Although this feature unit is decorated with pre-fab ceramic tile, it was custom built to meet the dimensions of the room.
During a recent interaction with a potential client, it became evident the word custom doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. In my world, a custom project is any modification done to an existing space. For example, a cosmetic update such as a coat of paint and new flooring in a bathrooom is not a custom job, but converting the bathtub and shower into a walk-in shower definitely is.
Late last fall, the neighbour of homeowners I’d completed a rather large multi-tiered deck for inquired about having me add a feature wall for a new big-screen TV and a wall-mount fireplace. After a brief discussion a few photos of my past work was shared, which led to a sketch being forwarded to me and the quoting process began.
The unit would be constructed from floor to ceiling, centred along the far wall of the living room, to a width of 72 inches at a depth of 10 inches. Between the upper cavity that would house the TV and the inset fireplace below, a rustic wooden mantle of substantial girth would be mounted along the entire width of the feature unit’s front face, extending another 72 inches further along the left side to the adjacent wall creating a shelf between the unit and that wall. A second shelf was also proposed below the mantle shelf extension, to functionally fill the gap on the left side of the feature unit with two rows of shelving.
Based on the proposed dimensions, the homeowner forwarded a few photos that reflected the style of mantle they wanted and indicated that although the photos revealed white stone, a darker grey and earth-tone stone would be preferred. The search for the required items and materials began well before the anticipated start of sometime in later February or early March of this year.
A beautiful 50-inch wall-mount electric fireplace that happened to be on sale at more than half-off was discovered, and the homeowner gave me the green light to proceed with the purchase. Unfortunately, a mantle that could stretch the full 12 feet from left to right side of the feature unit, and continue to the adjacent wall as a shelf would not be as easy to find. As such, the option to custom-cut a mantle to the exact specifications was offered to the client. The mounting process would also require a custom approach, which wasn’t a huge issue, but worthy of mentioning. Oddly, however, our final conversation ended abruptly — and I have a hunch it had something to do with the use of the phrase “custom-built.”
The exchange got me thinking. To what degree must something be built from scratch for it to be considered a custom job? In this instance the introduction of a feature unit where there was no feature unit prior was indeed a custom job — but perhaps that isn’t clear to everyone.
Our final conversation before electing to withdraw from the project left me questioning whether my explanations regarding the process had been unclear or misunderstood, or whether the homeowner’s expectations were simply unreasonable. No matter, this unfortunate unravelling reveals an important aspect of project planning — both parties must be on the same page from the onset, and throughout.
It is my sincerest hope that once the project does finally get underway, it will be due to improved communication with the next contractor and hopefully the understanding that this is indeed a custom application.
RenoBoss.Inc@outlook.com
