Going beyond

...because it's the right thing to do

By HERB LAGOIS

Flex Room: Fabulous and Functional, a project by Lagois

Proud dad update: Our son Andrew’s recent reno was a huge success! Last month Andrew and I made a substantial (and beautiful, if I may say so) change to his bathroom. We did the demolition work, cut concrete, installed underground plumbing, added concrete, installed a shower, added new electrical, and got the drywall done, primed and ready for the next stage.

This included inspections… all in two weeks.

So I’m feeling pretty proud of myself. I’m not the young chicken I once was, after all.

Andrew's new bathroom in progress. Once we found the right trades, everything went smoothly. Success!

It was a double success because we had run into challenges with the trades. Andrew lives out of the province, so I was dealing with people I didn’t know. After a few frustrating starts (no returned phone calls, no honouring of promises), we found the right ones and everything sailed along smoothly.

Working with the right people – the ones who do what they say they’ll do and go beyond what they are technically required to do – reminded me of an addition we did many years ago on the Rideau River. The homeowners were a super nice couple and I enjoyed working with them.

About eight years later, however, they called me in a bit of a panic because something was wrong with a few of their walls. It was well after our five-year warranty with them was up, but I wanted to investigate and see how we could help.

It turned out that it was a manufacturing defect of the windows. Water was entering through the window and rotting out the walls.

The window manufacturer would not help or own up to the issues. It was infuriating.

Lagois repaired all the walls for them, including caulking the defective windows. We advised our homeowners to keep a close eye on the condition of the caulking and to let us know if anything seemed amiss. We didn’t charge for the repairs.

We could have said, sorry, your warranty’s up. We could have pursued legal action with the window manufacturer, but we decided it was simply more effective to fix everything. Our homeowners were deeply grateful that we stepped up to the plate, no questions asked; and to this day we still have a wonderful relationship with them.

It was the window manufacturer who was the loser in this situation, because we will never purchase anything from them.

That’s the kind of thing homeowners need to watch for. It’s not a matter of the legalities of a warranty (although it is that, too, of course). It’s much more – it’s the human, honest, reaction when there’s a problem. You go beyond because you care, because you want to keep your relationships with people who have trusted you. You do it because it’s the right thing to do.

A company (like the window manufacturer) who doesn’t operate that way should just get out of town.

Lagois? We’re still here, Perfecting the Art of Living more than four decades later. I figure there’s a good reason for that.

Herb Lagois is the founder of Lagois Design·Build·Renovate.