Interior Design Ideas

Getting "A" Quality Service From Interior Construction Subcontractors…

September 9, 2025

…when you’re their B quality customer. I know my place on the hierarchy of interior construction returned calls. I’m after the general contractors and before the homeowners. Actually Realtors are above the homeowners but below the designers. You may feel smug thinking you are higher on this list, but the recession has favored anyone who calls with a specific job, a short turn around and cash being paid at least weekly.

When building construction picks up again, it will roar to life, and the great electricians, plumbers and painting contractors will be back picking and choosing whom they will call back for work. Actually the great ones have stayed busy enough to still schedule in some hunting and fishing trips by working with their “A” list customers whenever possible. My reputation over the years has depended on these relationships, some of which have lasted 20 years. When I need to call in a favor because a real estate settlement is imminent or a client’s family from overseas is arriving for a long visit, well, those deadlines are real.

So how do I get subcontractors to take my business seriously? Here is a list of ideas to keep these workers happy and committed to your project.

1. Pay them on time. This is especially important now with banks imposing holds on your checks, and so many of their workers living in a hand to mouth situation. When they finish a job, I try my best to visit the site, to walk through the project, confirm that it was done to my satisfaction, and pay them on the spot. Many bill me from their office, and I pay the invoices right away.

2. Give the most accurate description possible of the scope of your project. Vacillating about a tile selection or a paint color can create havoc with their schedule. Trying to get the subs to do unexpected extra work while they are on the job drives them nuts. Many homeowners like to vet the the subs before committing to what is their real project. They then use the line, “Well while you’re here could you also…” and try to spring it on them, erroneously believing that additional work is worthy of a volume discount. The contractor is left trying to make the customer happy while sticking to his schedule. It is less expensive to sort these things out on your time not theirs.

3. Be absolutely specific about who is buying which product, and about any supporting equipment needed to complete the job. Are you, the homeowner, buying that light fixture from Home Depot? If so, make sure that the parts are all there when the electrician shows up. Or, as a fallback, be available to assist in getting a replacement when something you bought is defective. It goes without saying that I open the boxes of blinds, faucets or anything I’m responsible for, before the installers arrive. I have saved many needless trips this way. And they are so grateful.

4. Whenever possible I stay available to make the on site decisions for field conditions which aren’t what we expect. Extra furring around the fireplace right where we wanted a wall washer? Without delay I decide where to place it instead. In fact, usually I go over the optimal installation instructions, and have a back up scenario planned before I leave the project. Are three coats needed to cover the yellow paint instead of two? It is cheaper to prepare for that than have this news become apparent at 2:30 on a Friday afternoon, thus insuring that the painter has to return another day, or another week to finish. I also take product out of boxes, sweep floors, hand them materials while they are up on the ladder, whenever possible. If the project isn’t going to take long, it is easier for me to speed them up in this way and they see that I’m willing to get my hands dirty in the process. I’d have to go back to check the job anyway and these courtesies are invaluable when I need favors from them.

5. If you know the subs well, and you know their pricing policies, go along with letting them charge you on a time plus materials basis. When you hold them to a fixed amount they usually have to overshoot the price and take the time to prepare the estimate too. Your call, but when you know these guys it saves you money. Which leads in to item #6

6. I use my favorite subs whenever possible and do not second guess their estimates unless I suspect an inordinate amount of price creep in their proposals. Then I talk to them about the price if I have concerns. It costs time and gas to be a customers “spoiler bid.” You know, the contractor you’re not going to hire but feel compelled to call out to your project for the third estimate. They know that I respect their time as being valuable, and this ultimately saves time and money for my clients.

7. I don’t give them fake deadlines or emergencies just to get the work finished faster. Crying wolf wears thin and I want them to pull out all stops when the emergency is a real one.

So there it is. I value and respect my subcontractors and they me. I give them enough repeat business that they can count on me. I try my absolute best to nail down decisions before they show up to work, and I pay them ASAP. And over the years these coworkers been an unexpected source of new design & real estate clients.

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Posted in: General, Tradesmen and Sources