For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 18, 2022

no consulting John whatsoever Elly just did

A thing called scope creep

“Add Ins” add on!

Well, when working with a contractor, try your best to visualize what the end result would be, and pay attention to the measurements and finishes. Because changing them costs you. The same is true for choosing a plan in a new subdivision and choosing finishes and changing your mind later. However, that’s a nice privilege rather than buying an as-is home and accepting what goes with the sale of the home and learning to live with it.

Tell me about it, I’m right in the middle of one…

Well John, the renovations have renovations.

Very confusing. The renovation was supposed to be paid for by a Christmas gift from Elly’s mother. Why is John paying for it?

Put yourself in harm’s way, be surprised when harm comes.

John doesn’t know that Elly is altering the original plans??

Sure is a lot of communication in that marriage!! /s

Might’ve been cheaper just to buy a new house, eh, John??

Couldn’t they return the linen closet door? I don’t think they would have taken the door out of the box yet before they even put up the drywall. And why would they already have put a light fixture in the shower and the vanity in, when yesterday they were still framing the roof and hadn’t yet put the plywood on the roof? If it rains today the light fixture would get wet and it will begin to rust. You don’t want electrical fixtures to begin to rust! These carpenters are useless. Reminds of the incompetent carpenters on the ‘Green Acres’ show.

Ask your wife

Hiring a contractor is like renting a car or a hotel room… There are always “extras” that you don’t know about until it comes time to pay the bill…

I asked for a light in the shower but was told it’s against code. I did get one added to the exhaust fan, though.

PLAN AHEAD.

Brings the 1948 film Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House to mind. It has never been otherwise.

I don’t think she realizes that almost any change costs money. And time. Whenever you plan a reno and are told it will take 6 weeks and cost $10k, just double the time and add 5k to the budget. It will keep you from losing your mind. And if it is finished under 12 weeks and under $15k consider yourself blessed.

Change orders are expensive. I don’t think Elly knows that.

Mr. Blandings builds his dream House, mission creep explained: https://youtu.be/6Rxqk3Lcvrw

My plans are precise, and they do not vary once the work is underway. My measuring, leveling, sawing and wood selection leaves much to be desired. Thus, waste and overruns. …sigh

“Scope change” – as sophisticated consumers of technical services those SOB’s know that. “did you get budget change authorization?”

Have remodeling. Send family on vacation during process. It’s cheaper

And this is why in engineering, we have contract modifications……

Ely and Jon must not have provided drawings of the work they wanted done. That might have stopped a lot of costly revisions. Of course, Ely has never had to concern herself with what things cost cause that Jon’s job.

It costs more because your wife feels the entitlement.

What we have here is a lack of communication!

Because of all the ‘change fees’ Elle racks up…

ULTIMATE RENOVATION GAG—

The Doris Day movie where James Garner comes home late at night and drives his car into a swimming pool that wasn’t there when he left in the morning.

We just did a house reno. The contractors would estimate the cost for each part of the project (e.g. bathroom) but wouldn’t update it if you made small changes to the plan because it was too much trouble and they don’t like doing paperwork anyway

Why? Indeed, John, you are a married man. Whenever the (former) wife and I had a project priced, I knew that was just the starting point. I called it her “Law of Expansion of Projects”…She was the type that you feared sending her to get the car washed and detailed, as she would keep piling on the extras until it was cheaper to just buy a new car… Don’t ask why she is my (former)… : )

Elly is behaving like a stereotypical housewife of the 40’s & 50’s. She asks for changes that are not in the budget and her husband can’t figure out why it costs so much extra. It’s the same mentality in “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House”. I guess it’s still considered funny to be a brainless woman.

Because your wife keeps making changes?

I worked for a few companies that made most of their profit from change orders.

Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House https://vimeo.com/70255219

Send the wife on a vacation, you’ll save more in change orders than the cost of the vacation. Not to mention it will be done sooner

Why WOULDN’T there be a light in the shower?

Just keep family members away from the crew

That’s a funny line, but in real life, the addition would have been designed before it was built, and all the finishes would have been bought before the whole thing was started. I know because we did that, and there weren’t any surprises at all…

You don’t have to make changes to make the price go up…double the original price quote and triple the time.