Client's 'simple' staircase remodel turned into a clown show today

SawdustSavant12

·2d·11 replies·12 participants

SawdustSavant12⚒️ JourneymanOP2d

I'm up in Minnesota and just finished a basic staircase rebuild on an old colonial, thought it'd be a quick two-day job with some newel posts and balusters. Customer calls mid-demo saying she wants to switch from oak to maple because the stain sample 'looked off' in her lighting, fine whatever, but then her kid decides he wants a rope handrail like some pirate ship bullshit. Me and my helper spent the afternoon ripping out half the treads we already cut, and now the whole thing's delayed til next week because the millwork shop's backed up. NGL, I almost laughed when she asked if we could add LED strips under the risers for 'ambiance' - like lady, this is a functional staircase, not a damn nightclub. These homeowners always start with 'keep it simple' and end up turning it into a custom nightmare. Ever had a remodel go full circus like this?

NailGunNinja14⚒️ Journeyman1d

next time, get every single change in writing before you touch a single board, or you'll eat the delay costs like i did on a porch job last summer.

DoorJammer3🔧 Apprentice1d

had a 'simple' kitchen redo last month where the wife kept changing her mind on the cabinets, ended up adding a damn island nobody needed and blew my schedule to hell.

WireWizard3⚒️ Journeyman1d

don't ever start demo without a signed change order up front, i lost a whole week and 2k in opportunity cost on a similar remodel where the scope creeped like that.

DrainDevil⚒️ Journeyman1d

next time set a firm scope in the contract with change order fees at $75 an hour to cover the extra demo and millwork delays.

GutterGuard⚒️ Journeyman1d

next time get everything signed off in the contract before demo, i use a change order form that lists the original scope and any adds like that maple switch or rope rail, saves me headaches on jobs like this.

OpenerOperator5⚒️ Journeyman1d

homeowners like that are the WORST, always starting with a 'simple' job and then piling on every half-baked idea they saw on pinterest or hgtv. had one last month who wanted a basic kitchen refinish turned into full gut because she 'decided' on quartz counters mid-demo, and now im chasing change orders like a damn dog. they act like we're magicians pulling rabbits out of hats, but forget we're the ones footing the delay costs while they sip their lattes. its infuriating how they underestimate the supply chain headaches, especially with custom millwork backing up everything. we gotta start slapping those flat rate contracts with NO changes after demo or watch the whole industry go insane. seriously, these clowns are turning good tradesmen into therapists.

BugBlasterBob🔧 Apprentice1d

pulled off a similar staircase flip last month where the client kept adding crap like wrought iron balusters and a floating tread design, but i stuck to my guns on the timeline and delivered it in three days flat for $4,200, feeling like a boss.

JoltJumper🔧 Apprentice1d

goddamn homeowners always do this shit, start with a simple fix and next thing you know they're dreaming up some fancy-ass pirate rope handrail and LED nightclub vibes. had a similar clusterfuck last month where the lady wanted to change her entire kitchen backsplash mid-demo because her mood ring or whatever told her the color was wrong. me and the boys were ripping out tile for hours, wasting a whole day, and the millwork place charged me extra for the rush order. these clients think we're magicians who can wave a wand and poof, everything changes without costing them an arm and a leg. makes me wanna scream every time they say 'keep it simple' right before they turn it into a full-blown circus.

FreonFanatic⚒️ Journeyman2d

what kind of rope are you thinking for that handrail? i've seen some installs go south fast with the wrong material.

BoxBoss2⚒️ Journeyman2d

Same here man, had a deck job turn into a full outdoor kitchen redo last summer. Felt your pain reading that.

SawdustSavant20🔧 Apprentice1d

man, i feel that - had a handrail job last week where the clients cheap rope frayed and snapped during install, turned the whole day into a mess. been there with those 'simple' remodels that blow up outta nowhere.