Trusting Experts, Part 1

Last year, I wrote about how beneficial it is when experts voice strong opinions, instead of doing exactly what the client asks. In that article, I was the customer. The chimney on our house needed repair. The first two companies gave me a quote for exactly what I asked for. The third guy said, "you don't really want what you're asking for — it will be a lot more efficient to do this…"

Twice recently I found myself, again, in the role of novice customer looking for guidance from an expert.

Part 1: House Painting
My wife and I decided the exterior of our home needed painting. Window sash glazing was chipping off by the pound and a strong winter wind would likely blow a pane out. Paint from the clapboards routinely fell to the ground like giant brown snowflakes.

Since serious paint work needed to be done anyway, we also decided that we'd take the opportunity to change our brown house into a red house.

I called two painters, got two quotes, and decided on the second guy—not purely because of price; more because I trusted that he'd do a good job for the price.

When it came to deciding on color, my wife and I picked a specific red from California Paint's Historic collection. We also decided on a flat sheen to be true to our old house.

The painter voiced opposition to both our color and sheen selection. Perfect—now I knew I picked the right guy.

He was less interested in the exact brand, color, or sheen. Like any good expert, this wasn't the time to care about technical details. Instead, he wanted to know more about the look and feel that we were aiming for. We looked through some books and talked about a few local barns that had a nice old-time red look.

The next day there were two big red test areas on our back porch.

First was the exact color that we spec'ed. It looked horrible.

Next was a color the painter chose. It was perfect, exactly what we were looking for. It wasn't 100% flat but hardly had any sheen. The low-sheen finish covered much better than the flat paint we picked out, saving the painter time and us money.

Even after the comparison, I still brought up using a flat finish. For whatever reason, it was stuck in my head that only a "flat" paint would look authentic. Luckily, the painter persisted—it would require an additional coat, cost more, and be less resistant to the elements. I finally trusted him. He's painted a few more houses than I…

Now, he's almost finished. Every time I pull into our driveway I'm impressed with how great it looks. I'm also thankful that the painter spoke up and voiced his expert opinion instead of just doing what I thought I wanted.

Lesson Reinforced
Find someone that you trust and whose work you admire.
Ease back and let them work.


Part 2 coming soon