Cheap and angry: a portrait of a modern customer and the pain of a builder

Now, more than ever, the construction services market is overflowing with specialists of all stripes, ready to fulfill any whim of the client for a reasonable fee. The competition has intensified to the limit. The rapidly growing number of workers has led to dumping in the construction sector. This is explained by the low threshold of entry into the profession: a couple of times he did a brickwork - already a professional bricklayer; mastered a graphic editor - and now there are ready-made projects on the market at affordable prices! This is also felt by the modern customer, who becomes more capricious from an overabundance of tempting offers. How can real specialists who have given years of their profession survive in this situation?

Let's talk about it with the FORUMHOUSE Exchange performer, professional designer, Vitaly Deldekin. And also consider one seemingly simple order, which, due to the constantly growing desires of the client, almost ended in a conflict.

Briefly about the artist

Vitaly is a top-class specialist in his field - not the first year in designing. Has certificates of a forensic expert. On his account, dozens of successfully completed large projects, a lot of work in private construction. Vitaly's company carries out the main sets of working documentation: GP, AS, AR, AI, KZh, KM, KMD, KD. And also Vitaly is engaged in the survey and monitoring of the technical condition of buildings and structures. The portrait of the performer is clear - a person performs work of almost any complexity with high quality.

About order

The client needed to visualize and design a veranda to the existing house. The approximate size of the veranda is 2300 * 3400 mm, placement is along the blank wall of the right wing of the house.

The house is wooden, built 25 years ago, sheathed with clapboard outside. The house design was not attached. The customer also did not indicate the style of the veranda. For this, a specialist consultation was required. Work budget: 5000-25000 rubles.

Everything seems to be simple - the task is set clearly and clearly. As a result of the work, Vitaly had to provide a draft design of the extension. The order was accepted, a deposit of 50% of the agreed amount was received, and the work began.

There is nothing special at this stage, most clients do this - this is a normal workflow. But here, perhaps, you need to pay attention to the ordering term: "approximate size".

Misunderstanding or planned action?

Within the indicated time frame, Vitaly provided three draft versions of the veranda project. Of these three options, the customer really liked one. The approved rough sketch went into further work, as the designers say - for cutting. Soon the sketch was completed, since it does not present any difficulties, but the customer did not accept it.

Customer's comments: “The contractor offered a good visual solution, but at the same time approached the functionality of the ideas proposed by the customer formally - that is, I drew simply according to the dimensions I suggested, while I expected the performer to critically approach the task. When I realized on the drawings that the furniture did not fit in the proposed dimensions of the veranda, the contractor refused to redraw the draft design. "

That is, an understanding about furniture came to the person, a word about which was not even in the technical task! It's like buying ordinary bread, realizing it, and then demanding from the baker: "Why isn't this cake?" Absurd? Apparently, yes, but there is still an assumption.

There is a category of toxic people who cling to everything just to underpay for the work done. These are some fans of penalties; they go to any lengths for the sake of wanting to get "cheap and cheerful".

In this case, Vitaly completely completed the first, previously agreed part of the work - the draft design. Then he demanded legal payment, but received a number of claims and requests in the form of: arrange furniture; add another 50 centimeters to the veranda for chair movement; remove floor tiles and add steps; drawing not to scale and so on.

According to the laws of business, which state that the client is always right, Vitaly satisfied all the customer's requests, completed the work, and received the remainder of the amount. The order is completed, it's time to forget about everything, but that was not all - the client gave a low mark in the quality section. Finally, I hit my reputation. For what? It's not entirely clear - I got more than I ordered.

Where is the private sector construction business going?

The private sector differs from a large construction site in the absence of a number of examinations and mandatory standards. We can say that private housing construction is practically not regulated by documents. Here, if only the formal requirements for connecting to communications are met - no one really looks at the rest.

It is worth noting that in private housing construction, due to the above reasons, there are no unrealizable desires - the pros or those who consider themselves as such will build a house according to any project - if only they pay. And whether it is right or not, often the builders themselves do not know.

The lack of proper control gave rise to total illiteracy in the industry. And already the illiteracy both on the part of the customers and on the part of self-taught builders led to the fact that the criterion for choosing a contractor was not the quality of work, but its price.

Hence the huge amount of marriage. All these cold blown houses, cracked foundations and walls opened by gusts of wind of the roof can be observed due to the fact that specialists who know the value of work are gradually being replaced by enterprising businessmen for whom construction education secondary.

Naturally, this breaks prices and experienced specialists, for the most part, remain overboard. They have to survive on an equal footing with enterprising self-taught. This gives rise to a modern, not very literate, capricious and willing to get everything for free, a client.

The modern client is a builder's problem

The age of the Internet has made global changes in all areas, and it has not bypassed construction. "Unfiltered" information gushed out in a stream, in which the man in the street drowned. Numerous "how to save money" or "do it yourself almost free" clouded the minds of potential customers. Armed with this information, they began to demand cheap solutions from the builders.

The builders, who do not intend to give up profit, went to meet the modern customer. They began to completely reduce the cost of everything, often doing it contrary to technology. Modern building solutions can be compared to ersatz products (margarine instead of butter, chicory instead of coffee, dermantin instead of leather, etc.), which were common during World War II war. Then there was not enough raw materials and it was a necessary measure. What is missing now? Partly salaries, but mostly education.

But this is not so critical in direct work, where the result can be seen and touched. For example, the quality of the masonry: smooth, nice, seemingly soundly! But here, for all the beauty of the structure, there are pitfalls: filling the joints, the quality of the mortar itself - what are they, how long will the house stand without repair?

But in design, the tendency to reduce costs is especially detrimental. An ordinary customer treats drawings and sketches as a set of waste paper. He does not feel it and does not understand what the money is for.

It is easier for an average person to buy a ready-made project, in which redundant solutions are laid for reinsurance, than to order competent documentation, made under his specific conditions. Often, on the purchased finished project, the customer spends up to 10-15% more on construction precisely because of redundant solutions.

A modern customer can be described as a person who demands beauty and quality for little money. And also one of the eternal laws of business acts on him: the client is always right. The client began to believe that you can come up with your own rules and subject the performer to penalties for their violations. But a construction site is a place where the client is most likely more of a patient - here the requirement “do as I want” is not always appropriate.

Appeal and checklist from Vitaly

Dear customers and partly performers, when purchasing design and working documentation for a residential building, do not try to deceive the designer - buying a project for "ridiculous money". By this you deceive yourself first of all and become a hostage of your own deception. The most interesting thing is that you do it with absolutely sane mind.

Further, having received such a project, you begin to doubt the technical solutions of the document and resort to such measures such as: - verification calculations of foundations, frame, heat engineering calculations, in a word, - audit. But you also have to pay for the audit! And many of you, having “burned out” on the project, continue to “smolder” during the audit - saving even here ...

The fate of your home depends only on you. I do not urge to order or buy a project for “fabulous sums”! In my opinion, there should be a balance, a balance in price and quality, and it is necessary to remember that it is impossible to buy a Lexus at the price of ZAZ 966. If you really want to get the result, then I recommend the following:

1. Make up a "TK" for yourself, at least for yourself.
2. Do not hesitate to show the "TK" to the designer and no matter how it is done and how it looks from the outside, the important thing is that these are your thoughts. A normal designer will accept all this and bring it to the technical logic.
3. It is imperative to communicate live, and not to conduct correspondence, which leads the whole process to a standstill, do not forget that we are all different people and with different education. Nothing can replace simple human communication, during which truth is born.
4. I recommend starting work with the "Sketch Design" at least to make the volume in a truncated form, but try to resolve as much as possible technical issues arising in the process of forming the "Draft project ". Thus, the contractor (designer) chosen by you performs his professional work accurately and confidently, without fear, without looking back and extraneous thoughts, slowly or quickly, but confidently!
5. Be honest and open about your budget. Even if your budget does not correspond to the volume that you want to receive, tell it directly to the potential contractor with whom you would like to collaborate. Honestly and directly, and then a normal performer (designer) will find a solution, he will definitely do the job. Maybe a little more, or maybe a little less - but worthy!
6. Do not try to get information from the contractor about the financial component of the project and immediately run and compare it with others, make a choice in favor of a lower cost. Normal experienced designers have almost the same financial estimate. Even if the amount is slightly overestimated, then this is a reason for constructive communication, culminating in a handshake and productive cooperation.
7. If you deliberately want to underpay the contractor (designer) at some stage of the design, then my advice to you: - do it at least honestly, looking into your eyes, say: - Alas and ah... sorry money are over!!! But do it honestly! Without disappearing from sight! Do not forget, having done this, you will inevitably return to this circle, perhaps to other specialists, but you will come back!

In conclusion, I would like to wish - keep track of the balance and may your orders and their implementation be successful!

Do you think the builder really follows the client's lead? Write in the comments!

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