That one homeowner in Seattle who ruined my subfloor prep forever

I was doing a click-lock LVP job up in Queen Anne last spring and the homeowner kept hovering. She looked at my floor scraper and said "you're missing the high spot by the sliding door, it's about a 3/16 hump." I brushed her off at first. But sure enough I put a level on it and she was dead on. Now I always do a full straightedge check before I even pull out the glue or underlayment. Anyone else ever get corrected by a customer and actually learn something?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_allen20d ago

Wait, you actually took their advice? I've had homeowners point out stuff before but I always figured they were just making conversation. That's pretty cool she was spot on though.

park.abby20d ago

Why wouldn't I take free home advice? That stuff saves you thousands down the road.

casey1617d ago

Free advice from someone who actually lives in the house is a gamble, not a guarantee. Sure, they might know where the water shuts off without looking, but half the time they're just guessing or telling you what worked for their cousin's house in a different state. I've had homeowners swear their leaky faucet was "an easy fix" and it turned into a three day plumbing nightmare. The problem is most people confuse "this worked for me" with "this is the professional standard for your specific situation." You're still better off paying a real pro for a checkup before you sink money into anything major. Free advice is only cheap because it costs you nothing upfront, not because it's worth anything.