[good], defined

Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, drywall finishers, tilers, mechanical folks – we work with ‘em all at some point during our kitchen projects.

In fact, we need them all on our projects.  And because we fast track, it’s even more important that we’re compatible.

So yeah, we’re pretty picky about our partners in construction.  Here’s what seems to work best for both us and them:

• experience. If they make difficult things look easy, it’s a good indicator they’ve picked up some good habits. And they have a firm grasp of how their work connects to others’ work.
• quality. They’re proud of their work. They might not flaunt or verbalize it, but taking a cursory look at what they’ve done before they go home that day says it all.
• reliability. They usually beat me to the jobsite. They know when to make decisions on their own & when to hit the brakes & check in with us, which is always if dollars or aesthetics are potentially  involved.
• they listen. They make an effort to understand what we’re trying to do, and they think on their feet to solve conundrums with us.
• communicative. We can reach them & they can reach us. Via phone, txt msg, email. They talk to us at the beginning and end of the day, let us know if they need anything & keep us in the loop of progress.
• respect. They respect what we do as much as we respect what they do. They know it’s a mutually beneficial relationship. If the respect is there, everybody eats.

The intangible

There’s one last characteristic that’s sort of hard to describe. It’s almost a mashup of a sense of humor & ability to focus.  They know that cracking jokes & chatter helps the mundane & repetitive stuff more fun. But they also know when it’s time to think & be careful & attentive.

Nobody likes to be micromanaged.  And nobody likes to micromanage.  If we do our homework & pick carefully, no micromanaging is necessary. Saves dollars, time & sanity. What’s not to love about that?