My buddy said 'just say yes and figure it out later' and it cost me $800 on one project

Last summer I had a regular customer ask me to redo their whole backyard deck layout after I already bought the lumber. Instead of sticking to the original plan I remembered what my friend Mike told me over beers, that you gotta be flexible. So I said sure no problem. Ended up wasting half the wood and had to buy another $400 in supplies plus my time was shot. Mike's advice works for some situations but not when the customer is changing the whole damn thing after you started. Has anyone else had a friend give them advice that totally backfired with scope creep?

2 comments

2 Comments

abbyf793h ago

My buddy gave me almost the same advice once and I ended up spending $200 fixing a fence I coulda just patched with a board and some nails. Honestly dude you saved $800 but was it really that bad? You still got a deck at the end of the day, right?

the_rose28m ago

Oh man, $200 for a fence you could've fixed with a board and some nails? Sounds like your buddy's advice came with a hidden "expert" fee. Guess he was trying to save you from being a ladder daredevil or something.