Took a call from a homeowner last month that still bugs me

Guy in Maplewood called me up saying he built his own kitchen cabinets last year and wanted me to 'just fix the doors.' I drove out there thinking it was a few hinges. His doors were warped bad, like a quarter inch gap on every one, because he used unseasoned maple from a big box store. He actually got mad when I told him the whole set needed rebuild, said I was just upselling. After I left he texted me a photo of his garage setup, a single speed router and no humidity control. Has anyone else dealt with folks who DIY the hard parts and then expect a pro to wave a wand over their mistakes?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean_perry14d ago

and the worst part is they think you're the one being unreasonable lol. that quarter inch gap on every door means the whole thing is gonna keep moving, no amount of shimming or adjusting will fix it long term. i've had guys swear their miter saw is "dialed in" but then they bring me crown molding with a 3 degree gap they want caulked shut. it's like they watched one youtube video and skipped the part about wood movement and proper joinery. you can't just throw a single speed router at maple and expect it to stay flat, that wood needs time to acclimate and a proper milling setup. they always get defensive too, like you're attacking their manhood by pointing out the obvious flaws instead of just fixing it. honestly i just tell them straight up now, "this is what it would take to make it right" and let them sit with the price for a few days. sometimes they come around, sometimes they hire the next guy who'll just caulk and paint it, and then call you in six months when it fails again.

lucas_carr2414d agoMost Upvoted

Gotta disagree a bit here man. I get the frustration with guys who don't respect the craft but sometimes a little caulk and paint actually does the trick for the long haul if the house is older and settled. I've seen guys spend days trying to shim and plane every joint perfectly on a 100 year old house and it still looks funny cause nothing is square to begin with. There's practical and then there's perfect and most homeowners aren't paying for the latter. So yeah it's annoying when someone wants a bandaid fix but sometimes that's the smart play if you know the wood isn't going to move much more anyway. Not every job needs to be a showpiece.