December 9, 2023 • 13 mins
Episode 6
"Not only are you learning something that's gonna help you make renovating or building anything that has to do with the renovation,Construction world,make it easier for you to save time money,aggravation,heartache lawsuit. And to hopefully improve our trades and our industry because I do as you know,I always say rising tides raise all ships."
- Cheyanne Lake, Cabinet Expert
For more information about Cheyanne and Discount Kitchen Direct- log on to
or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
You Can Call Anytime: (843) 386-5414.
asking the right questions?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
So,
you know,
this week is every week and this podcast is always about really the things that we learn,
the,
the questions that we get asked the situations that we find ourselves or our clients in or our trades or our profession in.
And then I just bring that to you every single week.
So that hopefully,
not only are you learning something to that's gonna help you make renovating or building uh Anything that has to do with the renovation,
(00:30):
Construction world,
make it easier for you to save time money,
aggravation,
heartache lawsuit.
Um And to hopefully improve our trades and our industry because I do as you know,
I always say rising tides raise all ships.
So what did uh what happened this week uh at Old Discount Kitchen Direct?
(00:54):
And um that I feel would be some value to I want to talk about um when you're hiring a contractor.
So hiring and we're gonna do honestly,
we're gonna do several weeks over this about really understanding the scope of projects.
(01:15):
And um and do you hire a general contractor if you're not gonna hire a general contractor,
you know,
what are all of the things that you need to consider.
What do you need to consider,
even if you do hire a general contractor so that you can make sure that they're honestly that they're doing what they should be doing.
So that's a little bit of what we're gonna dive into this week and specifically,
(01:39):
um,
because of a story,
a conversation that I had with a client that,
um,
and we're,
we're not doing,
uh,
their kitchen yet.
Um,
but they did call about cabinets,
but we got into the conversation about their,
um,
the contractor that they,
I can't tell if they're in contract,
out of contract.
(01:59):
I don't think they're in contract with them,
but I did find out after this very long explanation that they got their quote from the builder,
what it was gonna cost to build this,
you know,
3000 square foot home and it was over a million and a half dollars.
And I was like,
what the heck,
what is,
what are you guys putting in this?
Right.
So,
as we delved a little bit deeper into it,
I really recognize several things.
(02:21):
One people are not asking the right questions.
People are taking this,
not serious,
you know,
you,
you,
there's kind of two camps,
there's the people who are so involved,
so detailed.
So on top of you right up your butt.
Right.
Pardon my,
you know,
analogy there or they're like,
they're just real lackadaisical and neither is really good.
(02:44):
So let's find a healthy blend of both.
So,
through this conversation,
um,
I discovered that in this million and a half dollar budget for her,
like 70 or 80 year old mother.
I'm like,
ok,
does your mom want to spend a million?
Five?
Well,
I don't know,
I don't know what she wants to spend.
Ok,
you've got,
(03:05):
you've got to decide,
you know what,
well,
she's gonna,
she doesn't even know what she should be spending.
Ok?
That's important because you want to make sure that you have uh,
you know,
proper expectations.
But at the end of the day,
how much money do you want to spend?
How much money do you want to finance?
How much money do you want to go into your cash reserves or your investments or whatever that is to pay for this house and then you go,
(03:31):
ok,
the house that I want with the finishes that I want,
what is that average price gonna look like?
Right.
And I'm not looking for the cheapest price,
I'm looking for the best value.
I'm looking for the contractor and we have a thing here,
I'm sure,
you know,
it's everywhere,
right?
If you live in certain areas or you have certain builders that build in certain areas,
(03:53):
you're just gonna pay that 20 or 30% premium.
If not more.
That's great.
If you're that person and you've got that kind of money that you don't need to look at invoices and you just write checks.
God love you.
Uh,
for the rest of us,
for the other 99% of us,
you know,
(04:13):
no 1% 99% reference.
So,
gosh,
I shouldn't have said that,
you know,
this isn't political or,
you know,
the haves and the have nots but for,
for us average people,
you know,
we do pay attention to the,
um,
you know,
to the bills and what things cost and,
you know,
I don't want to put extra money in the contractor's pocket that I could be putting into my house.
(04:35):
I'm not gonna pay them more so I can have less in my house.
So ask good questions.
So this program,
this podcast is about being reasonable,
about being educated and about being a good advocate for yourself.
Ok?
Bottom line advocate for yourself.
Pay attention to the details,
never assume,
(04:57):
get everything in writing.
Ok?
These are just a few things that you,
that you need to think about.
But so I continue to have this conversation with her.
We dig deeper more into this.
I find out that they've been working with this guy for like a year and a half.
I'm like a year and a half and you're just kind of getting numbers like this isn't some elaborate extravagant home.
(05:20):
This is some modest,
you know,
it's a nice home.
It's a 3000 square foot home down here in my neck of the woods.
You know,
we have elevated houses,
houses on crawl spaces.
And of course,
we have homes on,
you know,
just foundations slabs,
but this is an,
this is a home that has a crawlspace.
And,
uh,
so it looked like a house of another client of ours.
(05:44):
And so I thought,
you know what,
I'm gonna give him a call,
see what he's paying per square foot.
Now again,
you can't just go per square foot because I could pick a riva or a thermo door or I could pick a ge right?
Like we know I can pick a $800 window.
I can pick a $300 window.
So,
you know,
I can have vinyl siding.
I could have brick,
I could have Hardy plank like there's,
(06:04):
there's big numbers and,
and there's a lot of things that go to that price per square.
But,
but I'm looking at just,
I walked into this guy's house.
She told me kind of the things that her mom wanted.
And I said,
ok,
I have a client that's,
I think he's got a house that's comparable.
So I called him and I just said,
hey,
you know what if you don't mind,
what are you paying per square foot for your home?
(06:26):
And he told me it was half per square foot.
It was a half of what this poor little woman.
And this is what I think happens.
I think a,
I think you have builders that are just,
you know,
what I build in this area.
And this is what I charge because nobody looks right and nobody cares.
And in fact,
they brag at their parties about how much they spent for their house.
Ok?
Again,
the rest of us we ain't doing that.
(06:47):
So um I let her know,
get two or three other builders and just interview them.
Let's give you a nice list of questions.
So that when you go into this,
that a you're going in with intention,
purpose,
no lackadaisical,
advocating for yourself,
not being overbearing,
being kind,
(07:08):
being respectful,
but asking the right questions and getting the right answers.
And it does take some time,
you know,
unless you're getting a,
a contractor who's a cost plus,
right?
OK.
Then find out what his plus is,
find out what that plus covers.
Um Does he check in on his trades?
This is the other thing I'm,
you know,
I'm gonna just because this is what this podcast is about.
(07:28):
This podcast is about,
you know,
rising tides raise all ship and our industry can do better,
we can do better.
And I know why a lot of people decide to,
to take on a project and become their own in general is because a lot of these generals shouldn't be generals.
I'm sick of the guys shuffling in with their little flip flops and point point point maybe a week.
And then the,
(07:48):
you know,
they're,
they're taking premium dollars from the consumer and they're paying subpar prices now.
Is this everyone?
No,
I'm making some general statements here.
But I,
I think that we're complaining about the trades,
were complaining about skilled and unskilled trades and there's no mentorship anymore.
(08:09):
There's no apprenticeship,
at least not down in my neck of the woods.
Now,
wherever you're from in the country,
maybe you guys still do that.
And that's one of the things I'm an advocate for as,
as,
you know,
this industry is primarily male.
I love that because you guys know I'm an advocate for young men and,
and men in general.
Um,
and yes,
and I'm still a woman and I'm,
(08:29):
and I,
I advocate for us too,
but I think as the pendulum swung for women,
you know,
our guys kind of got left behind and they're,
now they're the bad guys.
So I'm an advocate just,
you know,
in case you didn't know that about me yet.
So,
but these are men trades.
I would love to see men in our trades really start mentoring these young people.
(08:49):
You know,
we have a lot of,
um,
uh,
people that are coming from other countries that are doing a lot of these,
even some of these skilled and unskilled,
um,
trade work on our homes and our renovations and stuff.
Let's,
let's train them,
but we're not doing that.
We're leaving it up to them.
The general comes in,
(09:10):
things aren't getting done,
things aren't getting done right.
And we're paying premium dollars and we shouldn't be.
So for those of you who aren't doing that,
I celebrate you today.
But as a consumer,
it ultimately ends with us.
Do not put all of your trust in me and anyone ad advocate.
I keep saying that,
advocate for yourself,
(09:30):
keep people honest and guess what?
We're busy.
And so sometimes we forget things.
Sometimes we lose sight that because we do it every single day that we just expect you to know that when you don't know that.
So with this customer,
I let them know,
get a couple of other builders interview,
a couple of the other builders interview interview with better knowledge.
(09:54):
Now because I spent like an hour on the phone,
she actually shared her countertop or her cabinet caught uh a quote that she got from a company.
I was blown away.
It was like literally probably five times the number of our kitchen and we are not talking that difference in quality.
Ok.
(10:14):
So what should you expect knowing proper budgets for things,
you know,
and I always say taking time upfront is going to save you so much money,
so much time,
so much heartache.
So don't rush into things.
This is the other thing,
don't gloss over things and this is the other thing.
(10:35):
Don't,
I'm giving you a lot of don't,
don't design on the fly,
make a good plan,
know that that plan can change and shift,
but walking in and going,
oh,
I really don't like that.
And I'd like to have this change when we're in midstream of things that's dangerous and it,
(10:56):
it is,
um,
you know,
when things get messed up and,
and this is the contractors,
they're busy,
most of them are men.
So they're very singularly focused,
which we love that because it makes them great at what they do.
But they're like,
yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah,
I can do that.
I can do that and then we forget,
right.
So I want to leave you with this today because I like to keep these podcasts just,
(11:20):
you know,
enough that you get a little bit of a bite one.
If you're going to hire a contractor,
ask the right questions.
If you don't know what those right questions are,
reach out to me and,
and I'll,
I'll give you our list of,
you know,
the questions.
In fact,
I'll probably just attach it to this,
you know,
but this is a podcast.
So you're gonna probably have to reach out to me,
(11:40):
ask the right questions,
interview two or three contractors.
And if you decide that you're going to take on the GC as your own,
you 100% need to know and take your time,
do the proper work up front,
know the order of things.
I have a great list for the order of things this needs to be done,
what needs to be done.
(12:02):
I'm doing a project right now.
That I got a client there.
Do you know a lot of our clients thing to kind of general their own projects?
And I'm,
I'm not,
I'm not for or against that.
I think it's an individual decision.
I think you just need to know how to approach both.
I love my builders.
I love my general contractors.
I think a lot of people should not be their own generals.
(12:22):
But if you're gonna hire a general,
get a good one and,
and ask the right questions and help them do their job better and it's gonna help you do better.
So I'm showing like,
um,
I am an advocate for our trades.
I'm an advocate for our field and I'm our profession and I just want to see us do better.
(12:46):
I want consumers to get better finished products.
I want consumers to be more informed and educated.
I want our industry to,
to,
to do better and to strive to do better.
And,
you know,
that's not gonna,
that's not gonna turn overnight,
but,
you know,
between us,
you know,
we can make those little changes and I look forward to,
(13:08):
you know,
talking to you next week and sharing with you again the questions that come in and our answers back.
And hopefully you leave listening to this podcast,
more informed,
more prepared,
you know,
more aware and,
um and ready to advocate for yourself so that whatever project you go into,
(13:28):
whether you're doing it yourself or you're hiring someone to do it,
you know,
that,
uh,
you get the best hope for the greatest outcome.
So,
we'll talk to you next week and remember rising tides,
raise all ships.
So,
you know,
this week is every week and this podcast is always about really the things that we learn,
the,
the questions that we get asked the situations that we find ourselves or our clients in or our trades or our profession in.
And then I just bring that to you every single week.
So that hopefully,
not only are you learning something to that's gonna help you make renovating or building uh Anything that has to do with the renovation,
(00:30):
Construction world,
make it easier for you to save time money,
aggravation,
heartache lawsuit.
Um And to hopefully improve our trades and our industry because I do as you know,
I always say rising tides raise all ships.
So what did uh what happened this week uh at Old Discount Kitchen Direct?
(00:54):
And um that I feel would be some value to I want to talk about um when you're hiring a contractor.
So hiring and we're gonna do honestly,
we're gonna do several weeks over this about really understanding the scope of projects.
(01:15):
And um and do you hire a general contractor if you're not gonna hire a general contractor,
you know,
what are all of the things that you need to consider.
What do you need to consider,
even if you do hire a general contractor so that you can make sure that they're honestly that they're doing what they should be doing.
So that's a little bit of what we're gonna dive into this week and specifically,
(01:39):
um,
because of a story,
a conversation that I had with a client that,
um,
and we're,
we're not doing,
uh,
their kitchen yet.
Um,
but they did call about cabinets,
but we got into the conversation about their,
um,
the contractor that they,
I can't tell if they're in contract,
out of contract.
(01:59):
I don't think they're in contract with them,
but I did find out after this very long explanation that they got their quote from the builder,
what it was gonna cost to build this,
you know,
3000 square foot home and it was over a million and a half dollars.
And I was like,
what the heck,
what is,
what are you guys putting in this?
Right.
So,
as we delved a little bit deeper into it,
I really recognize several things.
(02:21):
One people are not asking the right questions.
People are taking this,
not serious,
you know,
you,
you,
there's kind of two camps,
there's the people who are so involved,
so detailed.
So on top of you right up your butt.
Right.
Pardon my,
you know,
analogy there or they're like,
they're just real lackadaisical and neither is really good.
(02:44):
So let's find a healthy blend of both.
So,
through this conversation,
um,
I discovered that in this million and a half dollar budget for her,
like 70 or 80 year old mother.
I'm like,
ok,
does your mom want to spend a million?
Five?
Well,
I don't know,
I don't know what she wants to spend.
Ok,
you've got,
(03:05):
you've got to decide,
you know what,
well,
she's gonna,
she doesn't even know what she should be spending.
Ok?
That's important because you want to make sure that you have uh,
you know,
proper expectations.
But at the end of the day,
how much money do you want to spend?
How much money do you want to finance?
How much money do you want to go into your cash reserves or your investments or whatever that is to pay for this house and then you go,
(03:31):
ok,
the house that I want with the finishes that I want,
what is that average price gonna look like?
Right.
And I'm not looking for the cheapest price,
I'm looking for the best value.
I'm looking for the contractor and we have a thing here,
I'm sure,
you know,
it's everywhere,
right?
If you live in certain areas or you have certain builders that build in certain areas,
(03:53):
you're just gonna pay that 20 or 30% premium.
If not more.
That's great.
If you're that person and you've got that kind of money that you don't need to look at invoices and you just write checks.
God love you.
Uh,
for the rest of us,
for the other 99% of us,
you know,
(04:13):
no 1% 99% reference.
So,
gosh,
I shouldn't have said that,
you know,
this isn't political or,
you know,
the haves and the have nots but for,
for us average people,
you know,
we do pay attention to the,
um,
you know,
to the bills and what things cost and,
you know,
I don't want to put extra money in the contractor's pocket that I could be putting into my house.
(04:35):
I'm not gonna pay them more so I can have less in my house.
So ask good questions.
So this program,
this podcast is about being reasonable,
about being educated and about being a good advocate for yourself.
Ok?
Bottom line advocate for yourself.
Pay attention to the details,
never assume,
(04:57):
get everything in writing.
Ok?
These are just a few things that you,
that you need to think about.
But so I continue to have this conversation with her.
We dig deeper more into this.
I find out that they've been working with this guy for like a year and a half.
I'm like a year and a half and you're just kind of getting numbers like this isn't some elaborate extravagant home.
(05:20):
This is some modest,
you know,
it's a nice home.
It's a 3000 square foot home down here in my neck of the woods.
You know,
we have elevated houses,
houses on crawl spaces.
And of course,
we have homes on,
you know,
just foundations slabs,
but this is an,
this is a home that has a crawlspace.
And,
uh,
so it looked like a house of another client of ours.
(05:44):
And so I thought,
you know what,
I'm gonna give him a call,
see what he's paying per square foot.
Now again,
you can't just go per square foot because I could pick a riva or a thermo door or I could pick a ge right?
Like we know I can pick a $800 window.
I can pick a $300 window.
So,
you know,
I can have vinyl siding.
I could have brick,
I could have Hardy plank like there's,
(06:04):
there's big numbers and,
and there's a lot of things that go to that price per square.
But,
but I'm looking at just,
I walked into this guy's house.
She told me kind of the things that her mom wanted.
And I said,
ok,
I have a client that's,
I think he's got a house that's comparable.
So I called him and I just said,
hey,
you know what if you don't mind,
what are you paying per square foot for your home?
(06:26):
And he told me it was half per square foot.
It was a half of what this poor little woman.
And this is what I think happens.
I think a,
I think you have builders that are just,
you know,
what I build in this area.
And this is what I charge because nobody looks right and nobody cares.
And in fact,
they brag at their parties about how much they spent for their house.
Ok?
Again,
the rest of us we ain't doing that.
(06:47):
So um I let her know,
get two or three other builders and just interview them.
Let's give you a nice list of questions.
So that when you go into this,
that a you're going in with intention,
purpose,
no lackadaisical,
advocating for yourself,
not being overbearing,
being kind,
(07:08):
being respectful,
but asking the right questions and getting the right answers.
And it does take some time,
you know,
unless you're getting a,
a contractor who's a cost plus,
right?
OK.
Then find out what his plus is,
find out what that plus covers.
Um Does he check in on his trades?
This is the other thing I'm,
you know,
I'm gonna just because this is what this podcast is about.
(07:28):
This podcast is about,
you know,
rising tides raise all ship and our industry can do better,
we can do better.
And I know why a lot of people decide to,
to take on a project and become their own in general is because a lot of these generals shouldn't be generals.
I'm sick of the guys shuffling in with their little flip flops and point point point maybe a week.
And then the,
(07:48):
you know,
they're,
they're taking premium dollars from the consumer and they're paying subpar prices now.
Is this everyone?
No,
I'm making some general statements here.
But I,
I think that we're complaining about the trades,
were complaining about skilled and unskilled trades and there's no mentorship anymore.
(08:09):
There's no apprenticeship,
at least not down in my neck of the woods.
Now,
wherever you're from in the country,
maybe you guys still do that.
And that's one of the things I'm an advocate for as,
as,
you know,
this industry is primarily male.
I love that because you guys know I'm an advocate for young men and,
and men in general.
Um,
and yes,
and I'm still a woman and I'm,
(08:29):
and I,
I advocate for us too,
but I think as the pendulum swung for women,
you know,
our guys kind of got left behind and they're,
now they're the bad guys.
So I'm an advocate just,
you know,
in case you didn't know that about me yet.
So,
but these are men trades.
I would love to see men in our trades really start mentoring these young people.
(08:49):
You know,
we have a lot of,
um,
uh,
people that are coming from other countries that are doing a lot of these,
even some of these skilled and unskilled,
um,
trade work on our homes and our renovations and stuff.
Let's,
let's train them,
but we're not doing that.
We're leaving it up to them.
The general comes in,
(09:10):
things aren't getting done,
things aren't getting done right.
And we're paying premium dollars and we shouldn't be.
So for those of you who aren't doing that,
I celebrate you today.
But as a consumer,
it ultimately ends with us.
Do not put all of your trust in me and anyone ad advocate.
I keep saying that,
advocate for yourself,
(09:30):
keep people honest and guess what?
We're busy.
And so sometimes we forget things.
Sometimes we lose sight that because we do it every single day that we just expect you to know that when you don't know that.
So with this customer,
I let them know,
get a couple of other builders interview,
a couple of the other builders interview interview with better knowledge.
(09:54):
Now because I spent like an hour on the phone,
she actually shared her countertop or her cabinet caught uh a quote that she got from a company.
I was blown away.
It was like literally probably five times the number of our kitchen and we are not talking that difference in quality.
Ok.
(10:14):
So what should you expect knowing proper budgets for things,
you know,
and I always say taking time upfront is going to save you so much money,
so much time,
so much heartache.
So don't rush into things.
This is the other thing,
don't gloss over things and this is the other thing.
(10:35):
Don't,
I'm giving you a lot of don't,
don't design on the fly,
make a good plan,
know that that plan can change and shift,
but walking in and going,
oh,
I really don't like that.
And I'd like to have this change when we're in midstream of things that's dangerous and it,
(10:56):
it is,
um,
you know,
when things get messed up and,
and this is the contractors,
they're busy,
most of them are men.
So they're very singularly focused,
which we love that because it makes them great at what they do.
But they're like,
yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah,
I can do that.
I can do that and then we forget,
right.
So I want to leave you with this today because I like to keep these podcasts just,
(11:20):
you know,
enough that you get a little bit of a bite one.
If you're going to hire a contractor,
ask the right questions.
If you don't know what those right questions are,
reach out to me and,
and I'll,
I'll give you our list of,
you know,
the questions.
In fact,
I'll probably just attach it to this,
you know,
but this is a podcast.
So you're gonna probably have to reach out to me,
(11:40):
ask the right questions,
interview two or three contractors.
And if you decide that you're going to take on the GC as your own,
you 100% need to know and take your time,
do the proper work up front,
know the order of things.
I have a great list for the order of things this needs to be done,
what needs to be done.
(12:02):
I'm doing a project right now.
That I got a client there.
Do you know a lot of our clients thing to kind of general their own projects?
And I'm,
I'm not,
I'm not for or against that.
I think it's an individual decision.
I think you just need to know how to approach both.
I love my builders.
I love my general contractors.
I think a lot of people should not be their own generals.
(12:22):
But if you're gonna hire a general,
get a good one and,
and ask the right questions and help them do their job better and it's gonna help you do better.
So I'm showing like,
um,
I am an advocate for our trades.
I'm an advocate for our field and I'm our profession and I just want to see us do better.
(12:46):
I want consumers to get better finished products.
I want consumers to be more informed and educated.
I want our industry to,
to,
to do better and to strive to do better.
And,
you know,
that's not gonna,
that's not gonna turn overnight,
but,
you know,
between us,
you know,
we can make those little changes and I look forward to,
(13:08):
you know,
talking to you next week and sharing with you again the questions that come in and our answers back.
And hopefully you leave listening to this podcast,
more informed,
more prepared,
you know,
more aware and,
um and ready to advocate for yourself so that whatever project you go into,
(13:28):
whether you're doing it yourself or you're hiring someone to do it,
you know,
that,
uh,
you get the best hope for the greatest outcome.
So,
we'll talk to you next week and remember rising tides,
raise all ships.
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