Bless Bob Dylan for perspective. I always go hide in the Porta John when the Client/Contractor question arises: that's because I get way too triggered. Thankfully, the NY Times has brought my masochism into the moldy light of day. Imagine this: homeowners can become raging buttheads when either asked to choose between Miele and Bosch or when given an invoice?? Is it really OK to disconnect my cellphone? Read on...(current Clients please sign off).
I freely admit to reading the NY Times daily and have been known to pop a cork on Sunday and dive into the Book Review. Hey... at least its good wine!! Stay on point. So much has been written into the human archive about the beer bellied, always late, always overcharging American contractor (although Peter Mayle has exponentially increased his hectares of Provencal vineyard property by writing about the "French repairman"). Bonjour Pete, I do windows!!
Now comes an article about contractors going into treatment to deal with the stresses of client fatigue. I personally want to blow up every "reality TV" episode of Extreme Homes or Cribs of the Sports Stars. Hello people... Sudan, Myanmar?? and you are screaming about not knowing how to program your latte machine?
OK, calm down Richard, eat some more calcium/magnesium. In America it is all fair game. I mean, people seem to believe that, in the midst of all this global madness, that their granite countertop (now that it is in place and subs have been paid to fulfill their agreed upon obligations) needs to be .02 percent lighter in color and 1/8" closer to the toaster than what was in the contract so therefore, I must pay for their discomfort...
I decided to retire from the General Contracting world for all of these liability issues. But, mainly it was because I wanted to believe in collaborative visions and that ceased to be within the realm of sanity. Plus the fact that I live and work in CA which is home to every nutcase with an AK47 and a lawyer.
There is currently a case pending in my community of a nut who, after feuding with his neighbors for years over property issues, decided to place a boulder in their driveway. When, at wits end, the neighbor came out with a sledgehammer to break up the granite rock.. the neighbor was shot and killed by the nut. When the neighbor's wife came screaming, he killed her too. The sheriffs chocked this up to a local dispute.
I currently know of consummate craftsmen who have been moved off of multi-million dollar residences because (even though the architects called for 1/64" tolerances) they were not working fast enough. Dear readers, please try to create a 50 foot long and 12 foot tall hallway and be within 1/64" at the other end. This is anal madness!! Why?
I once built a home for Thich Nhat Hahn at his home/retreat in southeastern France. We ran an extension cord 300 feet through the meadow to run one saw for two hours, given the cost of electricity. At the end of the day, a dwelling was created that hung off a cliff, overlooking the local vineyards. For me, just to attempt the impossible was enough. I learned that "impossible" was much more interesting than content. I don't know where I'm going with this, but that's the point. The outcome of the mutual effort and the relationships formed were far greater than any initial vision.
In that world, money and things were not the coin of the realm. As much as I am enchanted by the volume of possibilities from products and design in the western world, someone has to show up and make everything jive. I have spent my career bitching about hillbilly "master craftsmen", and yet Clients continue to make major decisions based on perceived, monetary value.
I envision the Pharoah saying to the contractors of the pyramids at Giza that they are not in the correct position to his favorite snackbar in Cairo, so they need to be moved. Quick, we need more Nubian slaves... RP
