Is the Lack of Standards Hurting You?
There are times when expectations line up and two people look at a finished job and agree that it is acceptable. Then there are other times when two people look at a job and disagree as to whether it is acceptable. Here’s a case in point. A small warehouse job had several utility-type rooms that called for moisture resistant drywall. The drywall contractor finished the rooms with tape embedded in compound and one coat of compound over joints, angles, fastener heads and accessories. There were some tool marks.
The owner took exception saying he wanted the drywall prepped for paint. Because there were no standards like ASTM cited in the contract documents the determination as to what constituted the appropriate finish was left up to the “eyes of the beholders.”
The drywall contractor had done one building of this type before and had used a Level 2 finish in similar areas in that building. So, she assumed the same on this building and that’s what she delivered. Meanwhile, the owner had no plans of tiling walls in those rooms and was instead going to paint. The owner wanted a Level 4 finish where, “all joints and interior angles have tape embedded in joint compound and two separate coats of joint compound applied over all flat joints and one separate coat of joint compound applied over interior angles. Fastener heads and accessories shall be covered with three separate coats of joint compound. All joint compound shall be smooth and free from tool marks and ridges.”
On these pages we’ve touched on the subjects of punch lists, contract specifications and estimating. Standards is one of the places where all three of these converge. In the case of punch lists, having some specific standards can take some of the potential subjectivity out of the determinations as to what is acceptable. When it comes to estimating you should know what standard you have to achieve and not leave it up to assumption. If these aren’t spelled out in the contract documents then it will be difficult to do a fair estimate.
The issue above was resolved when the drywall contractor went ahead and finished the areas to the owner’s satisfaction. She lost some money but got several referrals from the owner so in the end she considered herself ahead.
Across the construction landscape today there are countless jobs that take place with little or no standards spelled out. Disputes are usually settled by one or the other party accepting a lower standard than expected, or losing some money. Everyone in the construction process ought to consider from time to time if the lack of standards in their operations is worth the time and effort spent in not specifying them.
Lively Discussion