fascinating. Thanks for keeping it up. I don’t feel so bad now that I have been working on my house steadily for a year and I’m not done. Everytime I think I’m getting somewhere, it “Changes”. Now where did I hear those words before?

BTW – I noticed a spammer has taken an interest in your thread. Is nothing sacred?

-- Working on my home for 2 years and counting.

Mark – thanks. Although I’m still working, the list is starting to shrink. My hopes and dreams of finishing last week are dashed, but I’m still plugging away.

Regarding the spammer – there should be a way for us to remove and/or block those. But, even if that spammer was blocked or removed, they’ed just sign up with another name and continue spamming. I think the only way to stop it is to make it mandatory that a person completes the home page with the essentials: a little bit about themselves, at least one project (even if it’s an old one), an at least the city/state they live. I don’t think spammers would take that much time to fill out everything. But, then again, I’ve been wrong SO many times before!

-- No matter how many times I measure, I always forget the dimensions before I cut.

So how things progressing? Has she added any more to the list of’s ”I want it now”.
Finally making the curved moldings. I’ve been snapping some pic’s. Maybe I’ll get it posted tonight on here or LJ’s.

-- The difference between a pro and an amateur, an amateur points out his mistakes

Yahoo