Robert Koci
From pilot to contractor: (21) Completing the puzzle
Canadian Contractor Commercial Environment21 posts later, pilot-turned-contractor John Bleasby has shared with us every decision he had to make as a GC, from his windswept, snow-covered empty lot to his completed new family home. Here he wraps up his post-mortem on the build.
This is the final post from John Bleasby in his long-running series of blogs about building his own home north of Orillia, ON. The former commercial pilot has kept us entertained and informed as he did his first ‘solo’ home build. Now that he has landed safely and shut down his engines at the gate, we’d like to thank John for taking us with him on the journey. To read John’s older posts, click here.
Using terminology from my aviation background, one could say that my house’s Design was the Flight Plan, and the Budget was the Fuel. Completing my post mortem as both the Owner and General Contractor, allow me now to comment on Selecting the Right Team (the mechanics), Timelines (flight schedule), and Advance Purchases of Hard Goods (spare parts inventory).
The Team
I live in a relatively small community. Therefore most of the trades know each other and are a great source of information. For me, price was important but so was quality and reputation. Anyone who does shoddy work or does not pay sub-suppliers on time rightfully earns a bad rep. As the Owner, I want top quality work. I want trades who show up on schedule and focus on my job, not flit around to 3 or more jobs at once.
As a Contractor, I want a positive environment. I want trades who can find creative solutions for problems as they arise (and they do!). I expect trades to show up on time and bill for the time they work, not they time they ponder their work. That means showing up at 7:30am and staring at the site until 8:15 before picking up tools is not paid time.
For the most part I had wonderful, even exceptional, trades on my site. The ones who fell short of expectation were either messy workers, showed disrespect for their fellow trades and in some cases the design of the house itself, and/or felt that ‘pondering time’ was billable time. Interestingly, these individuals were not known by the top area trades I had hired, nor did these individuals know these top trades. You have to keep your eyes open when you have an unknown quantity on site. Perhaps being an unknown is more likely in a larger community, but around these parts, it’s a warning sign.
Timelines
With apologies to Mike Holmes, we are delighted with our pre-fab Swedish kitchen cabinets, purchased when on sale during the spring.
Some might say I was pushy about my timelines. However, I defend any criticism by saying that as long as they are reasonable, timelines are very important. They let everyone know what is expected of them, and let the next incoming group of trades know when they can start on the project. Even mini-deadlines are important, such as: “The floors under the kitchen cabinets have to be installed by Wednesday because the countertops are scheduled for installation. I can’t lose that time slot.” Focus would then shift to that specific job in order to be ready on time.
For an Owner, everything is a priority; everything has to be done at once. Owners are impatient. Therefore as a Contractor, deadlines and milestones are more than just scheduling tools. They can also be communicated to an Owner as a way of demonstrating that progress is being made in an orderly fashion. As a result of my ‘pushiness’ and my use of deadlines, I (as Contractor) was able to move me (as Owner) into my house 6 months to the day of breaking ground, not bad for a 4000 square foot custom home. Both sides of my brain were satisfied.
Advance Purchases of Hard goods
I previously wrote about purchasing plumbing fixtures, appliances, flooring, lighting, even exotic building materials, when on sale or clearout. As an owner this was fun as well as economical, since it meant the interior design process was underway. As a Contractor, it meant that when a trade asked what kind of fixture or fitting would be used or installed, I could pull it out of storage and say ‘Here it is!” They seemed to like that.
The problem however with any advance purchase is compatibility and fit at time of installation. I discovered that North American bathroom sinks are not particularly compatible with Scandinavian vanity cabinets for example. There were several return trips to various stores for replacements and exchanges. There were no problems with store policies, but it was a major time-waster. On balance though, it was a good strategy.
So it’s done. Next week, the sod goes in and the exterior siding goes on, both delayed by rainy weather. But we are warm and snug inside. I am very happy with the result as the Owner and with the project as the Contractor.
Thank you for following this blog for the past 5 months; it’s been fun to document my progress for you. And may all your future projects meet budget and go according to plan!
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