Trades Industry Sherpa For Consumers

There was a time when good work was in short supply, but good workers were not. Then, by various triggers that would require a top-ranking economist to explain and chart, good workers started to be in short supply and good work plentiful.

“…good workers started to be in short supply and good work plentiful.”

Then things got even more strange. People who performed the work started charging more money while more consistently performing a mediocre service or finished product. It seems, to my lint-filled pockets, money has lost its holding value for consumers. This is where the home diagnostic and consulting skill sets sweep in to save the day.

If you at all listen to The Unbuild It Podcast, or follow Home Diagnosis, or any of the plethora of available resources out there, you should be aware that the trend for ensuring what is built performs to a standard of today’s global and economic climate, and NOT a standard of past-home-building-decades, is becoming more common. Trade schools have been catching on over the last 10 years, industry figure heads (mostly via social media) have been adopting, adapting, and espousing these principals, and titans of the performance industry – Building Science – have freely shared so much technically difficult and yet simplistically executed information that there is no reason our buildings aren’t healthy, durable, and safe. If you have never taken a course with Joe (see previous link), then you just don’t know.

Unless you are a consumer.

Consumers don’t follow these channels. Consumers are living their lives, focused on their professions, and paying our trades professionals on the assumption that we will execute to a level worthy of the money they pay.

Consumer’s are a valued commodity by businesses.

How can consumers claw back the value of their money?

That does not happen, yet. Most general contractors, trades partners, and laborers work from a set of game plans that are based on requirements from the local jurisdiction having authority (if there is one), which means standardization is not standard across our states and even within any one state. This means the local business and trades culture shapes and reinforces skill sets, habits, and practices. There’s more truth to, “Well, that’s how my granddad taught me and the homes he built are still standing,” than many realize. Like the paths cut through a forest by furry creatures, we humans blindly follow that which provides the least impedance.

“Three hundred and sixty-six words in, this piece really is to say I shouldn’t be needed. But, there is such a chasm for consumers looking to understand their homes and spend their money wisely versus the trades professionals that perform said work…”

The beauty of what an entity like myself does is amalgamate overlapping fields of knowledge and practices to the benefit of the consumer. You have to know the basics of construction and related processes, materials commonly used in your region and their performances, typical trades practices within the field, a modest amount of building science, how to investigate, how to test, how to communicate, and how to listen. Entities like myself once were unicorns – now, we’re growing in number because there’s a need for us – we’re usually reasonably educated, experienced, open-minded to problem solving and willing to say we may not know the answer on the front end, and understanding that the consumer is not a trades professional and a trades professional is often limited in what they know or do (that whole worn path thing, again).

Some of us, like TNergy Services LLC, have chosen to act as consultant in order to properly guide consumers toward competency of decision making. It’s not my job to make choices for my clients – my job is to help my clients step from one stone to the next until they get to the end of the path and can choose their own way. My job is to listen to their choices and help them facilitate their needs and wishes to a contractor in language relatable to the contractor. This is the only way to deviate from the “norm” of trades practices that often leave consumers short for the value of their money spent.

Okay, so no cape and cowl.

But, consumers still deserve a means to make empowered decisions related to how they spend their money.

Having an entity such as myself makes sense – I have no dog in the fight. I don’t perform the work. I don’t cherry pick the contractor. I acquire information for the consumer, I gather bids for the consumer based on decided scope of work for an intended outcome, I help interpret said bids for the consumer, and I add an informed eye toward work performed to ensure proper execution. All of this is done without any sort of kickback from contractors or materials manufacturers. Yes, I get paid, but I get paid because I am hybridized, I am specialized, I am communicative, and I am a guide. Entities like myself are the sherpas of the trades industry for consumers.

I want my world to be better. I want my community to be better. I want our homes to be safer, healthier, and longer-lasting (one of Mr. Baczek’s common refrains is “long live our buildings”). I want to do more than just say, “I want.” This is me executing, trying, working to help our communities be better by assimilation of information that’s out there. The truth is out there (anyone interested in this last reference may be interested in this tidbit of fandom).

And So The Testing Begins, Sort Of …

Sorry You Got Lost :)

If you stumbled your way here, I’m sorry. But, not sorry. You should know I color myself humbled in relation to others in my profession. The thing about building science is there is always a new way to “see” something and always someone else who can “show” you something new to see.

While home performance testing is pretty straight forward, there is guess work involved and it isn’t always a hard science. Additionally, some of the set standards referenced in the industry don’t necessary have a poignant or purposeful origin. Home diagnostic testing becomes even less “hard science” as often you have to look at the system as a whole in order to find the chink in the armor. Yes, there are common and routine causes and known issues. But, each structure can be unique and so needs to be “seen” in a unique, open-minded manner that fits the client’s requested solution(s).

Let’s Have An Example

As an example, indoor air testing has been all the rage in recent years. There are oodles of products available on the marketplace for home owners, as wells as professionals. However, when we get a call for “mold” testing, I feel we have a responsibility to not just sell someone on a test to make money. The truth is, sometimes air testing is relevant and helpful to determine a particular contaminant. The bigger picture, however, is listening to what’s really being asked and then have a conversation regarding spending time reviewing structure systems to determine a deficiency and/or cause. In then end, does it matter knowing what’s in the air specifically for hundreds of dollars (the tests we use cost between $200 and $350 just for the test), or could we do other diagnostic work (that’s fancy speak for using our education, experience, and some shiny tools) and come away with a list for guiding repairs and/or modifications (read — resolution)? All a test will tell you is what you have in the air, and there are no agreed upon standards for concentrations, limits, or significance. And let’s not get into the quandary of knowing lab standards and practices…

Ruminate For Action

In the end, what you may need for your structure — be it commercial, or residential, or hunting cabin, or storm shelter — isn’t necessarily every test in the world thrown at it. Sometimes, the best answer may start with knowing how to ask “why?” Why is this happening? That’s what TNergy Services does for you and that’s where we start. Sometimes, you literally need a blower door test (new homes, e.g.); sometimes a blower door would be silly to perform when what you need is a site assessment to identify system deficiencies causing water (usually always water) related issues. We’re really good listeners. We’re really happy thinkers. We’re pretty good communicators. Give us a ring and let’s see how we can help make your home/business perform and “feel” better.