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That one homeowner who watched me work for 6 hours then asked if I 'really knew what I was doing'
I was redoing a back deck in Portland last summer, halfway through pulling up rotten boards, and the owner comes out with coffee. He just stands there staring at me for a solid 10 minutes without saying a word. Then he goes 'you sure you know how to match the new wood to the old stain?' I had already showed him my sample board and his wife signed off. Has anyone else had a client hover like that and second-guess every step?
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miabennett11d agoTop Commenter
Oh man that's the worst. I used to brush off the whole "watchful client" thing as no big deal but that kind of staring and second guessing just makes me second guess myself for a second and it throws off my whole rhythm. Now I just hand them a tape measure and ask if they want to check my work every ten minutes.
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Had a painter client pull this once. Midway through a living room ceiling, they came out with a level and started checking my lines. I just laughed it off and handed them a brush, said 'you can help if you're worried about the corners.' They laughed too and backed off. Sometimes calling their bluff works better than getting defensive. After that, I started setting clear check-in times from the start - like 'I'll call you when the primer is dry so you can approve before I top coat.' Usually kills the hovering before it starts.
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