I’m breaking form a little today with my first non-writing
blog in ages. But this is a topic that has been bothering me for a long, long
time.
Do you remember the days when making a big purchase meant
making a lifetime investment? When even small purchases were quality
construction and then cared for and well-maintained – that’s why we still have
our grandparents’ furniture and dishes when our modern equivalents tend to be
replaced on an average of less than 10 years. There was a time when it was
unthinkable to not take pride in what you owned, and in taking pride you took care
of it and extended the life of it as long as possible. It wasn’t that long ago
that it was also unthinkable to hire a contractor without checking references,
reputation, and qualifications. Especially not based simply because that
contractor gave the cheapest price. That was when people knew what “You Get
What You Pay For” really means. It was a warning to keep someone from making a
poor investment, not a cheap grumble to make after the deed has already been
done.
Not that long ago at all... But now we live in a world with
so many options all vying for our attention that the focus has been switched to
the cheapest option, even if it’s truly only cheaper in the short term. What
happened to planning ahead, thinking ‘down the road,’ and preparing for the
long term??
The reason this is bugging me right now is that I drive past
examples of this every single day on the way to work. We live in a new
neighborhood where construction is still ongoing, so the salesmen and other
contractors still circle our new neighbors like vultures with offers of
inexpensive home improvements like fences, gutters, etc. But right now it’s the
fences that irk me the most. Imagine this...
Congratulations! You’ve just made a sizeable investment in
the purchase of your brand new home! What’s your first big step? Maybe you should build a
fence to keep your dog in and your neighbors out. But wait – do you know how to
build a fence? Shucks, no. Hey, look - There’s a guy over there putting flyers on
mailboxes that say he’ll beat any other price to build a fence, how convenient
and cheap!
One year later... Take a drive through our neighborhood and
see fence after fence already rotting because part of the cost savings they’d
gotten was that the contractor didn’t stain or seal the cheap pine boards in
any way. Oh, and where they didn’t cement the posts in and then didn’t even
pack them tightly enough entire rows are starting to lean one direction or
another. And because they only used two rows of support 2x4s and one cheap nail
to hold the pine boards in each, boards are popping right off the nails everywhere
you turn. Because of those cheap nails, rust is streaking down the wood because
the nails aren’t even for decking. The bottoms are curling up because they were
placed right on the ground because, hey, it’s easier to nail in place that way,
right?
And the people who live in these nice new houses with fences
that look 20 years old want to complain about the contractor they paid up front
who suspiciously disappeared without giving them any kind of warranty on his
work... But they’d just wanted a ‘for now’ fence at the time. It was cheap and
it was good enough ‘for now,’ already thinking that they wouldn’t be in this
house for more than 4 or 5 years. So why bother with it?
Why spend a good $3,000 on something that might only last
you a couple of years before you have to spend almost the same amount just to
keep it from falling down? And why don’t people ask themselves this before they
throw the money AND resources away?
We have a fence, too. It was the first thing that Steven
wanted to do, and within a couple months after he bought the house we were in
the back yard getting ready with post hole diggers, cement, rot-resistant cedar
fence boards, rust-resistant decking screws, and enough 2x4s for three support
rows all of the way around. Not to mention many gallons of water-proofing
stain. This part isn’t bragging on my part – Steven was the architect and his commitment
to quality in everything he does is one of the many things I love about him. If
he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it right. It took us a long time
working on the weekends and after work some evenings, but because of taking the
time and taking pride, we have a fence that will still look this good 20 years
from now, and a prospective buyer will see that what we have done adds value.
The best part? Even though we used much higher-end materials,
the total cost was cheaper than hiring a fly-by-night contractor because we did
the work ourselves. And this year after we apply a new coat of stain to our
beautiful fence, we’ll get to sit on the back patio and enjoy a nice glass of
wine while we watch our neighbors replacing fence boards, propping up posts,
and cursing the cheap and rep-less contractor they hired to do a cheap job...
for doing a cheap job.
 |
| Steven, the handsome architect, building the frame. |
 |
One cold day in January, but we still installed two sections of fence boards
because we were so anxious to see the fruits of our labor |
 |
Not quite the finished product, but close! This is before
installing the lattice and staining.
|
 |
Steven taught me so much about carpentry
during this project. We made a great team! |
