Expectations vs. Construction Reality

Like most people, we’ve had more than our share of ‘screen time’ this past year. We love watching home improvement highlights. (Until we have to turn them off because some of their tile “techniques” make us nuts 🙂

 However, due to the compression of time needed for entertaining video, they leave out a lot of details. In remodel situations, we very rarely run into a job that doesn’t have an unexpected detail. Sometimes it’s really rotten framing under what was thought to be a ‘new’ leak; sometimes it’s poor work done by a previous contractor that has to be corrected in order to do a new installation correctly; and sometimes it’s a visual change that the homeowner asks us to make because their project “concept” is still evolving.

All these things take time, materials, and expertise to adjust. We have a great team we can call on when unexpected details arise, and we keep things moving as quickly as possible, but the project might extend a bit. There are also occasional material delays or back-orders that you wouldn’t see on screen. Storms, driver shortages, and even port problems can sometimes delay tile getting to us for the installation. We try to factor all that in and hold off on starting jobs until the material is in-hand, but it doesn’t always work that way in the real world.

There’s also the reality of life – a vehicle that blows a tire on the interstate, an installer who breaks his foot playing softball the night before, a project manager whose family member dies, a key team member who has a heart attack, or maybe someone important to your job gets sick. You wouldn’t see any of that on screen, and we try not to let it impact your installation, but all these things happened in the past year, so occasionally things just haven’t gone as planned.

And then there’s the expertise to actually do the tile installation correctly… On remodeling shows, it looks like some mortar out of a bucket is troweled onto the wall and then in the next frame all the tile is up and being grouted with one stroke. Granted it wouldn’t be the most exciting thing to show all that happens before tile gets installed: floor flattening, weep-hole protection, ‘mud’ mixing, slope checking, layout manipulations, stud shimming, waterproofing applications, backerboard placing and taping, transporting heavy tile, keying in, back buttering, measuring and cutting, grouting and cleaning and cleaning some more.

We love tile, and the intricate, hand-made craftsmanship that makes it beautifully unique and long-lasting is one of our favorite aspects. However, a quality tile installation from substrate to finish just doesn’t happen in quick video-driven time. Let’s all try to enjoy the great things being done with tile today, and remind ourselves that the time-honored craftsmanship and know-how under the tile are an integral part of the beauty of a well-done installation.

How are we?

The construction industry has always had plenty of ups and downs, and we’re pretty used to seasonal and economic fluctuations. But 2020 has been well beyond the “normal” roller coaster. A global pandemic, mandated closures and quarantines, and then riots – these have tested the mettle of everyone, including small businesses like ours.

We were very fortunate to be considered an “essential business” from the beginning, so our work to create safe and hygienic bathrooms and living spaces has continued in most instances. Obviously, homeowners were hesitant at first to have people in their homes, but Phase 2 in NC relaxed much of that fear, and we’re helping renew spaces that people got really tired of seeing while they were quarantined.

Our cleaning regimens have been intense, our search for protective equipment exhaustive, and our desire to persevere unmatched. Like you, we’ve worried and waited to see what will happen next, but we’ve continued to be true to our business heritage. We work hard; we do quality installations; and we care for our people and our customers. Even in these turbulent times, it’s as simple as that.

We’ve actually seen an uptick in new residential construction as people see even more need to have their own safe spaces and as mortgage rates sit at historic lows. Commercial renovations have slowed down some as many office spaces sit idle while some people work from home. Architects and designers are re-thinking future buildings and renovations in regard to how space is used and what will be new “social distancing” norms.

So, it’s really a great time to get going on that project that you’ve been contemplating. As we’ve all seen in these past few months, our homes really can be our sanctuaries. Let us help you create that long-lasting and beautiful space to call home. We’re here for the long haul, and we’ll get through this together!

Why does it take so long to get an estimate?

In this day of instant gratification, the construction estimating process may seem to be lagging behind. Since we do this every day, we thought we’d take a minute to explain the behind-the-scenes work that goes into every proposal we put together.

First, we don’t price our work by the square foot. Pricing that way assumes that every tile project is virtually the same; and they’re NOT. There is more time and labor involved with certain tiles, particular setting materials (for different kinds and sizes of tile), and specific features like accents, niches, benches, patterns, and shower floors. What we do is a craft, a skill, and often an art so pricing it like a cookie-cutter commodity wouldn’t make sense.

Second, we want to provide an accurate quote. We’re not tiling ‘ballparks’, and you can’t budget based on numbers thrown into the wind. So, we ask a lot of questions, get photos and measurements, often meet on site, and spend substantial time gathering information about your project.

We want to fully understand your design intent, so we have calculated the right quantities of each material, have discussed potential ‘gotcha’ areas, and know that your selections will work together to provide the finished installation you’re seeking. When there’s a design professional or contractor involved, we sometimes have to wait on them to get back to us with answers to clarification questions.  And, if it’s a project that involves architectural drawings and specifications, then we often need to get answers through Requests for Information which we send to the contractor who, in turn, sends to the Architect or Designer. Just gathering all the information we need can take time.

We also want to provide the tile and labor for you so that we can warranty both and relieve you of the handling responsibilities. That means we’ll pursue good pricing on the product you’ve chosen, and sometimes we have to do some research to get that.

Third, we want to do your installation with the right method so it will be both long-lasting and beautiful. In order to determine the techniques, setting materials, and tools, we need specifics on the material to be installed (glass, porcelain, stone, mesh-mounted, paper-faced, large-format, etc.). We also need to know about the structure where the tile will be installed (concrete, wood, wet area, substrate, structural support, etc.) so that any needed preparatory work can be included. Tile doesn’t flex or bend, so we need to be sure that what we’re adhering to is appropriate to handle our materials.

Fourth, we’re blessed to be pretty busy. That means our repeat contractors are sending us a steady stream of projects to discuss and price; other people may also have called before you did. We want every one of our customers to get the attention they deserve, so we need to work our process thoroughly and steadily while being sensitive to contractor deadlines and ever-changing schedules.

There are certainly improvements we can make to our systems, software, and processes, and we are working diligently to provide the best information and service to all our customers. Doing so means we don’t provide cookie-cutter, ballpark, or instantaneous estimates. We do provide thorough, accurate, and honest pricing for our customers so that we’ll continue to be here for the long-haul. We appreciate you and hope that you contacted us because you wanted a quality tile installation! As we work together to get accurate details on the front-end, we are better able to ensure a complete and satisfactory experience for everyone involved.

Thanks so much for your patience and for choosing Neuse Tile Service for all these years!