When You Build for your Friends

Some builders approach working for their friends with trepidation.  And that approach is definitely warranted.  There are lots of potential pitfalls that plague that sort of arrangement and nobody wants a friendship to be damaged by any such circumstance.  Friends tend to expect preferential treatment.  A customer might expects some deeply discounted pricing, prioritization in scheduling, and flexibility when it comes to changes or payment schedules.  A builder friend might not think much about taking some liberties around due dates, work hours, selections, and etiquette or presentation around the job site.

So where do you draw the line?  Well, perhaps that answer is a little different for everyone, but our approach is that the lines need to be drawn clearly and early.  While the first meeting may have to do with design ideas and potential scope of work, the first business meeting - the one that comes after, "You know what would be awesome right here..." but before the contract gets signed - is where we set out the ground rules:

1. I am going to do the best job I can for you, while remaining in business.  That means I have to charge money to provide service you're going to be happy with, craftsmanship that's going to last, and protection from the things that might go wrong.
2. I'm going to make sure our crew does their best work for you, and always displays our standard professionalism, polish, and courtesy to your family and your neighbors.
3. I'm going to honor our milestones and due dates, and in return I need you to honor our payment schedule.

In short, our customer friends have entered the territory in which we make our living, and we are working where our friend lives or works.  As friends, I can hang some bike hooks in your garage over beer and pizza while we listen to Metallica, but if we have designed a backyard oasis that involves an outdoor kitchen and automated audio system, when it comes time to build it, we are all business, for your sake and ours.

​Once we're all done, we can take the beer, pizza, and the tunes out to that oasis.

- Jon Leon Guerrero