The “Real Deal” on Worker’s Compensation

Recently I had supper with an attorney buddy of mine.  For some reason I can not now recall, the conversation turned to Workers’ Compensation and my belief homeowners should insist anyone working on their property be covered by Workers’ Compensation insurance including the neighbor’s child pruning hedges.  I still think my conservative bent’s a good one given these litigious times but it’d prob’ly be a good idea to review the thinking of a professional whose opinion I’ve valued for many years.

The points to consider are as follows …

1. Every individual or company which employs 3 or more people at a time (full-time or part-time, adult or child) is required to have a policy of WC insurance.  NOTE THIS ALL-IMPORTANT EXCEPTION THAT APPLIES TO THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER: No WC insurance is required to cover people whose work is outside the employer’s business.  Point being, the typical homeowner isn’t in the same “business” as workers in and around the home, so the home-owner doesn’t have to carry WC insurance for the worker.

Example:          A doctor hires a construction company to build a new home.  The construction of a home is outside the doctor’s business so the doctor isn’t liable for workers’ injuries and he is not required to provide WC insurance.

However:          The doctor takes time off from his practice to supervise the job.  Now his business becomes homebuilding even if the home is his own and he is responsible for making sure there is WC coverage for all workers on the job provided by himself, his general contractor or his subs.

2. A contractor who uses sub-contractors on a job is liable for coverage on the sub-contractor’s workers unless the sub-contractor has his own WC policy.   NOTE CONFIRMATION OF SUCH A POLICY SHOULD BE SOUGHT FROM THE INSURED’S INSURANCE CARRIER.  ASK THE CARRIER FOR A CERTIFICATE OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE.  THE CERTIFICATE SHOULD NOT COME DIRECTLY FROM THE INSURED.
   

3. The owner(s) of a company are not counted in determining “3 or more people.”  So a remodeling company owned by Harry and Mable does not need to get a WC insurance policy if there are only two other employees working for them.  But consider the example where Harry and Mable have Guinivere as an employee, Bart as a remodeling sub and a person working for Bart.  Harry and Mable’s company is in the remodeling business.  Bart’s company is in the remodeling business.  Harry and Mable now have three workers: Guinivere, Bart and Bart’s helper.  If Bart has no WC insurance, Harry and Mable have to provide it for him, his helper and Guinivere but NOT for Harry and Mable.  There are now “3 or more” workers who must be insured and 2 partners who do not need to be covered.  Of course, if Bart has his own WC insurance policy, Harry and Mable need not have one.
   

4. Even if you as the employer are not required to have WC insurance, it might be advisable to get the coverage anyway for the benefit of your employees who may or may not have medical insurance.  It’d be a prudent move in my opinion and a nice gesture as well.  There’s nothing wrong with nice. 
   

5. If a company is required to have WC insurance coverage, no employee may decline coverage because the employee may not waive such coverage.
   

6. Mable and Harry are in the business of remodeling.  If they hire a remodeling subcontractor who’s going to have 3 or more workers on the job, the sub must have WC insurance or Mable and Harry must get it for the sub.  If the sub is a “one man band” or has only one helper, Mable and Harry don’t HAVE to provide WC insurance though having it would prudent in my opinion.  NOTE AGAIN, THIS ISSUE WOULD NOT ARISE IN THE CASE OF A TYPICAL HOME-OWNER BECAUSE THE HOMEOWNER ISN’T IN THE REMODELING “BUSINESS.
   

7. The kid injured mowing a lawn can’t recover medical expenses from the typical homeowner because the homeowner isn’t in the lawn moving business.  That being said, check with the child’s parent to be certain he or she has medical coverage.  In my opinion, if a child or adult doesn’t have medical insurance, don’t let them work on your house or yard.  The homeowner is still subject to General Liability principles totally unrelated to WC insurance if some dangerous condition causes injury to the young person mowing the grass – a pit bull, hidden stones or metal sticking up, an exposed electrical hazard, oil discarded on a steep slope in the yard and so forth.

SO WHAT'S A FRIEND LOOK LIKE?

"Friend."  Qualifiers contrive to make the word an expression meaning little beyond the fact that the object of the term is at least a casual acquaintance.

You got your dear friends.  There are your true friends.  Can't leave out good friends and close friends.  See what I'm talkin' about?

Mr. Tatum, a wise and respected executive friend of mine "suggests," before issuing a directive--to be ignored at your peril--that, "It might be a good idea ..."  So, it might be a good idea to reserve "friend" for those precious, rare individuals who are that very thing.

Not accidents of location, heritage, relationship, neighborhood, work, the local watering hole, constant companionship, your bowling league or place of worship.  A friend could be developed through any of these.  But the fact you know someone well by any such contrivance has nothing to do with them being a friend.  Buddy, spouse, fellow traveler, good guy, steady date, golfing or tennis partner, fellow club member, fraternity brother, sorority sister ... have at it.

Friendship eclipses any of these.

Just before I left home in the mountains, Mister Kell Woods instructed me in the nuances of friendship.

"Bob Junior, you're a'gon'na meet all kinds of folks up there" up there being any place but Ashe County.

" an' I believe you got sense not to run far off the road."  Mister Woods fixed me with craggy set eyes nearly colorless save ephemeral hints of blue.  Mountain people don't look at you like that unless they're real serious or ready to fight.  Kell Woods was serious as I'd ever seen.

"If they's any bidy you figure for a friend  ," he instructed, "some time you'd do well to loan'em money and tell'em a private tale you've not told anyone."  Rocking back the legs of his chair he continued, "Don't ask fer the money and don't mention the tale you told to no one."  It was a burdened moment.

"But if you ever hear that tale or you don't get yer money back, that'uns not a friend."  Kell reflected on Phenix Mountain's distant peak.

"Now then, Bob Junior.  If you've got one friend, you're lucky."  His gaze turned from the mountain back to me.

"If you've got two friends, you're bles'sed of God."

Important truths come in a mighty wave.  This one did.

"And, Bob Junior, if you've got three friends you're an idiot."  Mister Woods dispatched a tobacco juice projectile into the yard nailing his point.

Kell sent me home with a poke of green cooking apples.  His candor prob'ly unsettled him as much as it did me.

I've been well served heeding Kell's caution.  However, I've discovered there's more to friendship than encapsulated by Kell's two conditions of a confidence and a loan.  I don't think he meant those admonitions sufficient to mark a friend in any case.  They are absolutely necessary--necessary and sufficient being critical to a reliable hypothesis.

It's that unconditional love thing Kell didn't touch on.  A friend's going to have it.

Excepting rare tragic instances, Mommas are great friends.

She may worry to death while you're engaging the process, whatever it might be.  But your Momma is going to rejoice and applaud your triumphs … be they luminary, be they small … without the first thought of envy, resentment or unkind subscription to it-was-luck-I-deserve-it-just-as-much.

And, when you stumble, Momma's the one rallying to your defense, however indefensible your performance.

Those times you mess up, your Mother's censure is a mighty weight lightened only by her loving friendship.

Point being, you got to treasure a friend.  And you got to meet the measure of unconditional love.  Preserve a confidence.  Take care of the money.

Can't think of anyone who needs a friend more than those Babies.  Some of'em look about grown, by the way.  They aren't hard to find if you don't have one of your own.

Show'em what a friend looks like.  It'll help them almost as much as it'll benefit you.

'Til ne'    'Til next time, boys and girls.

RASCALS CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT!

Taz and I heading back to Atlanta in his van.  Just gotten through taking pictures for Sissy of the falls at Little River Canyon; runnin' out of detailed stories (Taz's capacity for detail far beyond amazing) about his many and varied adventures cum misadventures driving a graduate school sabbatical big rig.  Had knocked off all the fast food we were up to for a while.  Taz cleared his throat and observated, thereby gettin' my mind right with respect to a subject on which I've often puzzled.

We'd been discussing an individual who defies logical comprehension.  It's impossible to achieve productive conversation with this person.  She explores a subject with you, at the end of which one reasonable conclusion alone can be drawn only if it doesn't suit her she denies the validity of that conclusion while refusing to offer an alternative.  When asked, however politely and sincerely, to explain herself, she typically replies, "Because!"

This tendency isn't gender specific, folks.  If you've not run into someone, boy or girl, who's prone to frustrating tactics of this ilk, count yourself truly blessed.  Continue as you have.

But I misspeak using the label "tactics," as Taz kindly brought to my attention.  "They can't help it," he announced.

Taz is good about keeping his eyes on the road, being an ex-big rig operator and all.  You got, therefore, to fill in the blanks from your profile view.  My fill in colored an expression of serious conviction.

"How ya' figure, Taz?"

"Wel-l-l-llll,” Taz draws it out like they do in Fargo, Taz being of substantial Nordic stock, … “people like that are liars who've been doing it so long they've messed up circuits in their brains.  They ignore and twist truth and logic to the point they don't recognize it.  They can't deal with the truth no matter how obvious and logical.  They just know the result of your discussion with'em isn't working out like they want so they pay no attention to what's being said … doesn’t matter to them whether they make sense or not."

Taz on a roll requires no prompting.  My failure to interject a comment was enough to keep him goin' plus, he had summing up to do.  "You get frustrated and mad and say things they use to get away from them usin’ no logic.  They usually say you’re bein’ mean and start crying or wantin’ to fight."

The boy was dead on.

If you ain't hip to what I'm talking about, tune in Judge Mathis, Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown or any of the other judges on yo' telly … see how the plaintiffs and defendants obfuscate, prevaricate, stretch, distort, contradict, offer windy explanations that address nothing and don't say too much comprehensible about even that … then march righteously out to stand in the hall after they lose and announce they've been mistreated and misunderstood without saying how, much less why.  Take 10 minutes with the tube and you'll know precisely the behavior to which I refer.

Sure, some of'em think they're being willfully, consciously and deliberately slick with the intent of "gettin' over."  Their brains are nonetheless twisted despite them being unlikely to accept such an idea.  The majority, on the other hand, don't know they're acting a fool.  Reason being their synapses, dendrites and relay protocols are miswired from continued misuse fatally prolonged.

We all tell a stretching, ignoring or having-nothing-to-do-with reality story now and then.  That's defensible for entertainment value alone.  But, if you'll climb the proverbial greased pole to tell a lie when the truth would serve you better, you're heading off on a twisted path along which your mind will get bent.

Friends and relates, using RodMan's expression, will look at you out'ta the corner of they eye.  Folks'll say things about you they wouldn't utter to your face.  It'll be difficult to do business; social, financial or otherwise.  Your spouse and cherun will avoid being associated wit' ya to the extent they can without you acting out … maybe even then.  It'll be bad and you'll not know why cause your brain's messed up.

Why risk an abyss fraught with such peril?

Traffic in the truth, say I, a man who's taken license with an overly generous hand more than twice.

Forget the caution that you ought tell the truth so you won't have to remember a lie.

Tell the truth so as not to risk yo' mind.  No small thing in the balance if you ask me.

Tell the truth so those Babies, watchin’ like little hawks, will be impressed with your route bein' the way to go.  Wouldn't hurt to instruct'em about protecting their mind.

Can a lie broken mind be rehab'd?  Don't know.  I’d say it'd definitely be worth some trouble and expense.

'Preciate your e-mails pro and con.  We may not see it the same way but we're talkin'.  That's the route to mutual understanding, if not consensus, so I'm told.

Take care of them Babies and yourselves.  C.J., RodMan and I depend on you guys keepin' us going.  May not be your intention but we’re obligated ... the deal's good from where we’re perched.

DEAL OF A LIFETIME

Playing on greed, fear, loneliness, the need for love and approval, the desire to feel important, the heady reaction a show of respect can elicit when one's the beneficiary of that regard; all tools of the con. Simple but effective stuff that works well enough to support ill intentioned and legitimate players alike be their venue secular or spiritual.

Anyone not an intergalactic traveler touched down yesterday knows this, yet we contrive to fleece ourselves with persistent regularity.  Go figure!!!

Having known at least my share of hustlers and being blessed with good friends smart enough to set the example of how one rebuffs their ploys, I am prepared to codify rules of engagement by which one can instantly recognize the onslaught of a tempting con and, by way of subject recognition, summon reserves with which to lay waste the interloper.

Mind you, the following responses warrant internalization so they become knee jerk autonomic, heat of battle not being the time to reflect and ponder. Action's on the agenda, NOW! When beset by a wily con, throw a couple of jabs, range your target, then fire a hard right cross with bad intentions. Put that scoundrel on the canvas.  Mercy?  Not an option.

You may have heard all this before and when you did you doubtless acknowledged the veracity woven herein. But unless you're that rare individual who simply does the right thing like my sister, Meda, you got to imprint this stuff on yo’ mind if you want to insulate yourself from white heat temptation.

Do me a favor. Mark the following.

If the deal's so good you must act immediately, it's not.  Good deals will be available at least until day after tomorrow.  C.J. taught me years ago, the opportunity of a lifetime walks into or calls our office an average of three times a day. It does yours too. WAB reminded me of this one just recently in the course of a real estate transaction.

If it's too good to be true etc., etc.  Investors with huge amounts of money backed by staffs of financial / investment experts who graduated top of their class lose to the con. The March, 1996 issue of Reader's Digest describes a scam that sucked in the mighty with big dollars in pursuit of returns not to be believed, only they were. Parenthetically, there's an article in the same issue discussing the healing power of prayer. It works. Surprising the forms of prayer required. To me, anyway.

Whoever has the money wins.  Lawyer Kane and I discussed this one just the other day on the courthouse steps.  If you're being asked to give up the dust, be REAL sure you know who you're giving it to. Pore over their track record. Get lots of references. Check'em out.

You never get screwed by someone you don't like.  Sharp dealing rascals are skilled at coming across as likable trustworthy folks, at least on the surface.  The better their con, the harder it’ll be to discern what they really have in mind.  I guess the extension is, listen to what's being said. Pay little, if any, attention to how you feel toward the person offering you a GREAT deal. 

The hair on the back of your neck goes up for a reason.

Don't chase the carrot hanging on that stick barely out of reach.  "If you could just sharpen your pencil and give me a break, I'll set you up with a bunch of my friends." Pass on this one and all variations thereof, boys and girls. The plea for "a break" never ends once you demonstrate your willingness to follow a path promising compensation down the road. That future happy quid never seems to materialize pursuant to your delivering on the pro.

When folks elaborate what they're gon'na do, believe them.  This requires being a good listener. They may be telling you what they did to someone else, or what someone else did to them, or what they heard happened to an unfortunate. Listen. It's you they're talking about. Remember. No one does a number on yo' fine se'f without first telling you line and verse exactly what they have in mind.

Skilled hustlers explain the past then sell the future.  Mark well the difference between hustlers and good guys.  A hustler tells you the future's locked in based on his, or her, twisted analysis, however reaching, of what's gone before. Good guys don't deal from the deck's bottom that'a way.

Now I'm getting into it, I realize this monolith’s barely scratched. My inclination is, therefore, to assert you're spittin' in the wind if your enthusiasm for a deal is founded in lust, greed or taking what looks like the easy way out. Your desire, absent love, is never sated. There're never enough "toys" to quench greed's seductive allure. And the easy way is never easy in the long run.

Chivalry prevails over time. Character will out. Spiritual depth is the surest route to peace and happiness. These instincts, imprinted in us all, are subverted, if not erased, through misdeed and neglect. And when they're gone, we're prime fodder for the con, 'specially ourselves.

Take care of those Babies, everybody. Tell'em there's nothing wrong with doing the right thing. Tell'em there's everything wrong with doing anything else. And tell'em they'll always know the difference if they pay attention. They're designed that way.

WHO’S GOT ME! … WHO’S GOT ME!

Willie the Weasel lives on Hog Mountain, a healthy drive from Atlanta.

He prob’ly stays out of town for the perfectly understandable reason that his welcome is ripped, raveled and decidedly worn down at the heels in the metropolitan area.  Not because he isn’t good at what he does.  He’s the best ever was.  Rather, Willie’s shortchanged so many folks so many times, women and children included, that he’s finally run out of options.  And, by the way, he’s done a few numbers on me, and those close to me, more than once.

Understand, Willie has the stones to face down doggone near any betrayal.  I’ve seen him own up to treachery, lies and deceit; smile; then, often as not, weasel his way back into the good graces of his victim.

Some time ago C.J. and I went to Jasper for a taste of the best garlic salad in the country.  Jasper’s an hour and a half north of Atlanta.  In talking to the owner of the eatery, who’s gotten accustomed to seeing us once in a while, I mentioned that I’d been introduced to his establishment a decade previously by the biggest crook I’d ever known.  Without pause, his expression a wry contortion I’d say barely passes for a grin, he queried, “You know Bill!”  

Such is the stuff of Willie the Weasel.

If Willie has a weakness it's his inclination to paranoia caused, I firmly believe, by him fearing someone will follow his lead and practice the same sort of duplicitous machinating on him that he does others.  Our boy Willie was, and I’m sure still is, ever on guard lest an acquaintance be so reckless as to take him on … I can’t imagine anyone doing such a thing and emerging the engagement any but the worse for the experience.

Not long ago, I had lunch with a buddy of mine who happens to be a caricature artist.  Our discussion meandered toward ol’ Willie and his underhanded ways.  I described Willie: curly blond ringlets; disheveled appearance in the mold of the Linus character with his everpresent dust cloud; and elfin facial structures Willie features that’re an engaging appeal to bouts of mischief.  My friend doodled a page of tablet that never strays far from his hand while we talked.

Our luncheon at an end, my buddy smiled and slid his tablet across the table.  There was Willie — his head mounted on a weasel’s body, stubby teeth clamped firmly on his tail.  The cartoon balloon read, “Who’s got me! … who’s got me!”  

My friend captioned the drawing, “Willie the Weasel.” 

I paid for lunch and went straightaway to get the picture framed. 

I ran into Willie several days later and presented him with the framed caricature.  He inspected it thoroughly, unable to suppress a grin of satisfaction tugging the corners of his mouth.

“Only one thing wrong, Bro.”  He allowed me an expression of interested concern before proceeding.  “It ort’ta say, “Willie the Master Weasel.”

The beautiful thing being, he meant it.

Willie loved that caricature.  He hung it prominently.  Proudly.  But Willie never quite acquitted himself to a label that might mislead one into thinking him a run of the mill weasel … Willie perceived himself to be the BEST!  Without the absent “Master” qualifier, the issue was far too prone to doubt. 

I’ve not seen Willie for a number of years.  I did visit him once after his move to Hog Mountain.  Our visit gave rise to a fist fight that ended in a draw.  Somehow, neither of us managed to achieve serious injury.

What’s the lesson?  Several obtain—

1)  Things are seldom what they seem.

2)  People are always what they seem.

3)  Be careful who you’re dealing with.

4)  Don’t wrestle with pigs.  You’ll get filthy and the pig’ll like it.

I close with the reminder that taking care of those Babies is the real deal.  I doubt Willies of the world get much nurturing care.  Then again, my friend RodMan conjectures most folks have a gene that overwhelms the “Willie instinct.”

In any case, “Willie Babies” need taking care of, too.  I’m not sure I’d want to transact this valley absent the prospect of crossing paths with an occasional Willie.  Teach all the other Babies how to appreciate and deal with a Willie — both parties will spend less time chasing their tails.

YOU'RE GON'NA FEEL BAD EITHER WAY!  

Don't know 'bout you, but I have trouble saying, "No."  

I'm not referring to high pressure sales presentations by professionals who're pedaling a worthwhile product or service that might actually benefit me … no, no.   

I'm talking about hustlers panhandling on the sidewalk cause they're too sorry to get a job.   I'm talking about casual acquaintances asking me to invite friends over so they can be assaulted with the opportunity to buy cookware, or vitamins, or cleaning products or make-up or lingerie guaranteed to wake fading love.  I'm talking about phone solicitations by perfect strangers offering me the chance to make a fortune for a modest investment or soliciting funds for local police who just might get a paltry fraction of what's collected.  You get the idea  'specially if you're prone to this sort of behavior like I am.  

I've read numbers of articles discussing why I'm vulnerable to requests and offerings by vertebrates I've never seen or folks I barely know.  Needing to be liked / loved, fear of rejection, blind faith in one's fellow travelers, the tendency to hope for great rewards with little investment in terms of time and money, the inability to learn that the experience of others as well as your own is the true index of how things are going to turn out, the list is, as they say, endless.  

No one needs to be told when they're screwing up.  This goes for me when I'm playing the role of prey animal in situations of the type we're talking about.  That notwithstanding, I was better than 50 years old and still rolling over at the slightest provocation when I had no business doing so.  Knowing better.  Solely to blame.  No excuse.  Occasionally committing time and money on behalf of others to boot!!!   

Then Ken Jackson presented his bad-d-d-d PhD industrial psychologist self.  We were snacking on salted peanuts in our local Longhorn steak house, waitin’ on the main course when some random synaptic event gave rise to me voicing my regrettable reluctance to say, "No." 

Ken, sitting quietly eating peanuts midst the white noise of Longhorn's buzzing fellowship, got quiet and reflective as he's wont to do, obviously more struck by the importance of my observation than I.  

Ken's got a way of setting his jaw that pulls his lips into a posture of determined focus when he's about to share the fruits of his collected wisdom.  I saw the look and readied myself for the revelation.  

"Ya know, Bob, you're gon'na feel bad either way."  Hit me like a ton of bricks cause I understood instantly what he was talking about and where he was going.  "The point is, you can feel bad with time or money wasted or you can just feel bad.  It's up to you."  

Son!!!  It was a beautiful thing.  Empowering's the word.  I was going to feel bad whether I rolled over or not.  Only if I elected to feel bad not rolling over, I would at least have my time and money intact.  What a DEAL!!!  

Life has been a much simpler proposition since that evening, believe it. I've gotten so good at saying, "No," I usually don't find myself feeling uncomfortable after the fact and, when I do, all I got to remember is the savings of time and money … the situation takes on a rosier hue.  Not to mention the fact that no one looks at me sideways any more wondering what mischief I'm going to foist on THEIR time and money.  

Wish I'd learned the "feel bad either way" response earlier in life.  I'd have done a lot less injury to myself and others.  It's an important concept, y'all.  One from which those Babies would benefit.  Point being, take care of' 'em like you know you ought and saying "no" will prob'ly be a natural thing they don't have to think about like such as me.

STRIVING MAKES UP FOR LOTS OF DEFECTS.

 A close friend and I recently conversated about different folks we know, in the course of which commenting on facets of two of those various personalities that are a challenge for us to deal with from time to time.  Such type conversations are best concluded by the reminder that casting stones is a bad idea.  We were easing in on that proscription when my friend observed that the individuals in question had a common quality.  Each of them was out there getting after it in businesses of their own.  Hanging in the trenches.  Not giving up.  Defying whatever odds needed defiance.  And, by the way, doing pretty dog gone good!!!

My friend and I remarked on the business undertakings of these folks that mightn’t pass muster at Harvard Business School.  We discussed with something approaching scorn the inability of these innocents to manage their employees in manners we thought appropriate.  We viewed, with ignoble glee, the personal eccentricities of each party under discussion that rendered them, in our respective views, undesirable in face-to-face social circumstances lasting more than 15 minutes.  Truth be told, there wudn’t much we’d had to say that you’d term marginally charitable. 

Transported by a fit of inspiration or reality or his innate sense of fairness on which I’ve learned to depend over the years, my friend observed that, despite all their shortcomings, each of these individuals was achieving at a MUCH higher level than either of us and, from all appearances, this state of affairs was destined to continue.

“They strive, don’cha see?” my friend exclaimed. “That’s why you’ve got to admire them and overlook the irritating things they do and say.  They’re Strivers.”

That claim resonated the compelling, clarion call of truth!  Sort of put a damper on our enthusiastic criticism … matter of fact, his insight brought things to a screeching halt.  If memory serves, a prolonged pause ensued during which we made an effort to recover from the realization we’d not been carrying on in a particularly admirable fashion.  But then, anxious to codify a lesson to be learned from what had transpired to that point, probably by way of forestalling further investigation of why we’d been so negative about the efforts of two who were far exceeding anything we’d managed, we mused about how best to label this personality type we’d proudly “discovered” and aptly labeled.

There WAS a lesson in all the ill-spirited hen pecking we’d been working in: No matter how challenging the personality, or mishandled the effort, or irritating the personal habits, or ill advised the wardrobe, or unattractive the morphology, or marginal the hygiene … people who keep their heads down, work hard (a REAL important element), don’t give up and stay after the goal post no matter what … are people to be admired, with conditions.  Yep, Strivers.

There are countless smooth operators who look good, ‘cause they clean up nice, talk birds out of trees and have all the accoutrements of success.  But Strivers they are not.  They’re Coasters, which I suppose we can agree are the opposite of Strivers.  This old globe might be a better place with more Strivers and fewer Coasters.

In the middle of the spectrum, between the Strivers and the Coasters, you got everything from homeless to all us cogs in the gears of civilization’s mighty engine. 

Strivers are a critical element in that great scheme of things.  For the most part they’re “small business” owners who, if they’re not operating solo, give us jobs tending to stuff no one else wants to do or providing services on which we depend or supplying goods that end up making life easier.   They suffer the stresses of running a business with varying degrees of complaint; they’re erratic in handling employees though they’re typically kind and generous overall excepting the occasional lapse; they’re usually too occupied with business and related concerns to take much time with their families if they have one; they’re opinionated and often willing to loudly assert their views; they’ve seen their share of the underbelly … that viewing sometimes making ’em a little paranoid; they don’t mind imposing on your time if you let ’em … but, bottom line, they’re essential in the matrix of human events.

Lots of these folks are tradespeople who end up working on our homes or businesses.  They’re readily identifiable.  They’re the good ones who aren’t much given to kow-towing.  It’s hard not liking ’em in spite of their talent for tedium. 

My friend and I have conjectured any number of reasons why they turn out like they do, i.e., they’re good stock with unfortunate quirks.  I sort of think they get that way as a result of basic insecurities they refuse to let defeat them.  The kind of insecurities typically laid at the feet of a person’s early years.  Who knows???

No matter.  If you happen on a Striver, understand they may not be worth fooling with but they are worthy of respect.  Fact being, there’s an excellent chance they’re contributing more to the societal equation than that slick-talking Coaster laying on the charm.  Next time you run into a Striver, wouldn’t hurt to pay a little attention.  Some of that striving instinct might rub off to your benefit. 

I’d say Babies are strivers without the baggage that makes the ones we’re talking about less than a pleasure to deal with.  Guess it’s our job to cultivate the striving instinct and avoid those unkind shots that encourage grown up inappropriate behaviors.  Which is to say, take care of those Babies, y’all.  They’re still what it’s all about.  

Neglect your teeth and sooner or later you’ll wish you’d heeded all those warnings about the consequences of pursuing that course.   Can’t say I’ve ever learned to enjoy the process but somehow it’s one of those things I would have trouble not doing before bedtime usually while watching the news … not nearly as important as letting the Family know how much I appreciate them but still a must do. 

Which brings us to keeping up with the continuing maintenance of your home.  Kind of falls in the “floss your teeth” category. 

You got to keep water out of where it doesn’t belong.  You got to make sure your cooling and heating work well and deliver air you can live with.  You got to control critters and bugs, ‘specially ones of the latter sort that eat building materials such as those from which your home is constructed.  It’s a good idea to make sure waste water goes away like it ought and that fresh water is available in abundance both heated and cold.  Exterior surfaces need protecting from the elements.  Electrical circuits that don’t perform as they should need to be trouble shot and put right.  It pretty much boils down to simple categories: Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air Conditioning, Pest Control, Clean Gutters, proper Grading and Landscaping, Exterior Paint / Stain / Sealers, periodic roof inspections for remaining service life … the list is relatively short and simple.  Like flossing.  No fun but no big deal.  Then again, if you don’t stay after it regularly, you’re in for a world of hurt at some point.

Finding a good plumber, electrician, roofer, heating and air conditioning mechanic, painter, pest control company and so forth is discussed exhaustively elsewhere in the web site.  What isn’t discussed is a protocol by which you can keep score.  Get an idea of where you stand in the ranks of homeowners who keep their castles in good shape.  This is where your certified home inspector steps to the plate.

Home Inspection is a phenomenon of relatively recent vintage whose time has come.  Not as regulated as it probably will be in the future, individuals and companies of varying quality have sprung up offering to inspect homes, usually being bought, in order to help the buyer identify existing problems or ones likely to appear down the road.  I wouldn’t dream of purchasing a home without having it inspected by a reliable third party to make sure I’m not missing something.  A caveat is much in order at this juncture.  Such an inspection is only as helpful as the experience and qualifications of the person who’s conducting it.  Suffice to say,  experience and qualification range widely.  Proceed with caution in finding a good home inspector!!!

There’s another purpose, not commonly discussed in any venue with which I’m familiar, for which a first cabin home inspector would be of great benefit to the homeowner interested in staying on top of the home maintenance game.

 Just as you see your dentist regularly to keep you on track taking care of your teeth and forestalling problems that might be developing, so will your home inspector let you know where you should devote some attention or budget for a replacement or repair before a full blown crisis rears its ugly, inconvenient head.  No need to see your inspector more often than every two to five years depending on the age, condition and complexity of your home but be assured, the cost will prove a wise investment.

Other pertinent examples abound … like changing the oil in your automobile and having it serviced periodically.  Or having a physical check-up regularly ‘specially as the years pile up.  Have no doubt, your home is a complex puppy that benefits from preventative maintenance and regular upkeep.  A conscientious home inspector with hands on construction experience who is certified to be familiar with the codes that apply to the type of building being inspected should be thought of in the same way one regards a trusted doctor, dentist or mechanic.

Inspection cost?  Size, configuration, complexity and accessibility to the “guts” of your home all figure in.  As of this writing, May 2001, the professional inspection of an average home in the Atlanta area probably runs in the neighborhood of $300.00 if it’s not too far out of Dodge.  Your home inspector will quote you an exact figure though he or she may want to actually see the structure before doing so ...  I would in any case.

That’s it for this time, boys and girls.  The possibility of not so good news pursuant to a home inspection is no fun and costs money.  Then again, you’ll take pride in having bitten the bullet in the interest of protecting a valuable investment.  Let me hear what you think!!! And take care of those Babies, y’all.   

It’s amazing how easily I’m led to conundrums in which there doesn’t seem any manageable way out.  Get myself boxed in canyons.  No Tonto.  Cards stacked against me.  Market cycle’s unfavorable to whatever business I’m doing.  Folks don’t understand what I have in mind and are, therefore, not helpful like they should be … things just aren’t going my way!

The next step in this process is plunging into a funk fraught with despondent pessimism akin to what a Polar Bear mother must feel waking from protracted hibernation with 2 cubs ready to rumble.  It’s at this point when all who know and love me bear the brunt of disgruntled slings and arrows.  It ain’t goin’ like I had in mind.  Somebody’s got to pay!!!  I’m mad as hell turned inside out and I’m not gon’na take it one second longer.  As often as not, the thing I most want to do is fall in bed and stay there … what we call “hidin’ under the couch.”  Sounds weak, but it’s true.  A person gets down where it’s hard to come back up.

Over more years than I care to admit I’ve learned to recognize this state of affairs as one that represents a huge red flag signaling me to put up the telescope I’m using to find the source(s) of my problem(s) and get myself to the closest reflective surface in whose depths I will surely find the image of my REAL difficulty.  ME.

Works every single time.  When things ain’t goin’ like they ought and I’m not happy with life, there’s an inflexibly productive route to getting back on track … suck it up and reenter the fray.     

Don’t believe I ever heard of “clinical depression” until the recent past.  I ‘spect we’ve all known at least one unfortunate afflicted with this crippler and it assuredly is.  On the other hand, I’ve been acquainted with a number who’ve pronounced themselves, with something verging on pride, victims of clinical (As opposed to “regular” one wonders?) depression, apparently taking considerable comfort in thinking themselves suffering from a medical malady.  I ‘spect all depressed folks truly do suffer whether their condition is basically contrived or medically diagnosed to be biochemical like the case of my close friend who fought his hated condition with a minimum of comment and whining until he finally got to a Doctor.  His symptoms quickly abated with medication he takes as necessary.  

But, sportsfans, that brave soul is, in my experience, the singular exception to a tired rule of recent vintage.  Heretical and flying in the face of politically correct wisdom though it might be, I believe the vast preponderance of depression has its roots in the depressee sitting on his or her butt, like I’m wont to do, casting about frantically for that facet of their sphere imposing unjustly on their pursuit of happiness.

It ain’t out there, boys and girls.  Nor will going inside to explore one’s psyche in search of answers bear fruit.  Most instances of depression have NOTHING to do with that which surrounds us, nor do they have roots in some complex condition buried in our experiential matrix.  Rather depression’s usual cause is precisely in thinking one or both of the foregoing two misconceptions have merit.

Depression resolution’s a no-brainer, y’all.  GET BUSY!!!  Start taking care of the niggling little details you’ve put off for eons.  Go to a VA Hospital if one’s nearby and visit someone there who could use the company.  Or a nursing home.  Or a neighbor fallen on hard times.  Or a school where volunteers are needed to help students with their studies, particularly reading.  Doesn’t much matter.  The trick is, stop worrying about yourself and the true meaning of life.  Find a person or situation you can benefit.  It won’t be real hard to do and you’ll not have to make contacts overseas … desperate candidates are likely in easy walking distance of your home or office.

Being happy and productive’s a matter of will.  You can elect “yeah” or you can go with the “nays.”  There’s lots of nurturing out there in support of the latter route.  Folks taking great pains to find offense.  Knee-jerk reactors who ferret out negative motives or consequences to about anything that comes along.   Individuals and groups pronouncing their “special interests” at every turn in the road.  Efforts so loud and forceful … the truth, or lack thereof, gets lost in the fray.  Too often someone pays to shut’em up.  Unfortunately, the opposite purpose is often served.  The malcontents contrive a name for what they’re doing; start working at it full time, and GET PAID!!!

What we ought do is, as much as possible; proceed quietly in our quest for peace, i.e., being happy and productive.  Strident nay sayers are gon’na be around as they ever have been.  We mustn’t let’em tempt us to stasis and despair at the futility of it all.  We mustn’t let’em saddle us with “clinical depression” or other burdens of that stripe.

It’s wonderful being alive in this country.  There are, and always will be, problems.  The environment, the economy, international conglomerates, disenfranchised citizens and on and on and on.  These difficulties are vulnerable to resolution through hard work and good will taken on by happy, productive people.  Sound bites of self-anointed experts out to save us all have NOTHING to do with setting things right.  They have EVERYTHING to do with confusion, hopelessness and despair.  Regard them with a jaundiced eye.  They’re purveyors of anger, frustration and depression … call it clinical if that bakes your cookies.

Take time with the Babies and much can be done to abate this process.  Teach’em contented living is subject to personal will.  Attitude makes it happen.  You control it.  Nobody else and no other thing can impact the deal. 

Getting on with the business of staying busy in pursuit of helpful, productive ends thereby fending off the depression demon is a matter of training and example.  Babies are real good at accepting instruction ‘specially when it comes from good examples.  The ball’s in our court.  We’re obligated to make sure any child who grows to be depressed is one of those rare “clinically” depressed individuals whose rescue comes in the form of periodic medication.  We need to make sure the rest of us keep a mirror handy for problem source identification and stay mindful of the value in staying off our collective butts, getting out there and takin’ care of bin’ness.

I’ve had the very good fortune to know a number of "hands" in construction who are ability blessed to do whatever it is they’re about with unusual skill or speed or beautifully finished result … they got what we call "style."

No explaining it other than looking to the demonstrable fact that some’s got it, most don’t. Thinking back on those who readily come to mind, Big Bob organizes the steps of a particular assembly in construction projects so the phase he’s responsible for goes slick as greased glass. David R leaves anything he elects to touch looking like a piece of art. The Wet’s deceptively adroit at managing workers for maximum yield as were Gator and Bear. J.R., Todd and Danny do things with roofing to which you can bear witness yet never quite understand, much less match, their standard of performance … like watching what Greg used to do in airplanes. Mario installs molding so snug at corners and joints it appears poured in place. Gordy hangs and finishes sheet rock with efficiency and grace well beyond the range of mere such as we’s … looks doggone good when he’s done by the way. Joe can paint a room so it projects a soft enveloping glow. I’ll not go on longer than you’ll put up with.

There are anointed few in every field of endeavor … you’ve heard told their mastery on playing fields, in surgical suites, behind university lecterns, from pulpits, commanding courtroom venues, at the helms of international conglomerates … ‘bout anyway you turn there’ll be a thoroughbred pacer outstepping those not keeping up no matter how hard they plug away. Doesn’t seem right, does it?!?!

What we’re interested in here is the fancy dancer standing at the front rank of this crème de la crème. I’ve known only a few.

Tim’s skills defy category. He’s as comfortable participating in an investment club roundtable as he is making pipe insulation so fetching to the eye you want it out for folks to admire.

Tim doesn’t meet a stranger ... you can’t help but feel drawn to the boy. No "hail fellow well met" hustling with Tim. He’s a rock solid soul … his promises sacred, a helper where help’s hard to find, quick to share a gut-sore-after-the-fact bout of laughter, temperate in his vices, facile at poking fun self-directed when he missteps. You can count on Tim!!!

That’s a label well-intentioned, productive folks carry … they can be "counted on."

Money and physical possessions don’t rank real high in Tim’s estimation. He lives well within his means, works so long as there’s work to be done, stands ready to pitch in should need arise and he’s not got to know you well to lend an effort!!!

There’s a downside. Tim loves old cars. His sisters and brothers despair of the home place ever being left to grass, trees, weeds and whatever’s growing in the garden. The landscape’s relieved by autos in various states of disrepair. At one time I’ve personally observed a baby blue Caddy coupe, a dingy black Benz, a white S-10 truck, a less white Chevy ½ ton pickup, a spotty white Dodge diesel ¾ ton truck with dump trailer, a bluish Toyota Supra and an ugly yellow Toyota flatbed C.J. and I traded Tim for his 1972 souped up orangeyred Monte Carlo that’s blown its share of imported / home grown upstarts in the weeds. This doesn’t count his sister’s new silver Nissan Frontier.

Tim treasures each of these adopted travelers, never drives them, lets ‘em go to seed where they sit, wouldn’t part with one on a bet unless you came by needing a ride at which time he’d as likely give the pick of his litter as charge you anything. It takes a sorry man to sell a child, a friend or a treasured memento. Tim’s not that sort.

Triumphs marking the legend of Tim are many. One time C.J. and I rebuilt the top end of the motor in our trusty Toyota flatbed truck … the beast wouldn’t die. We were driven to that extreme by not enough money to pay a mechanic you could depend on. C.J.’s driveway in Peachtree Hills served as location for our labor.

The Service Manager of a local Toyota dealership, a man possessed of saintly patience, and the perusal of several "how to / factory spec" manuals led us through the process ‘till we got to the part where the oil pan had to be removed. All manuals said it couldn’t be done with the engine in place. Our Service Manager guru said it couldn’t be done with the engine in place. It was going to be rough, as well as embarrassing, to rig means of getting the engine out in C.J.’s driveway. The neighbors wouldn’t be pleased.

Enter Tim.

On hearing our lament, Brother Tim asked if we’d mind him taking a look. Protesting it’d be a waste of his time according to every resource available, we allowed as to how he could do as he pleased. 20 odd minutes later, Tim had the oil pan removed and was looking for something else to do that couldn’t be done.

His ability to COMPLETELY satisfy the expectations of Mario Bartocelli is another jewel in Tim’s crown.

The matchless beauty of the work Tim did on the refrigeration system of a sausage manufacturing plant in North Alabama will linger in my mind’s eye forever.

Tim’s determination to do pretty work where no one will ever see must surely be deserving of his Maker’s divine approval.

And he’s humble!!!

Recently, Tim retired after 20 years in the Insulators Local. The boy couldn’t stand it. Decided on a new career to keep hisself out of mischief. Signed up in the Plumber’s Local as an apprentice. Understand, Tim’s Daddy, Mr. Charley Jackson, held Card #4 in Dekalb County and helped write the Codebook so Tim’s not exactly a stranger to plumbing.

On realizing this, the high ups in the Local put Tim on a fast track in his apprenticeship training. One day Tim was helping a senior union member set water closets, commodes to us uninitiated, on a commercial project. Tim and the man he was assisting each set two units. When it came time to water test, Tim’s installations proved out … his senior cohort’s commodes both leaked.

After several moments of clench jawed silence, Tim’s many years experienced leader finally muttered, "O.K., go ahead and say it."

Tim replied, "Some folks just got a knack for this kind of work."

Now for the point.

You can make book there aren’t many Tims. I’m talking boys and girls who can do ANYTHING. On the other hand there’s not one of us who don’t "have a knack" for SOME kind of work … you just got to figure out what it is.

Biggest lesson I’ve learned in doing business is you won’t go far if you, as Ken and Wilson taught me, conscript folks into doing things they don’t have a knack for by virtue of desire or natural inclination. That adage about square pegs and round holes is a reliable guide.

You also won’t go far if you don’t take time to figure out whether you’re square or round. That accomplished, you’ll be well along the way to finding a hole best suited to your talents and skills.

All of us know if we’re like Tim or not. Most of us aren’t. That means we have to set off on the journey to discover what we’re good at. Then the process is simple. You like what you’re good at and what you’re good at you’ll do well and get better at so you’ll like it more and so forth … it’s called, "Happy Trails to You."

Our job’s to help Babies find holes that suit’em. It’s maybe the greatest gift we have to offer. Not what we’d like but what they came here to be. If we can manage this it’s gon’na be Happy Trails for most everyone someday. Wha’da’ya think!

Tell Tim he’s O.K. by me if he should happen your way. See you next time.

WILD AND FREE

We talked about the “Call of the Wild” last time as it relates to folks who work in the remodeling industry ...  stipulating all of us carry the capacity to answer subject call, some more than others.  The point was maybe clarifying a few issues with an eye to preparing you for dealing with the basic nature of a remodeler should you ever venture those hallowed halls … proposing an understanding of why stalwarts such as these do like they do.  I’ve received more than one phone call questioning the veracity of my claims.  You got chocolate and, then again, you got vanilla!

In any case, those conjectures reminded me of another which might benefit you as it has me.  Ken’s a PhD Industrial Psychologist.  In addition to being a valued friend and confidant, Brother Ken is one more sharp son-of-a-gun … the boy emphatically knows his stuff.

Industrial psychologists like Ken help organizations of whatever size build teams who are subject to working well with each other and are, therefore, productive.  Industrial psychologists also help find the right person for a particular position.  Ken does the latter with a facility bordering the preternatural.  Ken and his partner, Willi Wong, are kind enough to steer me back on track when my eccentricities and defense mechanisms lead down paths that don’t hold much promise.  Real valuable stuff when you’re the sort who’s inclined to launch off on the wrong foot with unfortunate regularity.

Ken’s daughter, Kirby, is a breath takingly beautiful teenager who’s as smart and athletic as she is attractive.  “The Kirb” and Ken are a pair.  Over the years Ken’s coached various sports teams Kirby’s been a member of.  She plays basketball, runs track and loves soccer so Ken has been obliged to learn enough things about the mechanics of those activities to call himself a coach.  Truth be known, Ken’s real value as a coach is his ability to read people.  How they can best be motivated.  How they can be saved from themselves.

Brother Ken and I get together for breakfast when opportunity permits.  On one such occasion, we were commenting on the importance of staying focused, flexible and fearless in the pursuit of one’s goals.  That conversation gave rise to Ken observing these attitudes of focus, flexibility and fearlessness have universal application … for instance, they’re as critical to success on the playing field as they are in the boardroom.

It seems there was a girl on the Kirb’s basketball team Ken was coaching who displayed obvious physical skills in terms of her size and coordination but who had little impact on the outcome of games.  Ken said it was as though the child purposely played below her ability thereby minimizing expectations and keeping her off the hook of performing at or beyond her limits.  That being his job in the business world, Ken decided to make the optimization of this young lady’s skills a “project.”

Suspecting the girl was hypercritical of herself, as well as loathe to risk doing anything that might mark her a failure, Ken took to encouraging her, being particularly conscious of catching her doing things right … not too concerned about commenting when she came up short.  Over time the girl began to respond, finally approaching Ken to ask how she might improve her game and better help the team.

Ken suggested she do something I was taught by C.J. when we were about the business of learning to serve a tennis ball.  Repeatedly picture yourself in yo’ mind tossing the ball as the experts do, then smashing it at 100 mph + into the court of your opponent.  Imagine the details of you delivering a beautiful serve.  A good time to visualize is just before going to sleep. 

Next time you practice tennis, accept the fact that your mind’s well accustomed to the mechanics of serving a tennis ball and turn yourself over to those neurological resources … they’re what make the whole thing work.  You have to abandon yourself to the process with the possibility of looking a bit foolish but you’ll be amazed how quickly you master the physical skill you’re pursuing.

Abandonment to the talent we all have in one degree or other might best be described as going “wild and free” for whatever marks the goal.

‘Bout time we return to Brother Ken’s “project.”  On being asked how she could improve her game, Ken suggested the young lady performing at less then her max, stop worrying about making mistakes, and accept the beauty of giving your best no matter the outcome.  Ken  proposed: she picture the area in front of the basket as absolutely her territory into which no one from the opposing team was allowed under any circumstances; she set loose instincts running deep in her psyche.  Instincts for self preservation and survival lying just under our veneer of social conditioning.  Ken recommended the young lady allow herself the joy of playing “wild and free.”

In succeeding practice sessions it was apparent a change had been wrought.  The 8’x12’ area in front of the basket belonged to Ken’s “project” child.  Others entered at their peril.  She made her share of mistakes but that didn’t stop her.  She got discouraged for a minute but she came right back at’cha.  You might outmaneuver the young lady but you sho’ weren’t going to outhustle or outmuscle her.  She was a winner playing wild and free.

Ken says the next contest with an opposing team was an ordeal in that he was constrained to hastily instruct his young charge that the point of a basketball game was to play your best and win NOT destroy.

 I carry around that conversation with Ken over breakfast.  I  pull it out when I find myself holding back, getting overly cautious, falling prey to self doubt, becoming too mindful of what others might think, not playing the game wild and free.

I ‘spect that’s the greatest service we can do those Babies.  Don’t worry too much when they mess up, they know they have without you making a big deal of it.  Rather, catch’em doing something right, praise their victories to the heavens, let’em play wild and free.

At least as many callers ask RodMan and me who they can get to do something as inquire about how to do that something themselves and that’s O.K. If we can help out with dependable referrals everyone comes out a winner. But it might be instructive to consider the fact that when folks have intentions of tackling the job themselves, they’re not so much concerned with "How?" as they are "Should I?"

There’s a wealth of information floating around detailing how any number of jobs around the home should get done. Some of that info isn’t all it ought to be but, as a general rule, the stuff you run across in sources like Family Handyman, the Sunset and Reader’s Digest series and Better Homes and Gardens is well researched material you can count on to get you through a typical home project of limited magnitude and complexity.

Decks and simple bath / kitchen refurbishing are at the upper limit of what the average homeowner can undertake while anticipating a timely outcome that won’t seriously compromise peace and marital harmony. Anything more elaborate than these labors will probably not be accomplished by a couple without risk of high winds and rough seas. It’s bad enough when a professional’s doing the work!

Speaking of pros, I urge that you resist the temptation to get real involved with electrical wiring and control systems on your heating and air conditioning systems unless you big time know what you’re doing. Both are best left to the expertise of mechanics who have been trained, licensed and have sufficient experience or are working under supervision. Simple plumbing repairs are of less concern … a little water won’t hurt anything but your pride or the carpet. But mess up with electrical or HVAC systems and you’ve got the potential for big, expensive problems.

That leaves a bunch that needs doin’ on which can be saved a pile of money if one takes time to learn how best to proceed and invests in a set of quality tools. In her "Produce" section C.J. talks about the contents of a toolbox intended to serve the homeowner in getting that bunch of doins taken care of. You might want to check it out. C.J. knows what she’s talkin’ about!

Down at the bottom of the page in the fine print we discover that reading up on "How?" and having the necessary tools at hand doesn’t get a single project laid to rest. You got to jump in, my Friend. In the mountains we used to call it, "Throwing your hat over the fence." If you value the use of that hat, you’re forced to climb over the fence to get it.

Same way with projects around your home. Want to remove a door and create a wider cased opening connecting the den with an unused bedroom? Knock a hole in the wall then finish the job or gird up for endless explanations about that hole. Always paid to get a brain washing drip in the kitchen sink fixed? Take the sucker apart, being careful to note the order in which things came out, rebuild that puppy, and admire the fruits of your daring. Cleaning the filter on your furnace will do you more good than you realize if effected more often than the twice a year schedule your HVAC service contract calls for. It’s easy and you’ll feel better every time you do it so try to wait ‘til you’re suffering from a case of the blues then take this guaranteed pick-me-up.

It’s a process that feeds on itself. The more you do, the simpler you realize it is, the better you get, the more you like it so the more you do and the simpler it gets and the better you get and the more you like it so you say, "To heck with corporate America!" and you launch out to become the neighborhood’s cure to afflictions of the home then you start working county wide and publishing a newsletter which gets picked up by Oprah who puts you on national T.V. whereupon you launch your website and retire save when giving presentations which are always in demand for ten thousand a pop.

"This is all well and good!" you say. "But how ‘bout a couple of tips that’ll keep water from getting all over the carpet, metaphorically speaking!"

"No problem," I reply.

Make good sketches or take Polaroid pictures before and during the disassembly process, keep parts in a muffin tin in the order you remove them with a log describing how each part came out, take the part(s) you want to replace to a good local hardware store where the personnel know what time it is, let them help talk you through the repair and when you’ve knocked it out, try not to swagger.

Let’s not turn this one loose before making some comments you hear about and see all the time on This Old House, The New Yankee Workshop, Hometime and others of that genre. YOUR EYES ARE A BIG DEAL AND YOU’VE ONLY GOT TWO!!! I remember getting a smidgen of rust in my eye while helping build the North Avenue MARTA station in downtown Atlanta. Didn’t bother me much until right after supper at which time we ramped up to big league pain and suffering. By the time an ophthalmologist removed it the next morning, I was committed to the practice of wearing eye protection AT ALL TIMES!!!

Circular saws can hurt you bad. I’ve seen experienced carpenters lose digits. One cut a horrific gash in his thigh. Wouldn’t hurt to attend a beginner’s carpentry continuing education class to learn how a skil saw ought be handled. "Skil saw" is the generic name for any circular saw. If you’re not going to be doing a lot of cutting, skip the power saw and get you a good, tool box sized saw that’ll cross cut. You probably won’t rip that much … if you do, might be time to graduate into the circular saw class.

Holding nails, ‘specially small ones, with some large tweezers, small pliers or by sticking the nail through a piece of stiff paper or cardboard will save a smashed thumb or finger. If anyone derides your caution, place a 2x4 with a protruding large nail under their rear, passenger side tire.

GET GOOD TOOLS AND DON’T LOAN THEM OUT!!!

Pawnshops can be an excellent source and there are usually sales at your hardware store. Don’t be seduced by loss leaders at the big box DIY outfits. I believe they more than make up your savings with impulse purchases.

Even if you never do much, there’s an empowering impact that flows from having a set of quality tools. Beware those who seek to borrow. They are a blight and a pestilence bent on reducing you to their least common denominator.

Finally, it’s instructive to keep in mind that NO ONE cares more about your job than you. If it doesn’t require expensive special tools and a lot of training / experience, you’re going to get it done about as well as anyone. You won’t believe how good it’ll make you feel.

Remember, you got to jump in the deep end sooner or later if you’re going to swim. Just practice a bit and make sure there’s help if you need it. Know you’re doubtless going to stub your toe here and there. That’s part of the doing! As the old saying goes, it’s easy to spot someone who isn’t getting’ much done, they never mess up.

‘Bout time to pull in the pits, fuel up and change the outside tires. With any luck we’ll continue this foolishness next week. In the meantime, watch out for those Babies. They got to do their part but you got to show’em how.

WHY’S IT SO HARD TO FIND ANYBODY?

 I can’t think of any concern with which RodMan and I are more regularly confronted than the problem of finding qualified folks to do little jobs: handyman repairs like grounding electrical circuits in old homes or patching cracks in basement slabs, driveways and sidewalks; yardwork or cleaning outdoor grills or spraying the kudzu … and like that.  There’s a real shortage of reliable polite boys and girls out there willing to work with their hands who know what they’re doing.

 C.J., Rodman and I hear it from homeowners and contractors alike.  When you find someone, word soon gets out and that individual’s quickly overwhelmed with desperate requests from all sides causing the poor talented, motivated tradesperson to go hide under a rock, move out of state, get their phone number unlisted, say whatever anyone wants to hear with no intention of carrying through … or all the above.

 C.J. and I found a gutter guy four or five years ago.  He showed up when he said he would, did pretty work for the price he quoted, had insurance, made a good impression on customers, wasn’t disdainful of small jobs so long as they paid his price … a rare jewel tucked away in the cheap glitter of costume jewelry jacklegs given to taking money and producing little.

 Things went well for a while then started heading south.  We got calls from customers saying our gutter man didn’t show up when he promised and then was impossible to contact, obviously screening his calls or ignoring them altogether.  I couldn’t understand my misperceived change in the man’s character.  As happens more often than not, C.J. pulled my coat, opening eyes that wouldn’t see.

When we were unable to make contact by phone, C.J. put me in the truck whereupon we proceeded to find our gutter man’s home.  We arrived about 6:30 in the evening.  Sure ‘nuff, our boy pulled into the driveway within minutes of us getting there.  He was a little surprised to see us and acted sort of sheepish until C.J. gave him to understand we had no purpose beyond insuring he was O.K. and that we’d not given him offense in any kind of way.

He proved glad to visit with us once we’d established the fact we intended no confrontation.  We were invited in and would have been fed supper had we been so inclined. 

What finally came out was that our excellent beyond belief gutter man was running a couple hundred phone responses behind and his wife, who handled his customer contacts, was far from a happy camper.  All he wanted to do was return to the manageable workload he had so profitably enjoyed before he was discovered by such as we.  After promising we would lose his phone number save for our personal needs, we trucked back to the shop.

There are a thousand stories like this one in the naked city.  Folks working at something they enjoy, doing it well, staying busy, charging enough to support their families, paying taxes, living the dream.  They rock along just fine ‘til they get “discovered.” 

Now they got to hire some help, go crazy with matching withholding, drive their significant other nuts answering phone calls, hire a secretary to keep the peace, worry about OSHA regulations and unemployment charges, not be able to charge enough so they can keep the ball rollin …  They end up doin’ like our gutter guy sayin’, “To heck with this foolishness,” go to the house, change their phone number and pick back up where they were before growth smacked’em in the butt. 

Too often the ones who stay in the game are the type who don’t let customer complaints bother them much, don’t worry about shoddy workmanship that’ll serve well enough to get payment and figure once the money’s in their wallet, the job’s over.  After all, your job looks O.K. from where they live and whoever’s got the money usually wins.

Way too few people realize there’s a good living to be made mowing lawns and raking leaves, or cleaning gutters, or doing minor plumbing and electrical repairs, or patching concrete, or painting, or cleaning windows, or freeing up balky windows, or making doors work properly, or hauling off trash, or replacing mailboxes, or …  I’m talking a nice, no hassle, no stress living.  That is if you’re doing it yourself with maybe one helper to fetch and tote.

The following is off the point but it’s a good story and helps make my case.

Years ago, a Marine Corps buddy of mine sent his son, Alex, to Atlanta to figure out what the lad wanted to do besides go to college and not study.  I agreed to help the young man find work.  He wasn’t a real physical sort of guy and not much interested in construction.  At the suggestion of a scrappy laborer who went on to do well when he left my employ, I visited the farmer’s market, got a bushel of roasted peanuts, then picked up a quantity of small paper bags from a wholesaler.  Alex and I spent that evening bagging peanuts while watching T.V.  It didn’t take long.

The next day I dropped my young charge off in the 5 Points area of downtown Atlanta instructing him to sell the peanuts he’d brought in a knap sack for a dollar a bag.  When I returned a couple hours later Alex reported he’d sold out in an hour.

No Police Officers bothered him, no City Licensing officials asked for documentation,  he didn’t have to worry with sales tax and, after discovering he could lock a stash of bagged peanuts in one of the storage bins at the Greyhound Bus Station, he was able to take most of a bushel of peanuts downtown each day.  Alex was making well over $50.00 a day back when that was pretty fair wages for 4 or 5 hours standing around.  I toyed with the idea of joining up!

 I guess the point of all this is twofold.  First, if you’re lucky enough to find a competent handyman, protect your find as you would any valuable … don’t tell a soul lest ye’ be cursed and lose your good fortune.

 Second, should you or anyone you know be under appreciated, over worked, under paid, rode hard, put up wet, ripped, raveled, run down at the seams, tried of the rat race, no longer willing to fight rush hour traffic still yet a believer, against all odds, in the gratification that flows from working with your hands to complete a job of finite duration for which you get paid a living wage … know that opportunities abound and are more abounding with the passing of time.

There are plenty of folks out there who have neither the time nor the inclination to care after the multitude of small tasks required to keep up their homes.  They’re willing to pay well for the services of someone reliable with insurance who doesn’t bite off more than can be chewed ‘cause such a person’s got the sense of a billygoat and isn’t looking to be too friendly with the customer … “stays in their place” without that in any way diminishing their regard for themselves or their labor.

I know a guy.  He’s got keys to a surprising number of the finest homes in Atlanta.  His word is his bond.  He’s reliable and punctual.  He is ever mindful that he’s there to serve and be respectfully friendly as opposed to familiar.  He’s willing to go the extra mile if required to get the job done.  His tools and work clothes are appropriate to the environments in which he works.  His truck doesn’t leave oil in the driveway.  He’s got a degree in Electrical Engineering.  He didn’t take a pay cut transitioning from EE to Handyman.  He’s much happier being the latter.

The caveat?  If you go this route don’t succumb to the siren call of growth.  Don’t hire help to leverage your time and effort.  Keep your head down so no one with mischief in mind or spare time on they hands is tempted to knock you off.  Above all, don’t get discovered.

Apologize for recent problems with our web site.  The provider or keeper of the keys or whatever they are tells us they’ve experienced unanticipated difficulties switching to better equipment.  All seems as it should be for the moment.  RodMan and I enjoy answering your e-mail and hope everyone’s gotten their T-Shirt.  For those who haven’t, let us know and we’ll try again.  Could it be Bob & RodMan are getting’ popular with certain Postal Service Employees?  No matter, “It’s all good.” as they say.

Take care of those Babies and hang with us.  No tellin’ where this boat’s gon’na dock!

 

REAL ESTATE RICHES – NOTHING DOWN!

C.J. and I have bought, renovated and sold older homes since the late 70’s. I have yet to purchase one with no money, I’ve never gotten all the work done by college "kids" with HVAC, Plumbing or Electrical State Licenses who put out a pretty result for far less than the going wage, and after all this that hasn’t happened I have not once then turned around and sold the property for a nice profit – all in 3 weeks or less – not to mention I’m still waiting to conversate with anyone who’s walked away from one of those "nothing down" home purchases I see on T.V. all the time with "money in your pocket."

I’ve shown up at the appointed foreclosure auction venue more mornings than I care to recall waiting for homes to come up for bid that I’ve targeted after much effort only to discover the homeowners filed bankruptcy first thing after the courthouse opened that day thereby removing their desirable pieces of property from the lusting designs of all those, including me, gathered to capitalize on the downturned fortunes of a fellow traveler.

I’ve driven by homes going into foreclosure with the intent of offering the owners an avenue that would salvage their "honor" by binding the two of us in a "win – win" resolution of their conundrum and found 2 dozen flyers / business cards / notes, some several days old, left by those who came before me offering the same great deal I was prepared to make the homeowners whose dwellings were being wrested from them for nonpayment of their notes.

Depression, resignation, despair, embarrassment … those folks weren’t interested in the good deals being proposed by others and me. They just wanted to be left alone as they frantically maneuvered to and fro in an oft times futile effort to rescue themselves.

I’ve spent hours discussing techniques outlined in "packages" promising sure paths to effortless real estate driven fortunes touted late at night on "informational" programs following or preceding a half hour of machines that transform flab to rippling muscle or capsules that make your body a "fat burning machine" allowing you to eat absolutely as much of anything as you wish.

Are there really machines or pills that for three easy monthly charges on your credit card of $39.95 metamorphose you into a mass of muscle accommodating a cake of guiltless gluttony whose icing is the champion physique of a professional weight lifter … and is anyone getting rich in real estate with no money and no clue as to what’s going on? Inquiring minds want to know! My inquiring mind sure does.

Paul was a young aggressive go-getter who hired C.J. and me about 20 years ago to help him and his brother purchase and "flip" houses for huge profit. Those two had a generous grandmother who was backing them in their couldn’t miss foray into residential real estate renovation. C.J. and I were impressed! Paul bought every rundown home in sight. His brother drove a new truck outfitted with the finest tools stored neatly in beautiful chromed boxes topped only by a flat black rack festooned with spotless first class fiberglass ladders.

Those boys looked like some kind’a team … C.J. and I honored by our inclusion in their game plan. We worked hard to be worthy. But no matter how long or how tirelessly we toiled, we never managed to keep up. Paul’s brother was given to standing beside his gorgeous truck playing throw the stick with a golden retriever the lad took everywhere. Don’t believe I ever saw those ladders in use and few, if any, of those pretty tools got dirty.

Things rocked along for a month or so before it started becoming difficult to get paid. Apparently Granny was losing confidence in the ability of her grandsons to make good on their real estate sure fire winner whereby she’d get her investment back sweetened with some juice we can only hope. Soon thereafter C.J. and I moved on to other adventures. Never heard what happened to Paul and his brother but, after all these years, one of the homes they bought is still sitting, unrenovated, in the West End on Ashby Street. I ‘spect there are others.

Now, those guys had money. Think what stories could be told about poor souls who jump in the renovation game with little capital or experience. C.J., Rodman and I recently looked at a home on the periphery of a "real hot area" that one of our real estate agent buddies hoped might interest us.

That puppy was a picture of dreams gone awry. A long, steep set of stairs. No off-street parking. An unwalkable mow at your peril bank of weeds for a yard. Rot around the windows and entry doors. Tortured cut up unmanageable floor plan. Wiring and plumbing that wud ‘da driven inspectors berserk. No heating or air. And the renovator thought he might be able to "let it go" at that point for $125,000.00 … probably about what he had in it not counting the esteem compromisin’, intellectually frustrating, emotionally draining, physically taxing, marriage crippling price he’d paid.

We passed on that particular opportunity, preferring the scorn of our real estate pal to the disaster promised by the "craftsman cottage" project he was hustling on us with every good intention ... sale commission the very last thing in his busy mind! Dog’s in real estate are habitually referred to by agents and brokers as some kind of cottage in my experience.

It ain’t all bad though, y’all. Deals are to be had. They don’t come along every day and you got to be ready with some money and some how-to when they present themselves ‘cause they’re subject to turning up without warning when you least expect’em.

You might hear about one from a coworker. One might turn up in a neighborhood you drive through periodically that seems like an area you wouldn’t mind living in. Doesn’t hurt to scan the want ads for homes close by that wouldn’t be a hassle to get to if you had a project going on there.

I know it may sound a little weird but if you put out a "vibe" chances are something’s going to turn up! While you’re waiting educate yourself about financing sources, scheduling jobs, finding good subs, knowing what’s a good deal and what isn’t, writing a contract that’s detailed with respect to scope of work as well as when and how much money’s to be paid … without being confrontational.

You can’t spend too much time doing your homework. While you’re at it you might want to browse the Home Improvement section of this web site when you got nothing else to do. Could be it’ll steer you in a productive direction.

Course when it’s time to jump in the deep end don’t lose a good deal gettin’ ready. If you’re not sure, call RodMan and me on the program Saturday morning or email us through that section of our web site. We’ll do our best to help you stay out’ta trouble and it won’t cost you a thing but some time. I promise the blood from our foreheads is soaked into that wall lots of folks are subject to beating their heads on. You don’t have to. We’ve done it for you … over and over and over and over and …

Now I’ve put my neck on the line with no hope of retraction, let me say I’d love to buy lunch for anyone out there who’s amassed wealth of whatever dimension doing what I claim can’t be done – procure, improve and successfully market for a profit a piece of residential property with no money and no experience. No kidding. I’ll take back every word in this and any other forum to which I have access. I’m quite sure C.J., Rodman and several other folks I know will be gratified to join in that crow eating luncheon on me.

Let me also say I see nothing wrong with tapes, seminars, books, infomercials and general hustling around the game of real estate.

If those things float your boat, I’m wit’ya all the way! There are pursuits a whole lot more harmful to you and yours and some of the purveyors who promote this stuff are genuinely entertaining.

But if you’re sort of desperate or a smidgen put out with things at work or in the throes of a personal crisis or ‘specially if the finances could use improvement … I urge that you not opt for this get well with no effort and less money strategy.

I think you’ll find the first seminar, the first book, the first tape are all designed to impress on you the need for another seminar, another book, another tape all designed to impress on you the need for another … those succeeding necessities aren’t offered gratis … you got to come up with some stew!

Could it be the folks selling this stuff make their money doing only that instead of applying their wisdom and cunning to the boundlessly profitable, effortless trading in real estate they insist you ought undertake without delay?

Do yourself a flavor. Work hard; ease in gradually; get to know some good subs (there aren’t many); earn their confidence; establish financing sources; learn all you can about building, scheduling, contracts and insurance; establish relationships and accounts with reliable suppliers; develop and guard a reputation for keeping your word … then jump in the deep end with the confidence that flows out of paying your dues cause you will pay them one way or t’other … pay on your terms. I can’t tell you how much better it is when done this way.

Oh, yeah … it doesn’t hurt a bit to have a good attorney and a good CPA just in case.

Take care of your fine selves ‘til next week. I hope you’ll join RodMan and me every Saturday morning on WGKA 920AM or on the web by clicking the appropriate link in the Radio Show section of our web site.

Please keep in mind we got to take care of those Babies. There are folks around who do it well. They need our support if they’re going to do their job. Take some time, find the good ones and help’em out. We’ll all be better for it.

WHAT IF SOMEONE GETS HURT?

Letting anyone work for you without Worker’s Compensation and General Liability insurance is a roulette game you may win forever … but you may not.

Worker’s Compensation is an insurance device that protects home or business owners from liability if someone gets injured in the course of his or her employment or business.

The company or individual doing the work pays a fee to their insurance carrier which provides insurance coverage for employees of the company or the individual when they’re working. I hear folks talk about their homeowner’s insurance covering the handyman / woman who does small repairs or the kid from down the street who mows the lawn. I also hear workmen making the entirely truthful claim that they aren’t required to carry Worker’s Compensation insurance if they don’t have three or more people working on a job.

In the case of your homeowner’s insurance covering the teenager raking your yard and pruning your shrubbery, check real carefully with your insurance agent and make sure you and your yard raker / shrubbery pruner are covered. In the case of letting up to three workers hire out to do your job without Worker’s Compensation, don’t go for it!

If a worker gets hurt on your job and they aren’t covered by Worker’s Compensation insurance be assured there are law firms on television every day heralding the fact that they’re available to help the working man, woman or teenager get recourse. Absent Worker’s Compensation, your pocket book is going to be the instrument of that recourse … as it should be in my opinion.

Make sure folks working for you provide the name of their insurance carrier so you can call and have a Certificate of Insurance mailed to you for your records. DON’T ACCEPT A COPY OF ANY INSURANCE CERTIFICATE FROM THE PERSON WORKING FOR YOU. THAT’S NOT THE WAY IT’S DONE. YOU MAY BE ACCEPTING A PHONEY DOCUMENT.

I’m reminded of a customer who asked me to come see about a problem she was having with leaks around three chimneys on her home. During my visit she explained her husband was a senior executive with a very large local company that employs maintenance personnel who keep the company’s office building operating up to snuff.

Her husband hired one of those maintenance men to service the air conditioning units on my customer’s home. While he was working on the HVAC units, my customer asked the man to get on her roof and see if he could determine the cause of her chimney leaks.

Being an agreeable soul, the man proceeded to get on the three story roof from which he fell onto the driveway upon rendezvous with which he broke his back resulting in him becoming a paraplegic. Not a good result for a guy with 3 children.

My customer’s husband called his insurance agent to get the injured man taken care of only his insurance didn’t cover folks working on his property for hire. Fortunately for the unfortunate injured, my customer and her husband had the wherewithal and willingness to do the right thing without resort to civil court measures by either party. But, as my customer lamented, doing the right thing was proving REAL expensive to the point it was having a marked impact on the lifestyle to which my customer and her husband had become accustomed.

So much for Worker’s Compensation.

But before we abandon the subject, let’s make sure we’re covered in the case of the young man who rolls his lawnmower around the neighborhood every spring and summer cutting grass or in the case of the mother of teenagers down the street who cleans homes while they’re in school or in the case of the professional mechanic who does side work when he gets home from his regular job or in the case …

Check with your insurance carrier about the limits of your homeowner’s coverage the next time you have a chance in the real near future.

General Liability comes into play when someone gets injured incidental to the work being done on your property. The mailman steps on a nail not properly bent flat into a piece of scrap lumber, a rock thrown by the edging machine with which the employee of your landscape company is trimming along the curb shatters the windshield on your neighbor’s Mercedes, a passing child is seriously cut on a piece of metal flashing your window installer hasn’t yet had a chance to pick up. I’ve seen lots of ways passersby can get hurt while around people working … whole lots of ways.

Somebody’s gon’na pay for any injury! If the person(s) working for you are covered by an adequate level, adequate being at least $100,000 per incident, of General Liability insurance, you can put your mind at ease. You and your property are protected.

I’m told by attorney friends that, in the case of a property owner’s flagrant negligence, the protection of your worker’s insurance coverage – Worker’s Compensation and General Liability - might be defeated. I don’t know what constitutes such levels of negligence but I dare say you’d have to be a pretty inattentive individual to let such a sorry state of affairs develop in the course of work being performed on your property.

If you’ve exercised care and diligence in screening who you let work on your property, those individuals are going to maintain a clean, safe worksite … it’s part of being a professional … a person who takes care to be well perceived by the customer.

I’m not given to running around scared of what might happen and you shouldn’t be either. A very close attorney friend has advised me that it carries a lot of weight if, when something goes amiss on your job, it’s apparent you were doing your best to provide and maintain a safe working environment.

An essential part of that process is making sure the folks who work on your property are covered by Worker’s Compensation and General Liability insurance. Again, you do that by getting the name of their insurance agent or insurance carrier and calling for a Certificate of Insurance to be sent to you in the mail or by arranging for homeowner’s insurance coverage that’ll take care of remedying any misfortune that might occur while your property is being worked on by others

This isn’t just about covering your butt though that’s an important consideration.

This is about doing the right thing!

I can’t think of anything that’d upset me much more than someone getting seriously hurt on my job without insurance protection and me not having the resources to make things right for them. I believe most folks share this concern with me. That’s why some smart puppy invented insurance be it Worker’s Compensation, General Liability, Homeowners, Million Dollar Umbrella or what have you.

Point is, make sure you and the individuals working for you are protected. You’ll probably never have occasion to appreciate being insured cause odds are against anything bad happening to workers around your home or business … but you’ll never stop regretting not having your workers insured in the case of serious injury on your job.

 

If you haven’t heard yet, Bob & RodMan T-Shirts will be in the mail by April 10^th. When you get yours, please read the warranty with care. Hope you find this inadequate review of an important subject helpful. Also hope you’ll take care of the Babies. I heard recently about an outfit called, The Good Samaritan. You might want to call’em (404-523-6571) and send the spare money you saved on your $49.95 Bob & RodMan T-Shirt that you got free, postage paid.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?

There’s no question more pondered by folks looking to have someone else do a job for them than the subject of our conversation this week. And there’s no question more difficult to answer.

Years ago I ran up on a thumbnail rule called the contractor’s triangle. The three legs of the triangle are labeled speed, low (sometimes referred to as "reasonable" or "fair") price and quality. You get to pick two of the three. If you want your job done quickly for a low price, you can’t have quality. If you want a quality job at a low price, you can’t have speed. If you want quality delivered at a fast pace, you can’t have low price.

There are holes in this little homily but the point is you got to establish realistic expectations with respect to what’s possible.

Another set of "How ‘bout that!" principles I’ve found mesh to establish some more useful thumbnail rules are:

1. You can’t make a racehorse out of a jackass. The jackass knows he’s no thoroughbred and he’ll hate you for asking what he can’t deliver. Don’t think he’ll be flattered by your elevating his status more than long enough for reality to sink in cause that ol’ jackass is gon’na catch on and when he does you gon’na be in big trouble.
2. You got to weed your garden if you want to grow anything useful and productive.
3. Take a gallon of the purest, richest, most delicious ice cream and stir in one thimble of horse manure. You, nor anyone else, are likely to want any of that ice cream on the steamiest day, however miserable might you be.

Stick with me now, ‘cause we’re moving in on what we’re after. First, get your expectations in order.

Second, make sure you take time to determine the ability of the person you’re about to hire.

Third, be relentless and swift in weeding out those who don’t measure up … don’t deliver what they promise … don’t do what they say they’re gon’na do when they say they’ll do it … don’t respect your time and your property … don’t stick to budgets …

Finally, don’t let any horse manure get in the game from either end. This last part’s all about detailed contracts with specific payment schedules and all the rest of it. Finding a Good Contractor in the Home Improvement section of this web site addresses what a good contract looks like. You might browse that topic when you have a moment.

Now to what you can expect to pay. A contractor / tradesperson who comes with good credentials, who’s got the right stuff, who shoots straight, who’s been around the block is going to be ethical more times than not. He or she is going to quote you a price that allows them to stay in business. It won’t be a "reasonable" price. It won’t be a "fair" price. It WILL be a REALISTIC price.

That means enough to pay worker’s compensation and general liability insurance, enough to pay medical insurance premiums if there’s not a working spouse who has good health insurance, enough to contribute to a retirement program, enough to pay the house note, enough to pay for transportation and vehicle insurance, enough to pay matching withholding on employee wages, enough to pay for family entertainment and vacations, enough to pay for Christmas presents, enough to help with expenses that elderly parents might incur, enough to pay tuition for the education of their children, enough to pay for safety measures and equipment required by OSHA … the list is a long one. And the type of person you want working around your home is going to be the sort of individual who takes care to discharge all those obligations in a responsible fashion.

You can’t do it for $10.00 an hour sports fans. ‘Specially not when you consider the fact that a person in business for theirself doesn’t have the guarantee of going to work every day. Weather, the availability of materials, vehicle repair, an injury, a bad economy making work scarce, rascals and scallywags buying jobs by giving great prices coupled with lifetime guarantees then delivering marginal work knowing they’ll be long gone before the customer realizes what’s happened. These are a few of the difficulties the person working for you has to deal with in their effort to maintain a budget that’s close to predictable.

We’re almost there, y’all, so hang in. I’ve known a guy for a number of years who does pretty work, does it when he says he’s going to and tells you exactly what it’s going to cost. He was a stockbroker in another life. Now he’s a handy man in the truest sense of the word.

His truck’s not fancy and he doesn’t spend a whole lot of time worrying about keeping his shoes shined. But his tools are clean, well organized and top quality, he doesn’t charge while he’s learning something new and he knows when to walk away from a job that’s destined not to have a happy result either by virtue of his ability and experience or because the job’s a natural born loser. There’s quite a few losers out there, gentle reader … I’ve strapped on a couple myself.

The man we’re talking about charges a flat $75.00 an hour from the time he gets to your job ‘til the time he leaves. While he’s at the supply house, he charges $75.00 an hour. While he’s taking his 15-minute break for lunch he charges $75.00 an hour. While he’s conversating with you ‘cause you want to visit he’s charging $75.00 an hour. While he’s helping you move a piece of furniture that you’ve wanted to relocate for 2 years he’s getting $75.00 an hour.

While he’s changing out a flood light that’s too high for you to fool with he charges $75.00 an hour.

And you know what, I just heard from a customer I referred him to who wants a deck rebuilt that this ol’ boy’s running 4 months behind. That’s if the weather stays good and he doesn’t get hit with a case of the flu.

Does this mean you got to pony up $75.00 an hour to get your yard raked or your shrubs pruned? No.

It does mean that a skilled person with good tools and their own transportation who shows up sober and on time when they say they’re going to, or calls when something comes up, is a real bargain if you can get them on your job for less than $50.00 an hour. Don’t forget, that ain’t a whole lot of money if you go two or three weeks without work ever so often.

Truth be told, I can’t pay my roofers near what their labor’s worth ‘cause the market won’t stand for it. My superintendent, Danny, deserves to make double what I can afford and I sometimes wonder why he works like he does for what I pay him. It’s got to do with his pride, his independence and a spirit that isn’t easily directed by managers who take themselves seriously or a bureaucracy that’s slow to appreciate the effort, commitment, production and value of men who work with their hands.

Do yourself a favor. Next time you’re fortunate enough to run up on a good worker, pay him or her what you’d like to be paid if you were in their place. Don’t cut a sharp deal. Don’t take advantage or exploit in the name of "just doing business." Be a big person and come up with what you’d like to be paid if you could or would do what they’re doing on your behalf. You’ll quickly recruit a stable of folks who can, and will, take care of your home or business the way they ought be taken care of.

When I started this, I had no idea I’d end up where I have but, to quote Billy Grimes, God rest his soul, I believe we’ve messed around and found ourselves "in a sweet, peaceful place."

I’m done and so, doubtless, are you. Please keep in mind that irrevocable truth locked forever in the statement, "I love you more than you do me." Take care of those Babies, ‘specially the ones that aren’t yours.

TOXIC POOTIES

There's no sense in us going into an extended thing about dangers like cuts and falls which I think are commonly regarded as the major causes of injuries around the home or in the workplace ... those subjects are visited repeatedly on television news, periodicals and newspapers.  

Nor do we need spend lots of time on fire and the resulting smoke that kills more than the flames. Now I think about it though ... might be a good idea to mention there are smoke detectors and there are smoke detectors.  The kind you want detects both open flames and smoldering combustion that's not producing flames but is generating lots of deadly smoke.  The good folks at your local hardware store ought to be able to steer you in the right direction.  

I'd be remiss in not mentioning the perils represented by carbon monoxide as well as lead in older paint surfaces and asbestos that're both pretty much everywhere in older homes.  You should, if you don't already, read about or listen to talk addressing this stuff as it crosses your path, which it will.  If you're the type of person who's going to tend to business with respect to these concerns nothing I say here is going to make you any more attentive.  If you're the type of person who tends to let these issues slide along to the back burner I'm not likely to motivate you otherwise.

But then we light on the subject of what goes by the technical term in the trades as ... toxic pooties.  Not something you hear about as much as I think you should.  Oh sure, once in a great while there's an outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease or someone's reported to be suffering because of bad stuff in the air around their home or where they work.  We've all doubtless been exposed to the term, outgassing, which is the release of not necessarily healthy things from familiar accoutrements such as carpet, finishes, upholstery and foam insulation ... a few sources of pooties to be found in typical surroundings where all of us spend time going about the intricacies of living.  

I vote all these various syndromes and afflictions be lumped under the general usage heading, toxic pooties.  Toxic pooties are with us for the duration as they have been since we clambered out of the trees, were banished from the garden or sprang from the consciousness of something or other depending on how you view the matter.  Myself, I lean to the banished from the garden bias.  

Subject pooties were no problem with well vented caves, castles, thatched huts, teepees, lean-tos and, in more recent times, not so well buttoned up homes or buildings of whatever ilk.  The difficulties attendant to toxic pooties have come with recent building code mandated super insulated air tight homes and office buildings absent a corresponding requirement for the development and installation of Heating and Air Conditioning systems that provide for the introduction of fresh air and evacuation of air filled with toxic pooties ... all this to be achieved so as not to compromise the energy efficiency that's the intent of building super insulated, air tight structures in the first place.  Just another example of bureaucrats with good intentions that get screwed up in the end.  Does money, lobbying and influence have anything to do with this?   

I know of one case in which an older gentleman spent time in an extended care facility recovering from a fall.  While there, he had no need for inhalants that he'd required for years to breath comfortably.  His home is kept spotlessly clean but is, nonetheless, generating pooties that effect this man's respiration in a bad way.  The family has obtained the services of a firm that works with sick building syndrome so whatever is doing nasty things to this individual's lungs can be identified and abated.

Indoor air quality, sick building syndrome, humidity problems, energy recovery ventilators ... you gon'na hear more and more about this stuff if I'm not mistaken.  In the meantime you might want to start educating yourself on this real important subject.  If you're having problems around your home or workplace that you think might be air quality related, you won't do better than giving Marty Jones a call at Shumate Air Conditioning & Heating, 678-0584-0880.  Brother Marty's a good guy who knows as much about providing healthy air as anyone I've run up on.  Ain't the first time this ol' boy's rodeo'd ... Marty's a  straight shooter. 

No kidding, now, don't fail to make sure you, your family and your coworkers are protected from the scourge of toxic pooties .. 'specially if you suffer afflictions that are recurring and not readily explained..  You'll feel good about yo'sef, they'll feel good about they'sef and the pooties won't care.  They're just as happy outdoors fertilizing wild flowers as they are in your lungs and the environmental benefit is multi-faceted when pooties are outside where they belong.  

"Bout done.  Please don't let what's been said here minimize the importance of caution and care when it comes to things like lead, mercury, asbestos, fluorocarbons and all the rest.  It's just that I believe those important concerns already get adequate press if not personal implementation as they ought.  Air quality where we live, work and sometimes play, on the other hand, is a subject that needs more attention in my opinion.

Am done now.  Thanks for your input which, thus far, has been charitable.  I still love you more than you do me.  Take care of those Babies ... they can't help being here and we owe'em!!! 

DOCUMENTATION, RECOURSE & THE REAL DEAL

Last week we talked about insurance claims and explored some strategies for transacting business with insurance adjusters.  In the course of that conversation, we touched on the importance of documenting all your contacts, including phone calls, in a diary and in letters sent to the insurance company with at least a postal service receipt verifying mailing.  This procedure is equally important when you're working with your contractor and the work isn't being done as you specified or some other difficulty presents itself.  Should the matter end up in arbitration or litigation, your record of what went on will be a powerful tool in presenting your side.

Before we get into how to anticipate resolving a job gone wrong, let's first talk about what "a job gone wrong" means.  There is a detailed accounting elsewhere in this web site that addresses the means by which you can target a reliable contractor / tradesman-woman.  The task is no piece of cake ... it's gon'na take some time and probably be frustrating but, if you plow ahead undeterred, you're likely as not going to end up with a conscientious, ethical, experienced, skilled person you can work with.  

Once you and that person have taken the time to compose a detailed contract that covers all the bases with respect to what both parties agree is to be done, where appropriate the materials it's to be done with, how much is going to be paid and on what schedule that payment is going to be made, no serious problem should come up unless you decide to make major changes in midstream.  Even in that case, if you've arranged a mutually agreeable Change Order protocol, difficulties will be dispatched with facility.  That is, unless you expect perfection. 

The last perfect contractor / tradesperson lived 2000 years ago.  Those you're going to run into today aren't Him.  So you ain't going to get a perfect job.  90% will be a remarkable performance level that will cost an arm and a leg.  Chances are, you probably ought expect something less than that unless you got a lot of money burning holes in your pocketbook.  Set realistic expectations and commit yourself to working WITH the person doing your job.  Too many tomes dictating how best to get a job done seem inclined to establishing an adversarial relationship between the parties to the agreement.  DON'T GO THAT WAY!!!  

With a competent, ethical person doing the work, most problems will crop up in maintaining a job time schedule you think is reasonable (it usually isn't) or in what we call the punch out phase of your job ...  the final 5-10%.  The cosmetic details most visible.  That part of the job guaranteed to take as much time and darn near as much money as the other 90-95%.  Not so much a problem with your plumber, electrician HVAC specialist, framer or insulator.  Their stuff's out of the way where it's not often seen.  Your general contractor, painter, trim carpenter, sheet rock finisher, window or door mechanic, paper hanger, floor finisher ... those folks whose work you survey each and every day ... that's where trouble will most likely rise up and smite you.

You're subject to identifying more flaws than the law allows, 'specially if you're a discerning, particular type of individual.  If you are, you know it.  In that case, determine you're going to crank down your performance index, let the person working for you finish a job fraught with an acceptable level of quality, pay'em as agreed and, when they've exited your world, you jump in there and detail that sucker out to your heart's content.  If this doesn't appeal and you want that barely attainable 90% performance level, be sure you let the person doing the work know you're going to be picky, let them decide if they can and will  produce, then get ready to come off your pocketbook 'cause the job is surely going to be priced at a premium.               

Boys and girls, none of the foregoing discussion qualifies as "a job gone wrong."  What we've been talking about are jobs that go smooth as glass, comparatively speaking, with a minimum of hassle and heartache.  There's no such thing as a remodeling job, a repair job or new construction in residential, commercial or industrial contracting that doesn't present some "challenges" ... that's just part of the deal.  The real heartache, disappointment and fatal impact on your bank account comes when YOU HAVEN'T DONE YOUR HOMEWORK!!!  You settle on a person to do your work without checking them out thoroughly.  You proceed with no plan as to exactly what you want done, what you want it done with, how much you're prepared to pay, when you're prepared to pay it and how you're going to handle a change in plans, i.e., the stove would be better located across the room from where you originally planned after the gas line, base cabinets and wiring are in place.

You will know shortly after it starts that your job is heading south.  Schedules aren't met, extra money is demanded in advance of work getting done, you're hit with excuses or sob stories regularly, threats are bandied about - implied or otherwise, quality is marginal or nonexistent, you have a sinking feeling in your stomach when you hear that distinctive exhaust trespass your driveway.  You better start documenting 'cause you're probably going to need all the help you can get.  There's a slim chance you can pull out with no lasting damage, especially if you keep a tight rein on the money realizing that's about all the leverage you have.  But chances are, you're going to pick up some fleas from the dog with which you've elected to lie down.

I have a good friend who is real sharp and a highly trained professional on whom I depend.  She hired her cousin to do major renovations on her home in the interest of being "good family."  She didn't bother to check references, financial standing or anything else, after all, he's her cousin.  Folks, be assured you never get screwed by someone you don't like!!!  The cousin messed up my friend's job, demanded she pay him anyway and put a lien on my friend's home when she refused to be exploited. Fortunately, she documented the details of what didn't get done.  She also has a reasonably detailed contract that, when compared to her notes, shows how her cousin was in breach of their agreement.  She still has most of her money.  And she's willing to bond the lien off her home and pursue the matter in court or arbitration, whichever is necessary.  The downside?  Her family is in turmoil.  All this because she didn't exercise due care and diligence.   

Which brings us to what one does when one has fouled the gears like my friend did.  With documentation all may not be lost.  A letter from your attorney will often work wonders.  If you don't have an attorney, ask around and find one, then pay them whatever the fee is to draft a letter to the dog you hired stating what you want.  If that doesn't work, and with an experienced dog it doubtless won't, ratchet up to a Small Claims Court action if your damages don't exceed the limits for small claims in your area.  Here again, you have to do your homework.  Determine what evidence is acceptable and in what form your evidence must be submitted.  The clerk of the court can help in this regard if you're nice.  Of course, should you get a judgment there comes the no-small-matter of collecting it.  You'll not get blood out of a turnip or money out of a scoundrel.  

If Small Claims Court proves not to be the arena in which to get the job done, you're left with hiring an attorney and hunkering down for a battle.  I've been told by attorney friends that if your case doesn't involve at least $15,000.00, you're better served writing the whole thing off to experience.  Pretty expensive experience, I'd say, and it comes with a lot of aggravation and emotional turmoil.  And don't forget what we said about turnips, blood, money and scoundrels.

The short answer is, there are no guarantees that you're going to come out unscathed if you do business with a contractor or tradesman-woman you haven't checked out to a fare-the-well.  It's a pain to be sure but it's a pain that pales in comparison to what you're in for if you don't exercise a great deal of caution.  I urge you to read over Finding a good contractor in the Home Improvement section of this web site.  You'll find a "real world" treatment of the issue.

Keep in mind: 1) Perfect jobs are like perfect contractors, there ain't none.  2) Whoever has the money loses the least.  3) Do your homework before you let the first nail get driven.  4) You never get messed over by someone you don't like.  5) Document everything.  6) Don't set up an adversarial relationship with the person working on your home.  7) No one cares about your job or your money more than you do.   7) Lie down with dogs and you're gon'na get fleas.  8) If it's too good to be true ...      You already know this stuff, don't you!?!?!?   

That's all I got to say.  As ever, I welcome your input however harsh or supportive.  I read each and every e-mail you're kind enough to send my way.  It's absolutely the case that I love you more than you do me.  Take care of those Babies, they're what this whole deal is all about.   

INSURANCE CLAIMS & ADJUSTERS

There're good and bad in any field.  Maybe it's been the luck of the draw but I've not had real positive experiences with some insurance adjusters through my 30 some odd years in construction.  There've been gratifying experiences in which adjusters  helped the customer any way they could, but I've found an unfortunate number of insurance adjusters don't appear to have the customer's best interests at the top of their list of priorities.  Usually, that sort is concerned with how much the insurance company's going to shell out on the customer's behalf. 

Some contractors sort of specialize in doing insurance work.  A number of these folks develop close working relationships with adjusters who are located in the contractor's area of operations.  The two get to know each other.  They learn how each other is wont to "play the game."  That game is often designed so the insurance company gets out for as little as possible, the contractor makes what he needs to clear for a nice profit and the customer's left holding the bag.

You can avoid falling prey to this process.  Your FIRST MOVE BEFORE YOU CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY ADJUSTER should be to FIND A PUBLIC ADJUSTER.  Foy and Anita Taff run Taff Claim Services here in Atlanta.  I wouldn't think of getting into the insurance claim process without them at my side.  They know the ins and outs of evaluating a loss accurately and they make sure your settlement is one that's fair to you.  A good Public Adjuster will guide you through what follows but it might be helpful for you to review the play book so I continue. 

While your Public Adjuster is settling your claim with the insurance company, you should be busy finding a contractor you want to work with.  Might be helpful to review How to find a Contractor in the Referral section of this web site. Get together with your contractor and determine what it's going to take for you to be "made whole."  That means you get put back where you were before your misfortune.  

That doesn't mean your roof gets patched with shingles that don't match the existing ones even though they are supposed to be the same color but the existing have aged to a different shade.  That doesn't mean you accept a paint job in the middle of a wall and the paint colors don't match for the same reason the old shingles don't match up well with new.  That doesn't mean you get saddled with a deck that looks like a quilt of different hues.  That means you get things put back as close to the way they were as possible.  Your Public Adjuster will make sure your insurance company settlement will cover all these costs.

Be sure you explain to your contractor that they're going to be working for you and that you're going to be the one who is going to make payments when they're due.  You'll be in a position to say this cause your Public Adjuster will have settled your claim and gotten your money.  

This arrangement will appeal to your contractor since he or she isn't going to have to wait on approval from some insurance rep. who usually has formulas that are applied to how a job should be priced and schedules directing when workers are going to get paid.  Those formulas, by the way, are seldom, if ever, there to protect you.  Rather, they're designed to limit the insurance company's exposure / costs.  If you fail to make clear this one-on-one arrangement with a potential contractor, a lot of reputable boys and girls simply won't work for you.

Once you and your contractor have determined what needs doing and what it's going to cost to do it, then you will be in a position to proceed without involving the insurance company adjuster at all ... your Public Adjuster having already negotiated a settlement.  Your contract with your contractor should contain, among other things, the scope of work and the contract amount.  Seeing you've done your "homework"  will put your contractor at ease.  

Be sure repairs are done to your specifications.  You're the one who has authority to approve the finished work since your Public Adjuster has set things up so you're the one your contractor is looking to for payment.  Your insurance company adjuster is out of the picture at this point. This complies with the cardinal rule that IN NO CASE SHOULD YOU ALLOW YOUR COMPANY ADJUSTER TO GET BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR CONTRACTOR.  Your company adjuster has no business telling your contractor what to do or how to do it.  Those concerns should be the exclusive province of your contractor and you. 

Even if you don't get everything you feel you ought, I promise with the help of an experienced Public Adjuster team like Foy and Anita Taff you'll at least get more than you would have had you passively acquiesced to your company adjuster's settlement.

Remember guys, BEFORE YOU MAKE A MISTAKE, the FIRST thing you want to do is OBTAIN THE SERVICES OF A PUBLIC ADJUSTER whose concerns are going to be directed toward you as opposed to the bias of a company adjuster who depends on your insurance company for his of her livelihood.

This ain't over 'til we cover one other tawdry little detail.  DON'T GO TRYIN'  TO GET MORE THAN YOU GOT COMING.  I believe fraudulent claims are the reason honest folks sometimes have trouble getting dealt with fairly.  The insurance company's not there to improve your lot, they're a resource intended to put you back where you were before the storm hit, metaphorically speaking.  Do the right thing ... be honest about the scope of your loss.  Your Public Adjuster's gon'na insist on this anyway.  Don't try to connive with your contractor to do your insurance company wrong.  In the first place, if your contractor will do it to the insurance company, he or she will sho' do it to you!  In the second place, if you pursue this course it's gon'na mess up your vibe.  No one can afford a messed up vibe.  In the third place, yo' Momma wouldn't approve.  I could go on and on.  It's a long list.  We don't need to explore all the varied reasons cause, bottom line, we all know when we're not doin' the right thing and this is one of those times.

I'm through.  Should you have any comments, criticisms, suggestions, improvements to what's been said, invitations to go out in the yard or meet for lunch, whatever ... call, write or e-mail.  Take care of the babies.  They're pretty much all that matters.  Bob.