We’re still doing work on our house (and will be for a while)! One really interesting thing that I’ve seen is that when we are getting quotes for work, a lot of tradespeople are very sure what a problem might be, before they’ve really looked into the issue.
We can get three quotes, and have three different root cause analyses of what’s going on.
This is happening because of their expertise in a particular area of a trade. If they are used to using nails, every solution is a hammer! If a job feels familiar, then it’s easy to assume it is exactly what it appears on first glance.
Sometimes it’s a preferred job or way of working, and sometimes it’s just the big expensive “fix it all”, rather than the intervention we actually need.
The best people we’ve worked with take their expertise, and then go with an open mind to find the right solution. They might have that initial idea, but they test it against the actual situation. They look at the problem from various angles, get up close, go up a ladder and really understand what’s going on.
By testing a hypothesis quickly and cheaply, we get to the real issue faster. That means the right work is done, things that can wait are put down the list, and we’re spending the right money at the right time.
We’ve fixed “damp” by repairing the drainpipes and cutting back shrubs, and replaced a single valve in our heating to bring it fully back to life on a cold winter’s day.
People that work this way don’t make the most money in a single transaction, but as they ‘ve built trust, we go back to them multiple times, and recommend them to our friends!
So, don’t get blinded by your expertise. Use it to shape your thinking and come to solutions quickly, but make sure they are informed by what’s going on in reality. Don’t just always reach for the hammer!
James Osborn 