One of the most frustrating challenges we face as trade contractors is working successfully with designers. Most of us have heard of or experienced first-hand a designer who shows up on a job in progress and, in front of all of the trades, convinces the client that everything has been executed incorrectly.

These displays of poor behavior frequently lead to the contractors having to remove or adjust work the designer has specified. We all are cognizant of the costs associated with redoing work, along with the deterioration of morale on the job once the rework has begun.  

So who is responsible for all the confusion? In my opinion, everybody! A shift is occurring within our industry where everyone involved in the design and construction of a project contributes equally to the final result.

Contractors can have profitable and otherwise rewarding relationships with the design community if we properly establish some ground rules for communication and determine how solutions will be approached to common jobsite problems. We all win by embracing the challenges of providing a product that is an expression of the designer’s intent along with a technically executed scope of work.

Solutions To Common Problems

Jeffrey Holloway

All the trades suffer the impact of improper communication between the designer of record and the folks constructing the project. Here are a few examples of situations in which we may find ourselves, along with some suggestions to resolve them successfully.

Some designers send their clients to our showrooms to pick product. Let’s use valves, volume controls, body sprays and handhelds for a complex shower installation as an example. The clients come to our showroom, describe what they are trying to accomplish in their own words, and we specify product based on their statements.

After several hours of review, the clients make a decision and we create a purchase order. Sometime later, we find out the designer was specifying a satin nickel finish and the owners picked a product only available in chrome.

How does our company prevent this situation and the frustration that accompanies it? We insist that designers either come to the showroom to help their clients with decisions, or they provide us with clear specifications on the finish and manufacturer they would like us to show.

Designers also should provide a round number budget. No one has a reason to under- or oversell a client. It leads to wasted time and potential embarrassment for everyone involved.

In addition, a detailed set of drawings should be provided so that the showroom consultant understands the scope of the work along with the products that are to be specified. By setting these rules we can prevent the embarrassment of having the owner return at a later date to pick new product that falls within the parameters of the designer’s specifications.

Let’s look at another situation from the plumber’s perspective. Bathrooms are the most difficult room in a house to execute properly. Before any of the trades begin, the designer should be required to attend a jobsite meeting to discuss the installation of the products.

It’s always a challenge for the plumbing contractor to interpret a set of working drawings on the jobsite. We’re aware that we have problems installing some of the newer plumbing products. It seems obvious that we should know what the finished wall covering would be, but that is not always the case.

How many times have employees made assumptions about the finished wall covering and been wrong? Trims don’t fit and valves get installed incorrectly. It is the responsibility of the designer to confirm that all the plumbing fixtures are on the job before the installation.

If the order contains mistakes, the designer should be held accountable for making sure the right parts end up on the job. Communicating early with designers and holding them accountable throughout the entire rough-in process can prevent costly problems from occurring.

Tile And Countertops

We sometimes encounter another problem with the more elaborate tile designs in the newer spa spaces we create. Too often we set valves on a working drawing and find out too late that a volume control is interfering with a profiled chair rail. The chair rail prevents the trim from fitting flush to the wall.

How many times has a Lastello tile design been specified at a particular height and we find out later that a trim does not fall in its proper place? Or, worse yet, because of the height of the Lastello, our rip at the base of the wall ends up being too narrow. It is our responsibility to educate designers and allow them to discover that the installation of tile is an intuitive process.

Wet beds on shower floors along with the height of thresholds all affect the location of our decorative accents. Does the designer want the tile centered in the room, on the center of a tile or the center of a grout joint? How small of a rip is acceptable to the designer? Is it okay to start with a full tile at the door threshold or is the tile design meant to be started in the center of the room? We have to communicate and ask the correct questions to execute the design properly.

Even the countertop fabricator gets drawn into the scenario. In our designs we begin our countertop overhangs at least 1-7/8 inches off the face of an overlay cabinet. The norm is 1-1/2 inches. What does the designer want? Where are the seams going to be placed? Are the sink and faucet on the job? Will the faucet operate properly? Is there enough room behind it? If not, can it be offset?

All these questions must be answered at the point of templating. The designer, or an agent of the designer, should be required to be present. Most issues can be worked through before the countertops are fabricated, but only if the designer is actively participating during the template. We have to let the designers know this.

Too often they show up after the install and our unhappy with the finished product. Communication and participation are requisites.

My opinion is that many designers are not thinking from a technical perspective, and this is what challenges installers during the scope of their work. Some designers may not even recognize the technical difficulties we face.

On the other hand, installers must develop the ability to approach the project from a designer’s perspective as well as from a trade perspective. By readjusting our viewpoint, everyone involved in the project can feel good about a job well done and enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes along with that.

We all need to agree at the beginning what we are trying to accomplish and what the requirements of the design are. We also have to figure out how willing we are to compromise to complete a project with a minimum of errors and callbacks.

Remember, we are in control of the process. If continued attempts to work successfully with a particular designer fail, terminate the relationship. It is not a democracy, this is not a hobby and the majority of us do not need the practice.

We must remain professional and profitable, and recognize that a good relationship with the design community will provide a steady source of qualified customers and exciting design opportunities.