Tips for Better Remodeling Projects: Ten Types Of Disruptive Clients 

In remodeling, as in almost everything else in life, there are a lot of things you can’t control. But one thing you can control–which has a direct impact on your project–is how you, the client, act.

While all the client characteristics listed below are understandable, they can lead to a negetive outcome for your project. Your contractors are human and, for better or worse, will sometimes react to a difficult client in a negative way. Don’t let that happen to you!

Read on to learn about ten types of difficult clients and what happens on their projects so you can avoid being like them!

Lack of Boundaries Betty

Betty is excited about her project…so excited that she often has great ideas in the middle of the night! And when she does, she just knows that her contractor will be as excited as she is.

So she calls him! Late nights, weekends, The planned days off–it doesn’t matter to Betty!

The Problem

Enthusiasm is great and can be infectious. But when you don’t respect work hour boundaries it can put your contractor and designers on edge.  Your intent may not be to make therm feel pressured but that can be the result. 

The Solution

Write down all your ideas and moments of inspiration and sit with them for a day or two. The share the ones you still like with your contractor or designer during work hours.

Indecisive Irving

Poor Irving. No matter what decision he makes, he always second-guesses himself and wants to change his mind. He constantly asks other people what they think and then shares their opinions with his designers and contractors.

The Problem

While it’s great to have ideas about your project, being too indecisive can wear down your designer and make them lose enthusiasm for the project. It can make them feel like you do not trust their advice or expertise. 

The Solution

There are some design decisions that are easy to change, like choosing a faucet and others that are a lot of work to change, like your cabinets, plumbing plan or electric plan. 

A good designer will have a design process that helps nail down the important, hard to change things, first and provide you options for other selections. 

Work with your designer to lock down the important things first then stick to them. 

If you are still indecisive about things it helps to narrow it down to 3 choices and only pick from those.

Overreacting Olivia

To Olivia, every minor issue is a massive emergency. A delayed shipment, a small mistake, a necessary repair, a changed mind about paint colors: everything that goes even slightly wrong sends Olivia into a panic. She reacts by calling her project manager, and she does it often.

The Problem

The problem is that, like the story of the boy who cried wolf, when everything is an emergency, nothing really is.

The project manager becomes desensitized to her requests, and this can lead to bad service when a real emergency arises. It can also lead to poor quality work as the installers feel like nothign they do is appreciatied.

The Solution

Highly emotional reponses to small problems often comes from worry that things will not be taken care of… a lack of trust in your project team.

You need to trust your contractor. If your contractor gives you reason not to trust them then do not hire them. If you start to lose trust during the project then a sit down meeting is the way to address this. 

Go-Around Greg

Greg is always looking for a deal, and his home remodeling project is no exception. Unfortunately, this leads him to go behind his contractor’s back to talk to the subcontractors and vendors himself. He asks them to change the scope of their work, to get work done on the side, or to give him cost information.

The Problem

This makes the contractor react by being more secretive with Greg and less free with information Greg would like to have. It also causes the contractor to be authoritarian in order to maintain his position. The project can become very unpleasant very quickly. 

The Solution

Deal with your contractor directly on all issues. 

Urgent Eugene

Eugene is anxious to have his home remodel done! He can’t wait to be living in his new space, enjoying the changes and upgrades his project brought to life.

Unfortunately, He expects everything to be done immediately and without delay. Even though the project timeline is on track, Eugene wants it to be moving faster. 

The Problem

This causes a lot of stress at the job site as everyone hurries to get their work done. The unnecessary stress leads to shortcuts and mistakes. In the end, even if the project gets done faster, the team is on edge and Eugene isn’t happy with the results.

The Solution

Trust the process. The key is good communication and daily updates. Your contractor should create a detailed project schedule before the project starts and update you anytime it changes.

If you start to feel anxious about the project timeline take a step back and review the project calendar, if you are on track then take breath and reset your expectations.

If things seem off track have a conversation with your contractor about what can be done to get back on track. 

Negotiating Nikki

Nikki is all about a bargain. Even though the contractor discussed her budget and the project costs with her thoroughly, she’s convinced there are still ways to save some extra money.

She’s on the hunt. She asks repeatedly if she can get a “discount,” even though the costs have been set and agreed upon. She questions every expense and makes her team feel like they need to justify expenses she’s already signed off on.

The Problem

This can lead to shortcuts and mistakes as the team tries to save her money at the expense of doing the project well. It can actually even increase costs as the you would be charged for the extra time it takes to research options and re-bid parts of the project. 

The Solution

Your contractor should provide you a detailed budget that includes all your material costs. We like to use a Good Better Best budget so you can see a range of options. 

If they do not it’s best not to ask for a discount or deal. It’s better to ask your contractor or designer for options to lower the project cost. This can be done by changing the scope of work or exploring cheaper materails. 

But it’s important to remember “you get what you pay for” Cheap materials may save money in the short term but will need replacing much sooner. 

Distracted Danny

Distracted Danny is the uninterested husband. He’s happy to pay for the project, but he doesn’t want to help make any decisions–he leaves that to his wife.

He’s too busy to attend design meetings, and when he does come, he doesn’t pay attention. Everything, to him, is “fine.” This isn’t a problem until the end of the project, when suddenly Danny doesn’t like anything. He wants things changed to suit his preferences–information his contractor and designers wish they had months ago.

The Problem

The changes lead to increased costs, a longer timeline, and a frustrated team. And probably an annoyed wife as well.

The Solution

We have a pretty firm rule… if you don’t participate in design meetings you don’t get a say in the design! 

But it is best if all decision makers participate in the deisgn process. Even if you think ‘you don’t care’ about the design I think you’ll find there are certain aspects that you have strong opinions about. 

Nitpicking Nancy

It’s all about the details for Nancy–the very tiny details. While the contractor and his team have high standards and take pride in their work, they still can’t make Nancy happy.

She loves walking through the construction zone and pointing out problems and mistakes–sometimes, issues the team is still working on!

The Problem

This makes everyone edgy and defensive, and also leads to shortcuts because the team can’t wait to get out of there. 

The Solution

Your contractor should discuss quality standards and their walk-through process with you before the project starts. If want more formal reviews you can ask for them. 

They should also keep a running list of things that they are aware need attention so you can see those items. 

You can also make your own list but don’t bring things up every day. Save you list for the formal walk-through or at least for a few days so you can see if they get addressed on their own. 

Micromanaging Melvin

Melvin knows just enough about remodeling to be dangerous. While he doesn’t want to do the work himself (he’s not a DIY guy), he definitely wants to tell the crew how to do it. He loves to offer his opinions on every part of the construction process.

The Problem

He slows the work down because the project manager or contractor needs to stop and explain the team’s reasons for everything they’re doing. The crew would prefer to do the work they’re great at, without Melvin’s advice and input. 

The Solution

Try to stay out of the work area other than to say a quick hello of offer words of encouragement. If you do notice something you think should be done differently bring it up with your project manager, not the install crew. 

Change Order Charlie

Sometimes clients change their minds, or something comes up that makes revisions to the plan necessary. All contractors and project managers know this. Change orders are a part of most construction projects.

But for Change Order Charlie, change orders are a daily or weekly thing. He loves to ask for changes. This is often because not enough time was spent in design locking down decisions. 

Believe it or note some contractors like change orders because they make more money on them. They feel they can charge higher rates because you don’t have much choice. 

The Problem

Every change results in extra cost and an extended timeline. While you may be willing to pay the cost for the contractor if your project runs long he may have to delay someone elses and hurt their reputation. 

The Solution

The best solution is a throrough design process where everything is decided. Then change orders are usually minimal.

We Love Our Clients!

At McManus Kitchen and Bath, we love our clients. We want you to have the best experience possible and to be thrilled with your remodeled home.

We understand how stressful it can be and work very hard to make the process easy for you. Contact us today to set up a consultation and let us partner with you in designing and building your dream home.