Good Questions Make Good Beginnings

One of the first things I tell every client at our first meeting is "I'm going to ask a lot of questions." While the meeting is of course about the practicalities of a construction project, I am genuinely curious about everybody I meet, and getting to know each client is an essential part of my method. These first moments are crucial in the start of any new project. In them we learn a lot about each other and the question we are all really asking are: Do I want to work with this person? 

How invested are we in this moment, are we checking our phones throughout the meeting, are we listening well, are we honest and upfront and transparent, are we asking good questions of each other? Now this doesn't mean that everything is cool, calm, and collected, or that we have everything worked out on day one, but are we open to entering into a creative endeavor together?

It might sound strange, but one way I find answers is by telling people that my first goal on any project is to have fun. My saying this often surprises people, and I get some interesting reactions from it. But those reactions are telling.

As I've said elsewhere on the website, Method is the expression of my desire to work on the best projects with the best clients and fun is at the heart of what I mean by that. I'm looking for clients that want to enter into a creative and thoughtful process that is fun. It's a simple thing to say but harder in reality. Of course, the goal is to get a job done, and that's enjoyable too, but the creative process, working together, and thoughtfully solving problems along the way is just as important.

A case study.

I remember one couple that I worked with; it started with red flags and ended in a wonderful relationship with a beautiful and unique home. The story of that project perfectly illustrates this way of working together that I am looking for.

At our first meeting, only Bill was there in their empty house just purchased. There were only two chairs in the whole thing. We met for over two hours, just the two of us, his partner couldn't handle being there after what they'd been through. I was the 4th contractor they'd interviewed on site. Each of the three other contractors they’d had and asked for estimates from either did nothing more than a verbal ballpark or provided an estimate that in no way reflected the details on the architect's plans or their wish list. The owners had good blueprints but weren't getting anywhere in finding the right contractor. The estimates that were given were ultimately very low and didn't reflect the blueprints well at all.

So, I told him straight, "I can step in. It'll take time, but if you trust me and go with me step by step we'll get to a workable solution. But be prepared, we're going to be joined at the hip every step of the way. I'll give you my costs, my overhead, my profit, everything you need to feel good about moving forward." After a couple of hours talking, Bill got comfortable and said, "OK" it was time to bring David in so we set up another meeting. It was a unique first meeting. In the second meeting Bill and I reviewed what we had discussed together with David to bring him up to speed. When David finally started talking about how stressful and anxiety producing this endeavor had become, he got very emotional . . . for a minute. I reached out and held his hand and said that I was going to build a house he could love. 

As we talked more, I listened to the questions they had and the trigger points for anxiety and stress. I could see that they were not difficult people, just people with lots of good ideas who knew what they wanted. This was not their first construction rodeo. They wanted guidance and help thinking through details, cutting out unnecessary designer bling, filling in the gaps, fleshing out the desires, and a workable budget. They had real unique taste but had struggled to pull it all together into a workable whole with the architect or any previous contractor they sat down with.

Keeping the emotional temperature low

For me, the best way to keep projects pleasurable is to keep the emotional temperature low. As I could see in that first meeting, that was going to be tricky on this project. But as I get to know people, I'm looking for ways to think ahead of them, predict their questions, and have an answer ready when they ask. This helps put them at ease, reminds them that I'm on their side, and capable of getting them through the project. Then they're free to just choose between the good options I offer. 

One such moment in Bill and David's house: there is a partition wall that runs up the middle of a multi-story staircase as you enter the house that just begged for some design flourish. Bill was grumbling about the lack of details on the plan. They needed something that was "them", something dynamic, with a little bit of flair. I worked up a sketch of an idea I had of horizontal rough-cut board painted black to mimic “shou-sugi-ban", the expensive Japanese wood preservation method. We did a quick mock up and it was approved. I had the electrician install LED lights behind them which looked great. Switching them on when guests arrive is now one of Bill's favorite little things to do, a source of endless delight. After we started installing the boards he looked at me with a bit of friendly attitude and said…"now what about the handrail!?" Knowing he would ask at some point, I had an answer ready which was of a simple stainless steel rail wrapping around it all. He was most pleased that I had the answer and readily approved it.

Earning and building with trust

One of the first things I did was to create a long list of every item, detail, carpenter hours, subcontractor estimates, material costs etc. and assigned costs to all, including everything on their wish list. This summary led to the real cost of the project. When we sat down and looked at the numbers, the real costs were much more than any ballpark the other contractors had given them. Although disappointing, I had facts and figures to back it all up. Reality set in, and for a week we went through the list together and made hard choices. Of course my endless list of questions during this helped define what was important and what was a wish. The biggest thing they had to give up on was all radiant heat floors. It was a large number. I also told them if I could save money along the way, I would speak up, and we would look at that particular course of action. 

Of course, no project is all nice and happy high fives, you have to work for it. There are inevitably those moments of friction, like when I had to put my foot down on the need to gut the interior first which Bill protested mightily about all the way through the demo until we were done. When we found structural details missing, rotted wood in several places, live exposed wires in the walls, dryer ducts that vented inside the house in the attic, and crushed ductwork. Well, by doing so, it proved worth it, of course. But that is the moment where trust gets built. Bill and David had a house burn down once so, first and foremost, wanted that to never happen again. 

Once the trust is there, once we get a sense of each other, then we can be creative together and come up with solutions to problems that really express who the client is. As I get to know my clients and they trust me, I can more and more help them articulate the dreams and desires that they have. Even better, I can start coming up with things that are just right for them that they would have never dreamed up themselves.

At my first meetings with Bill and David, the red flags were everywhere, multiple contractors come and gone, only Bill present at the first meeting, etc. But what I picked up on was that they were people who wanted a deeper, more creative process, but struggled to articulate it and to find contractors that were looking to go deeper too. In the end we made a great team and every step of the project was full of delightful details and creative curiosities (check out the drywall details above the living room fireplace) as we sought that perfected imperfection in each room and feature of their home. The owners selected wonderful materials to work with all within a budget, they had real spark and good taste. In a nutshell, it was a whole lot of fun.