That Tuesday in Des Moines when everything went right for once

I had this one Tuesday back in September, must have been the 12th or 13th, where I showed up to a house and the customer had already moved all the furniture out of three bedrooms. That never happens, you know? Usually I'm walking into rooms full of beds and dressers and the homeowner says 'oh I thought you guys moved furniture.' But this lady had it all packed into the living room and even pulled up the old tack strip from the hallway. I laid 600 square feet of some medium grade berber before lunch and was done by 3 PM. She handed me a check for the full balance and a thermos of coffee she said her husband made that morning. I sat in my truck for ten minutes just staring at the afternoon sun like is this real life? Has anyone else ever had a job that just clicked from start to finish with no hiccups? I want to hear about your perfect days in the trade.

2 comments

2 Comments

jake1911mo ago

Wait did you just say the customer pulled up the old tack strip herself? Tbh I used to think people who bragged about perfect days were just lucky or lying. But I had this one time last month where I showed up and the homeowner had literally marked the floor joists with tape so we wouldnt hit any pipes or wires. I honestly sat there in my truck for a solid five minutes too just trying to figure out what I missed. Ngl that day changed how I look at things. Now I think those perfect jobs are real they just happen once every few years. Makes you appreciate the chaos the rest of the time.

ryang771mo ago

Man that tape thing is wild. Had a similar moment a few years back where I walked into a basement and the homeowner had set up a table with coffee and donuts, plus a note with the WiFi password and a map of every outlet location. I just stood there holding my hammer like an idiot. Didnt know what to do with myself. Made me realize those unicorn jobs are real but theyre like hitting the lottery. Rest of the time you're crawling through attics full of mouse poop or finding water stains where nobody told you about them. But man when you get one of those days it sticks with you.