Balcony deck: We add a pergola!

Had a day "off" with some help from my brother-in-law, so we zoomed over to Home Depot, bought some materials, and built a pergola for my backyard balcony deck. "This changes everything!"

Getting back on track

It's been months since I've posted here--over a year, in fact. Well, alright, I've been busy! Still working with T. McKenna Plumbing Inc. here in Fairport, still building kitchens and baths for a great group of new customers. And I'm still working with some truly fine people that I met in the now-extinct Chase-Pitkin organization. We bought a house, too! My wife and I have gone from blissful renters on the west side to delighted (but exhausted) home-owners on the east side. That's where all my free time went, believe me.

We bought a sweet little ranch built in the early 1960's. Since I know a fairly competant contractor--and my wife loves to upgrade and decorate--we've made a few (understatement) improvements. It's not that we've invested a ton of money (well, maybe a few pounds!), but we wanted to put our own stamp on the place. So we started with paint, which is always a smart and economical place to begin. We did a lot of sprucing-up in general, including some serious weeding and mulching in the beautiful gardens that the previous owner left behind for us. Last fall I took advantage of an Indian-summer day, climbed onto the roof, and hoed-out the gutters. Of course we upgraded the original kitchen, but nothing too drastic: we used cabinets that one of my customers didn't want to save (more paint). I haven't gotten to the bathroom yet (yes, that's singular: bathroom...), but we have plotted the location of our future powder room. The entry foyer desparately needed new tile, so we had to make a decision about where a couple of new walls were going to be. The actual half-bath will have to wait for a cash-infusion. Most of what we've done was eighty percent sweat and twenty percent money.

Anyway, I made a promise to myself to get up-to-date here, and I intend to follow-through. I have plenty of good pictures, and a couple good stories. In the days and weeks ahead I'll return here to get those posted properly. For now, it's good to be back. See you soon.

Three weeks later?!?

I'm looking here at my most recent post, and seeing a date now nearly THREE WEEKS old! How can that be? I simply cannot believe how time really does fly sometimes. The experts are absolutely right, too: changing jobs is stressfull! These are all great people to work with, and things are moving along just fine, but this is most assuredly mind-draining.

Mike and I finished our first big kitchen (see previous post), and it turned out very well. A picture would be worth 1,000 words here, but I haven't gotten that organized yet. Sorry. The customer is very happy: that's the most important result. Since then we've been racing around the county installing shower doors for Gary. Even better, we have a couple countertops for Pete to do these next few days. Plenty of other jobs on the horizon; but receiving special-order product and lining up the other assorted ducks takes time. I've even quoted a few jobs of our own, too. (Something I rarely had time to do with CP, so I'm a little rusty!)

All in all, the weather is improving, and the real remodelling season looms near. The bugs will be ironed out, the new names firmly remembered, and the newness of it all will fade. Then I'll be complaining about the lack of leisure time. Which is just fine. I'll have pic's in the future, so these posts will consist of more than words. Spring is in the air!

Thanks to all my great customers, for your kind words and encouragement. And here's to my as-yet-unmet future customers: can't wait to meet you! That's my update, for now.

Movin' On...

It's been a couple weeks since I posted here. They've been two weeks of new faces, new places, and a new "boss." Mike and I have been busy building a new kitchen for a very nice couple in Fairport, Doug and Jan B. The good part is that our work is still being done under the watchful eye of Pete S. That has certainly helped with the transition from Chase-Pitkin to T. McKenna Plumbing, Inc. This is a big job with a great deal of detail, plus the need to work in conjunction with a new electrical contractor and with an in-house plumber. Both of these have been a pleasure to work with. So has the customer, for that matter--even though he is almost always home. (Sometimes the "always-home" customer can be a royal...!)

We've now done three completely different shower doors, with another on the way. These are higher-end enclosures, compared to the typical CP sale. Two have been true-custom doors: measured and built specifically for one installation. Although I have plenty of experience with shower doors, they can present their own quirky challenges--and they don't pay so much that we can afford much lost time or error. So far, so good.

It's not all wine and roses, of course. Aside from Pete, we don't really know any of the "crew." (At CP, we knew dozens of long-timers from years of association.) There are new procedures and expectations, which we will simply have to get used to. Furthermore, there is still plenty of uncertainty for us regarding the future of this young relationship. We don't yet have a true feel for what volume of work we can expect, and of what general mix. Those things just take time. I've also had to shelve my lovely custom magnetic signs, and have nothing with which to replace them yet. I'd like to look a bit more "official," with something identifying us as authorized T-Mack contractors. A couple of presentable company shirts or hats would be a good move, too. Those are minor details, and just part of the move.

The hardest part of all this is leaving so many good people behind. The folks we knew are winding up their last weeks at CP, or are already long gone. Some have even contacted me via their new employers, sending out feelers regarding a continued work relationship. Others have moved on with no forwarding address; I may never hear from some of these people again. The stores will close soon, under liquidation rules. I have neither the time nor the ready cash to be too concerned with whatever bargains that might present. It's silly to say, but I'd feel like a human vulture if I were to scour the aisles for deals. I'll stick to the present, and make the adjustments that must be made. One of my very favorite songs from the group Boston is Don't Look Back: that sums things up quite well, I think. Until next time, then...

Out with the old - in with the new

Last week marked a milestone. We spent the first three days working on our final Chase-Pitkin kitchen, actually our final CP job--period. Mike and I decided to do this one together, just to be certain it didn't drag on. Good thing, too: two of the cabinets were big and heavy! On Thursday, we'll return to install the new countertop (measured and built to fit exactly). Nice kitchen, very decent customer, and no big headaches (knock on wood!). There will be no fanfare, or any other real way to mark it, but that will be the end of that. The stores' shelves are nearly empty; and the showroom's stock is being sold off this week, auction-style. The whole thing is still a tough pill to swallow, after thirteen good years. I can't dwell on it. Life always moves on, doesn't it?

Mike and I did a job for a new customer this morning. It was a tricky one, but all went well and we were "in and out" by lunchtime. This was one of those rare customers who likes to watch but doesn't like to interfere. He's a big NASCAR fan, and so is Mike, so there was quite a bit of friendly banter--just short of the "less talk and more action" point. This customer, Jack's his name, offered us coffee and food, even beer. We gratefully drank his coffee. Jack is also one of those exceedingly rare customers who smokes inside his own home. I'm so used to stepping outside to take a cigarette break, that it felt very strange to light up indoors. (I don't really miss it anymore, though it was annoying at first when the restaurants had to ban smoking.)

As I said, the job went very well. Mike and I work well together, and there were no glitches or product defects. This was our very first job for T. McKenna Plumbing, Inc.--so the fact that it went more than OK was wonderful. The real treat came while we were packing up. I noticed that Jack was on the phone. Then I realized he was calling our new employer. (This almost never happens, except in the case of unresolvable problems.) Jack made his call in front of us, without fanfare, but in such a way that we couldn't help but overhear. He was calling to say what a fine job we had done, and to compliment our employer and us. He also mentioned several times how nice the job turned out: it was a specialty, all-custom shower door in gleaming bright brass. Any tiny error would have been glaring.

I've had compliments before, even received some very nice tips. Every now and then, a customer will send a note to the office expressing his pleasure. Anyone in any service industry knows how much we treasure these beyond-price rewards. This was, however, the first time I'd ever actually been privy to a customer's "I'm so happy" telephone call. What a great feeling!

This got us talking. Jack was well aware of the effect his call had on Mike and me. We are all familiar with the opposite phenomenon. A displeased customer makes no bones about his feelings. You can be sure his displeasure will be aired, one way or another. It's all part of the squeaky wheel syndrome, and the fact that it's much easier to be negative than positive in life. How often have you seen signs planted in someone's yard protesting this or that, with the big red circle-slash over the disliked event? It takes someone with self-confidence, awareness, and empathy to offer up unsolicited positive feedback. Of course, the very rarity of compliments in everyday life also reinforces their value to us all. If everybody was thoughtful and nice, would we even notice?

Oh, yeah; I almost forgot: Happy Valentine's Day!

Getting back to work, seriously!

The end of Chase-Pitkin Installed Services is now in sight. I've spent the last week or so tidying up loose ends and assembling year-end info. The weather has been spectacular--gold weather, even! Alas, winter has returned, and with it a more regular work schedule.

This week begins the final CPit kitchen. Mike and I are tackling this one together, so we can gang-up on some windows for his end of the business next week. This is a very strange feeling, knowing we're working for my last CP customer. Nice-looking cabinets, too, by the way. The best part of this job is that we are indoors, working in a nice warm room, while the wind and snow whirls around outside. The next kitchen I write about here will be for my first T. McKenna Plumbing, Inc. customer. "One door closes, another door opens..." And spring is just around the corner, I think! More from me soon...