I just got off the phone with Pat, a longtime client who called with a renovation story- one I feel I must share… She is just about finished renovating her kitchen.  She has a lovely stone floor and beautiful cabinets and granite counter tops with top appliances.  She planned her project down to the last screw to make sure she did not over purchase on supplies for the job.  After all, she plans to sell the property within 3 years and she would like to get all of her invested capital back. 

But today she was in a complete panic.  Pat had measured her floor precisely and she had bought just the right amount of stone floor tile from the vendor / supplier.  The floor was finished without a scrap of waste.  She had certainly saved some money on this part of the job.  What she had not counted on was that her husband would drop a heavy pot of water on the floor and one of the stone tiles would spit into pieces.  She had no leftover tiles and the floor looked terrible. 

Pat got right on the telephone to her supplier, and she turned white as a ghost when she heard the dreadful news – I am so sorry, but the manufacturer has discontinued that tile, and we sold out the last batch last month.  We have no replacement tiles left for you to purchase. 

Suddenly her accountant’s mentality to quantity control is a real problem.  The purchase of 3 or 4 extra tiles would not have harmed her overall spending plan for the project, and it would have given her a margin of safety for cracked or broken tiles long into the future.   

I remember Pat every time that I talk to someone about their home projects.  I pass on a word to the wise – do not skimp on your supplies.  You just never know when an extra piece of material will be needed for an emergency repair. 

Let me know if you have had a similar experience to Pat’s and how you solved the dilemma.

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