That moment a homeowner showed me their Pinterest board and I wanted to run

I had this couple in Denver ask me to build them a custom shed last month. They showed up with a Pinterest board full of $80,000 tiny houses with cedar shake roofs and copper gutters. Their budget was $8,000. The guy kept saying he wanted 'that rustic modern vibe' and pointed at a photo of a hand-carved front door. I tried to explain that door alone would eat half their budget. The wife got quiet and finally admitted they watched too many renovation shows on Saturday mornings. I ended up building them a basic 8x12 with barn doors and T1-11 siding. They actually loved it in the end but man that first meeting was wild. Has anyone else had a client whose expectations just didn't match reality at all?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_morgan754d ago

I gotta push back on this a bit. You said the wife "got quiet and finally admitted they watched too many renovation shows" like that's a bad thing. Isn't that just being inspired? People don't know construction costs. That's our job to educate them, not shame them for having dreams. Their budget was too low sure but they came to you because you're the pro. If you just say "that door costs half your budget" and don't offer alternatives that actually match their style then you're not really helping them. They ended up with a basic shed with barn doors. Sounds like they settled not got what they actually wanted.

lisa9764d agoMost Upvoted

Actually that last point about them "settling" isn't quite fair to the builder. Barn doors and T1-11 can still give a rustic modern look, just at a price that actually works for an $8,000 budget.