Today we are looking at a common problematic occurrence from a different point of view. The occurrence? A builder being late on their date of completion. We discussed this a month or so ago when I was posing questions to Doug McSpadden about how this effected the home owner.

This week I ran into a business colleague who I knew was building a water-front home here on Lake Wylie: so I asked her how things were going. “Not well” she said. “The builder is running roughly 2-3 months over”.

Being trained in the McSpadden Approach (and giving her builder the benefit of the doubt) I asked if she had made changes to the plan – implying that this was the reason for the delay. “No” she said. Then she explained that the builder only orders things as he needs them so for example her tub is going to take 4 weeks to get delivered. Now I’m thinking: ok . . . What? First, didn’t they know they were going to need the tub 4 weeks ago and should have ordered it then? Second: so everything is on hold while we wait for the tub? And where will they live for those extra 2-3 months? (If that is even accurate). They have sold their current home and are renting it back from the new owners. So now they will have to incur the extra months of rent. Not huge of course but certainly money they did not plan on spending.

I’m afraid my face was beginning to tell the tale. She knows I work with McSpadden Custom Homes so I think she decided to start defending her builder by telling me about the bad weather we had in late winter: implying that this is the main reason for the delay. But sport’s fans! We had that same weather at the cottage style lake front home that McSpadden is building (Mike Jenkins is the project manager). And it is still coming in slightly early.

I believe this is one of those situations that home owners just expect and accept when building a new home. But at McSpadden we don’t.