Just Make it Up as You Go

So, continuing with the theme of, "what the heck are these guys doing?" we have some more examples of poor communication and execution. 

We had discussed that there would be an access door to the space under the porch. We were told that when they came to dig and pour the foundation (required to support the roof) we'd figure out the specifics. Well, there's been no discussion. We returned to find the foundation poured. No door. No clearing out of dirt under the porch. The only dirt that got moved was what had to go to make room for concrete. That dirt was just spread right in front of the porch, no doubt killing what little grass was growing there after weeks of being trampled. We would have asked them to move it a few more feet to the edge of the pond, where it could actually have done some good.

And this (below) is totally not what we discussed. We wanted a space for the (to be purchased) grill to go. This is it, but it was supposed to be two steps down to that platform, which was to be integrated with the pre-existing walkway there. They made it one step down, and did no integration to what was there. In fact, you have to take another step down at that point (not shown), which also now means that stairs would have to be made to get from the grill area down to the actual yard. We didn't want that, and it was all made clear to them. Redo? Not sure yet. Depends on what possible solutions they have.

And then...where is this drain spout headed? I mean, why not connect it back to the already existing drain pipe that goes to the pond? All they would have had to do is cut one board six inches short to make room. Guess they can take another stab at it when they redo it!

There are a variety of other little issues, of course. It seems like they just make decisions and roll with them without being 100% sure of what the customer wants. Or maybe they are sure. It's hard to tell. Either way they are wrong. There's going to be some interesting conversations this week. 

The lesson of it all (between this and the bathroom issues) is, as I have been told, you really have to stay on these guys every step of the way. Going out of town for a few days was, in hindsight, not the best idea (even though we really needed a break from everything). The beaker of our little experiment in trust and communication is broken on the floor of the lab.