Please take our tools away

[AndyG]

At the outset I’m going to say the root cause Is I relaxed and let someone else do the measuring on this little project-


So a customer contacts me and she wants this arrangement, go from a side-by-side conventional washer dryer to over and under with a cabinet to the right , but no door over the washer dryer-

This is the easiest thing in residential cabinetry. You have a 67 inch opening. Her current washer and dryer sit beside each other.

All washer /dryers are 27-28 inches so you leave 30 inches and build a 37 wide inch tower-

Then you put a head
trim and its done.

Not us.

We start by making a cabinet for the washer and dryer which was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen-

You’re telling me we built the hole on the left?

This shorted her box width 5”
And gave her nothing, complicated the install greatly
- so we scratched it and rebuilt it

We can’t suffer enough.

So I get into the middle of things and tell the worker there is no reason for that once you make the cabinet on the right you’ve got the hole. You’re making this way too complicated.


So he comes up with this

Again we don’t need anything around the washer and dryer. Don’t do anything around the washer and dryer. Nothing.

In the process of putting these in we figure this out- my guy Norm Abrams did not factor in the light when established depth- This is after the install taking 10 hours, 30 man hours. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen- we can put a kitchen in in about half that time.

So we take 3 inches off the cabinets and start the install over again and we still have a clearance issue and we bring in the electrician


So now we’re moving the light and fixing the sheet rock and repainting the ceiling but not so fast-

The appliances won’t go in the opening - that we did not even need.



To make it worse is got a folding table and he’s got that neck high on her

This point I am hot as a firecracker and highly embarrassed and I get in the game and we’re going to rebuild everything to my specs -

Now with this plan the first thing is the base is tall enough you don’t have to do anything to the existing baseboard.

You build two boxes and put them in.

You install the face frame

You install a one by six across the top

Then her crown

And leave.


So help me. I spend nearly half of my time defending my company from its own people.

 

[KennethS]

So a customer contacts me and she wants this, no door over the washer dryer-


So maybe I’m oversimplifying, but if my wife said that I would have grabbed the drill driver, unscrewed the door hinges, removed the doors, said “Done” and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

 

[macleanflood]

Who moved the plumbing? Water lines and drain?

And typically the dryer stacks on top...so best to move that up too.

You'd think all that would be done, drywalled, mudded, primed and painted before cabinetry.

And I hate to think what'll happen when the washer starts to leak or a supply hose breaks...how the hell will you get to the shutoff valve?

-Mac

 

[AndyG]

Who moved the plumbing? Water lines and drain?

And typically the dryer stacks on top...so best to move that up too.

You'd think all that would be done, drywalled, mudded, primed and painted before cabinetry.

And I hate to think what'll happen when the washer starts to leak or a supply hose breaks...how the hell will you get to the shutoff valve?

-Mac

We coordinate precise changes- and we cut a hole in the back of the left side of the cabinets to connect appliances- and use a magvent connector on the dryer for a tool free connection. Worth a look up- they reduce hose restriction dramatically. Every thing was placed perfectly. In this contract the painter did the cabinet painting and drywall all at once to reduce downtime for her.

I’ve got more sense than to set something up you can’t shut off quickly- especially with a single woman. We even put in a fast, dual shut off supply box for the washer.

 

[AndyG]

So a customer contacts me and she wants this, no door over the washer dryer-


So maybe I’m oversimplifying, but if my wife said that I would have grabbed the drill driver, unscrewed the door hinges, removed the doors, said “Done” and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

None existed- all she had was a side x side washer dryer and old upper -

 

[Mhass]

Damn!
I would have done that work for myself. But...if i had hired you to do it, I would have been losing my shit over all the churn.
Only way you could have fixed it would be to make it right with a quickness and maybe discount the bill 10%.
Sounds like you made it right for her but lost an asstonne of money.
The dude who started it definitely deserves a punch in the dick.
I'm not a contractor, so I don't know how you write off all that labor and materials-as the homeowner, I would definitely not cover any of your screwup on the bill.

Maybe in the future require supervisor review of plans before the first cut?
Hold the supervisor accountable for such stupidity.

 

[1o1proof]

Thanks for this story. I am not a carpenter, and getting someone to do jobs for me I can forget that shit happens to everyone.

 

[JMT]

At the outset I’m going to say the root cause Is I relaxed and let someone else do the measuring on this little project-


So a customer contacts me and she wants this arrangement, go from a side-by-side conventional washer dryer to over and under with a cabinet to the right , but no door over the washer dryer-

View attachment 589553

This is the easiest thing in residential cabinetry. You have a 67 inch opening. Her current washer and dryer sit beside each other.

All washer /dryers are 27-28 inches so you leave 30 inches and build a 37 wide inch tower-

Then you put a head
trim and its done.

Not us.

We start by making a cabinet for the washer and dryer which was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen-
View attachment 589554

You’re telling me we built the hole on the left?

This shorted her box width 5”
And gave her nothing, complicated the install greatly
- so we scratched it and rebuilt it

We can’t suffer enough.

So I get into the middle of things and tell the worker there is no reason for that once you make the cabinet on the right you’ve got the hole. You’re making this way too complicated.


So he comes up with thisView attachment 589555

Again we don’t need anything around the washer and dryer. Don’t do anything around the washer and dryer. Nothing.

In the process of putting these in we figure this out- my guy Norm Abrams did not factor in the light when established depth- This is after the install taking 10 hours, 30 man hours. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen- we can put a kitchen in in about half that time.

View attachment 589556

So we take 3 inches off the cabinets and start the install over again and we still have a clearance issue and we bring in the electrician


So now we’re moving the light and fixing the sheet rock and repainting the ceiling but not so fast-

The appliances won’t go in the opening - that we did not even need.



To make it worse is got a folding table and he’s got that neck high on her

This point I am hot as a firecracker and highly embarrassed and I get in the game and we’re going to rebuild everything to my specs -
View attachment 589557

Now with this plan the first thing is the base is tall enough you don’t have to do anything to the existing baseboard.

You build two boxes and put them in.

You install the face frame

You install a one by six across the top

Then her crown

And leave.


So help me. I spend nearly half of my time defending my company from its own people.

Sorry Andy. This is why we say daily, “If you want something done right you have to do it yourself.”

 

[WestCoastDan]

Man, none of that is on the right side of the equation.

 

[TJ Jim]

Reminds me of the engineer I worked for. He drew up the building plans for a chemical storage room for us. His plan drawings told us to build a room 60’x30’36”. I really struggled with the “engineering” title. Sad part was he was a graduate of Alabama A&M local to our plant.

 

[AndyG]

Reminds me of the engineer I worked for. He drew up the building plans for a chemical storage room for us. His plan drawings told us to build a room 60’x30’36”. I really struggled with the “engineering” title. Sad part was he was a graduate of Alabama A&M local to our plant.

Alabama A & M- alcohol and marijuana

 

[AndyG]

Thanks for this story. I am not a carpenter, and getting someone to do jobs for me I can forget that shit happens to everyone.

It is universal- The problem with communication is the illusion you’re having it.

When you’re talking about physical objects sometimes somebody has something in their mind that is not even close to what you’re talking about. I honestly thought the photo and field measurements were enough. Wrong.

I’ll go a little further-

This guy is a good cabinet builder but here is a basic problem-

He lives in a storage shed off an extension cord and pees in a bucket.

She lives in a half million dollar house.

He can’t relate.

 

[AndyG]

Damn!
I would have done that work for myself. But...if i had hired you to do it, I would have been losing my shit over all the churn.
Only way you could have fixed it would be to make it right with a quickness and maybe discount the bill 10%.
Sounds like you made it right for her but lost an asstonne of money.
The dude who started it definitely deserves a punch in the dick.
I'm not a contractor, so I don't know how you write off all that labor and materials-as the homeowner, I would definitely not cover any of your screwup on the bill.

Maybe in the future require supervisor review of plans before the first cut?
Hold the supervisor accountable for such stupidity.

Shoot, I am the supervisor.

They say you can’t fix stupid- Wait till you try to finance it.

My business model actually plugs in for error and ineffeciency, which is how I’ve survived the long run. Construction is just remote manufacturing, Done with hand tools and hungover people.

But when something is this far off track there’s no business model in the world that is ethical that will compensate for it.

We will probably make a small profit - but nothing like we should have.

 

[WestCoastDan]

Shoot, I am the supervisor.

They say you can’t fix stupid- Wait till you try to finance it.

- You nailed that one!

We will probably make a small profit - but nothing like we should have.

HE will probably end up making more on this project than you do.

 

[AndyG]

- You nailed that one!

HE will probably end up making more on this project than you do.

If he learns something I’m OK with paying for a little education- if. Big if.

You know it is surprising how much these guys want to argue these issues- ego runs strong in the trades. I won’t do it. I’ll tell them in a heartbeat to shut up and explain to the washer and dryer they won’t go in the opening.

I would like to see a day when I’m able to pay on a partnership basis.

We do some of that and we also pay by the box for building cabinets and it makes all the difference in the world- you get a completely different worker.

That has also led to how we get everybody to show up on Monday who works the weekend- You can build boxes on the weekend and get paid by the box and you will be paid on Monday. It works.

 

[Apparition]

Alabama A & M- alcohol and marijuana

Thought it was alcohol and meth

 

[AndyG]

Thought it was alcohol and meth

Can be. We are very flexible down here.

 

[WestCoastDan]

Just curious, are you using a CNC or are these being built by table/panel saw and jigs?
Either way, I'd get the drill bit(s) replaced to avoid that blow out on the shelf holes.

 

[AndyG]

Just curious, are you using a CNC or are these being built by table/panel saw and jigs?
Either way, I'd get the drill bit(s) replaced to avoid that blow out on the shelf holes.

It is a line boring head on a Blum machine-

you know I went back and looked at that picture and that’s just more of all the same thing- I’d be willing to put money down , as a matter fact I already have, That he put that panel in reverse. Keep in mind one of the alterations was shortening the depth. So he took some thinner material and made liners

That machine won’t go all the way through three-quarter if the stop it correctly

Mistakes on top of mistakes- You won’t get that as you bore into it

He punched through the panel and then didn’t pay attention when he installed it

Believe it or not this is the guy that taught me how to build cabinets

 

[KennethS]

None existed- all she had was a side x side washer dryer and old upper -

Oh, I misinterpreted the “no door” statement. Sorry.