WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW BETTER THAN YOUR LAWYER
I’ve definitely tried the “common sense and a handshake” route before, especially with smaller jobs. Most of the time it’s fine, but there was this one time I didn’t spell out who was hauling away demo debris. Guess who ended up with a driveway full of old drywall for two weeks? Not my finest moment. Makes me wonder—where’s the line between overkill and just enough detail? Sometimes I feel like contracts are written for worst-case scenarios that almost never happen... but then again, when they do, you really wish you’d covered your butt.
WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW BETTER THAN YOUR LAWYER
Been there with the handshake deals... and yeah, it usually works until it doesn’t. I once assumed “site left clean” meant the subs would haul off all their scrap lumber. Turns out, their idea of “clean” was stacking everything behind the garage. Now I spell out who’s responsible for every bit of debris, down to the last nail. It feels nitpicky sometimes, but honestly, it saves way more headaches than it causes. There’s a balance, but I’d rather have too much detail than not enough—learned that the hard way.
WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW BETTER THAN YOUR LAWYER
That’s the thing—what seems obvious to one person is totally up for interpretation to someone else. I’ve had contracts where “final grading” meant a smooth lawn in my mind, but the crew figured it just meant no giant holes. Ended up with a lumpy mess and a lot of finger-pointing. But here’s what I keep wondering: how much detail is too much before you’re just bogging everyone down? At some point, you can’t predict every possible scenario, right? I get wanting to cover your bases, but sometimes it feels like you’re writing a novel just to get a driveway poured.
Ever run into pushback from subs or partners about being “too detailed” in your specs? Curious if anyone’s found that sweet spot between clarity and overkill... or if it’s just trial and error every time.
WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW BETTER THAN YOUR LAWYER
Man, I’ve been there. Had a pool build where I outlined every finish down to grout color, and the contractor still “interpreted” things his own way. He actually told me too much detail slowed him down—like he just wanted to wing it. Honestly, I’d rather risk being called a control freak than end up with something half-baked. But yeah, you can’t write a 20-page doc for every project... at some point you’re just trusting folks to use common sense, which is risky.