We’re big enough at Levco now that I don’t get to hear about some of the things that happen in the day-to-day ebb and flow. I may be on a need-to-know basis with my Project Managers. It took a project celebration to bring this story to light. The homeowners had decided to stay in the home while we were remodeling their second-story primary suite, which was located over the dining room. We have learned to be respectful of their quiet, understanding that renovating their home will be disruptive. The value proposition is “A little pain for significant gain.” 

Hearing It For The First Time

The wine and beer were flowing; snacks were being consumed. The project turned out amazingly well, and the gratitude was abundant. This is when The Project Manager caught the attention of the gathered friends and family, then proceded to tell this story for the first time.

We were almost halfway through a remodeling project when things suddenly went wrong. The floor joists had been exposed for weeks, and we had become very skilled at navigating them. The subfloor was being reinstalled, so the risk of falling through the joists was diminishing with the placement of each new board.

Murphy was an optimist.

Naturally, an employee slipped and put his foot through the ceiling of the first floor, just above the family’s airloom glass-top dining room table. At least he wasn’t hurt. Then it happened to the same guy a few minutes later. TWICE? How could this be? The husband was calm and tried to help us keep it under the radar. We reassured him that we could fix it and then disguised it for the evening.

His wife had had a tough day at work and came home late. The best medicine was to avoid the conversation. Fortunately, she had not noticed our disguise. The following day, she unfortunately discovered what had happened, and we had some splaining to do. (as Ricky Ricardo used to say)

What’s The Worst That Could Happen

With calmness and reassurance, he explained to the wife that we would take care of it, and over the next hour, she relaxed. The final straw happened the following morning while she was getting ready to go to work. A cup of coffee tipped over and came dripping out of a tiny hole. She had flashbacks of the movie Money Pit at that moment. Oh my God, the house is oozing brown liquid. What happened?” she yelled. The Project manager came running down the stairs from the second floor with a towel, “My Coffee tipped over, sorry. I’ll take care of it.” 

Fortunately, the Keystone cops of remodeling had stopped by for a quick visit, never to be seen again. The ceiling was patched, and the project was completed with rave reviews. We celebrated the fantastic results over wine and caricature plates. High praise and gushing reviews were flowing that night.

Recovering from Embarrassment and Moving On

Self-deprecating humor has been a hallmark of mine, but this one took me by surprise. I recovered quickly and realized that I couldn’t prevent problems from happening. I can laugh at myself and find humor in freak accidents. I was incredibly proud of how we recovered. The clients in this case were so cool about what happened that it became part of family lore. Their sense of humor was tickled, and we had a series of fun experiences with them, including the Elf on a Shelf and the hilarious Halloween decorations in the porta potty. Those stories will have to wait for another time.

I want you to know that your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, click here to email me directly, or call 208-947-7261

If you or someone you know is considering remodeling or would like to speak with a trustworthy remodeling contractor, please don’t hesitate to contact me. You’ll be glad you did.