From Lawn & Landscape Comes This Interesting Article On "Relationship Selling"

"I think lowballers are not getting the big picture," Begley says. "They are in it for the short-term – six months, a year. We are building relationships with our customers, which in turn will lead to loyalty." from the article THE RELATIONSHIP SELL in this months Lawn & Landscape Magazine

I've been saying that hungry for work lowball contractors are hurting the deck coating industry and their clients ultimately, case in point, a bid a competitor gave to an HOA I'm bidding on is about 30k less than I.

The manager asked me WTF? So we sat and compared bids...and sure for 30k less they would have gotten something for their money, but after our meeting was over, I walked out with a contract for 40k on the job, having sold the job on a "relationship, knowledge and as the expert" rather than price. I could have dropped everything out of my bid to bring down the price, but that wasn't what the HOA really wanted...they were just getting their purse strings tugged at by a scammer who talked the talk...and after we discussed what they were after, the HOA relized that the other bidder wasn't thinking of them, he was thinking of himself.

It also came out in this meeting that we (Central Coast Waterproofing) carried full auto, workers comp and liability insurance. The other guy...he had no employees so he was going to "sub-contract" to get around that. Liability Insurance was minimal coverage at 100k/200k unlike our policy with 1 million/2 million in coverage. Auto? Hah, the competitor didn't have it.

The manger knew me from 3 jobs that we did in the past for her. She knew that we would do a better job, the "right job" that would address and solve the HOA's problems, rather than apply a pretty field dresssing like my competitor was proposing.

But it was the personal relationship and comfort level that ultimately sold the job for us.

Read this article on "Relationship Selling" by clicking the link. Maybe you'll figure out how to beat your low ball uninsured/unlicensed competitors...

New Blog "So Cal Building Insider" is Up on the Web

This is what they say about themselves so check it out and see if they are something you want to follow...

" Our mission with the So Cal Building Insider is to provide you with some of the dirt on how to play the game, what's going on in the industry, and some of the gossip going around. It is always our intention to post accurate and verified information. But as mentioned, there will be some gossip. However, we will make it clear in the posts what is gossip, what is fact and what is conjecture. If we can not verify the validity of something, or feel that even the gossip does not seem to hold water, we will refrain from posting it."

So there ya go...click here to read their Blog

Long Time Orange County Contractor DeckMasters, Inc. Appears to Have Closed?

The address to their website, www.deckmastersinc.com is dead, and at the CSLB, the license says suspended for workers comp...

Reliable sources tell DeckExpert that Deck Masters Inc. of Lake Forest/Irvine has closed it's doors.

Deck Masters, Inc was the first company that I worked for years ago, when I first came into the business. Mark Sigman was the owner.

Sources say that Prestige Decking has taken over Deck Masters accounts. They are a newly licensed entity in Orange County whose owner worked for Deck Masters.

Good luck to Mark Sigman and Prestige Decking

Mehmet Gundogdu v. King Mai Establishes Case Law

In lawzilla.com's California Court Opinions comes this published decision on contractor liability for defects...

Plaintiffs Mehmet and Aynar Gundogdu (the Gundogdus) appeal a summary judgment in favor of defendant King Mai, Inc., a California corporation doing business as Hyde Park Estates (King Mai), on their complaint for negligence and breach of implied warranty. Plaintiffs contend that the court erred in holding their action for damages arising out of defects in the construction of their home to be barred by the 10-year statute of limitations in Code of Civil Procedure section 337.15. We affirm.

Discussion

On November 2, 1995, King Mai filed a notice of completion for a home it constructed on its own account at 199 Kings Court in San Carlos, California. On March 13, 1997, plaintiffs purchased the home from King Mai. The purchase contract identified 26 categories of repairs that King Mai agreed to complete. Between March and August 1997, King Mai attempted but failed to complete the repairs to plaintiffs’ satisfaction. In August, King Mai confirmed that certain repairs had not been completed but pledged to continue working on them. In October 1997, plaintiffs, still unhappy with the repair work, had an independent inspection performed. The inspection report identified numerous deficiencies, including defects in the retaining wall, improper installation of windows and doors in the master bedroom and living room, and cracked trim. It is unclear from the record when this report was delivered to King Mai and no further repairs were performed in response to the report.

In December 2002, plaintiffs contacted King Mai about water damage caused by leakage following a winter storm. King Mai acknowledged potential responsibility for the leak and confirmed that it would repair the damage. In January 2003, plaintiff wrote to King Mai complaining that there had been structural water damage in the home for five years. Plaintiffs warned that they would take legal action if repairs were not completed immediately. Within days, King Mai informed plaintiffs in writing that it was not responsible for the leak or any resulting water damage.

Read the rest of the decision and opinion by clicking here.

Construction Defect Suits in El Dorado County, CA Show Why Wind Load Calculations are Sooo Important

Wind ratings for building components are often forgotten about or not considered when building. I always discuss my products wind ratings compared to other products with lower ratings that the builder may be considering.

Often these lower wind rated products are CHEAPER too compared Desert Crete decking.

So here's a story from the Sacramento Business Journal about an increase in construction defect suits surrounding new homes...homes that apparently weren't built/designed with the Central Valleys high winds that funnel through...winds that are moving houses on their foundations, cracking stucco, windows etc.

Questions linger over the wind load needed for homes in the region

Sacramento Business Journal - by Michael Shaw Staff writer

Teresa Gallad knew there was something wrong with her newly built home in Cameron Park the first time she walked through.

Soon, there were cracks in the walls and leaky windows and her kids were getting respiratory infections.

Dave Crozier hasn’t been able to live in his water-logged and moldy El Dorado Hills home in more than two years.

Both are fighting their homebuilders in court, two of at least 29 homeowners in El Dorado County who have active lawsuits over alleged construction defects.

There have been a surprising number of construction-defect lawsuits, considering the county’s small size, laws that generally limit the ability for homeowners to sue their builders, and a near stop to new construction over the past few years. Some of the pricey homes built during the housing boom have started to show common problems: Leaky windows, gaps in doorways and cracked walls are among some of the more common complaints.

Click here to read the rest of the story. Just goes to show ya, do it right the first time elimnates problems. Design, construction materials, methods...don't shortcut and you'll save money in the long run...but that's just my opinion.

Dirty Decks Done Dirt Clean...

Yes it's a parody of an AC/DC song...here's the latest video of Central Coast Waterproofing power washing a Desert Crete deck clean. I did this complex about 6 years ago, and now they are cleaning and painting/sealing them again.

While it's well past when they should have been done, surprisingly the decks have done very well and have little damage after 6 years.

Desert Crete is the answer to HOA's and Apartment Residences; easy to care for, hard to damage, inexpensive to reseal.

Call us today-available to HOA's in California at 805-801-2380 for a free estimate on your job.