Clashing with the Contractor? 5 Tips for Resolving Conflict on the Jobsite

If you’ve ever had a major remodel completed in your home, chances are you encountered stressful moments that tested your patience and maybe even pushed you over the edge. You come home after a long day at the office to discover that your 12”x12” marble tile is in the process of being installed in a straight grid pattern. You could’ve sworn you confirmed a diamond pattern with your contractor months ago… how could this have happened?! Your blood begins to boil at the thought of the thousands of dollars you’ve poured into seeing your dream master bathroom come to life – only to witness a mistake that will result in lost time and more importantly - money. Instead of angrily dialing your contractor to let him have it, become a conflict resolution pro with this helpful process.

Acknowledge the issues.

Make a list of issues that pop up throughout the project and make sure they are known. More importantly, don’t wait too long to bring them up to your contractor. If you see that an outlet is out of place in the rough stages of the project, it won’t be beneficial to you or your contractor to wait until the very end to request that it be moved. Letting your frustration fester will only fuel more conflicts.
 

Present them to your contractor calmly.

Pull your contractor aside (and out of earshot of the project team) to address any issue in private. It’s important to identify the problem at hand without letting your emotions take over, which can be a real challenge when you’re angry. At this point, try to eliminate the need to place blame for the mistake.
 

Give them the opportunity to share their side of the story.

Just as you are given the chance to lay your frustrations out on the table, allowing your contractor to do the same is equally as important. While this can prove to be difficult when you’re full of rage, taking the time to really listen to your contractor’s side of the story can offer a different perspective on the situation. This may even give you some insight into how the miscommunication occurred in the first place.
 

Lay out your expectations.

Create a list or contract that outlines what your expectations are for the remainder of the project. Sit down with your contractor and verbally review each item on your list before having them sign off.
 

Determine a follow-up procedure.

After presenting your detailed project expectations, plan to check in regularly to make sure that your needs are being met. Weekly in-home meetings or conference calls are a great way to review progress while avoiding miscommunication.

With these tips in mind, a clear path of communication opens up between you and your contractor that is a must-have when you're entrusting someone with effecting those big changes you've always dreamed of. Give them the benefit of the doubt, at first - managing a project of this scale comes with some to-be-expected hiccups. But also make sure you have the right road-map in place for any future instance of crossed wiring, and that the contractor knows he isn't dealing with a pushover.