Turns out Bryce is the 3rd time undisputed champion of the Wolfgang Cup. The office team didn’t stand a chance this year even with our own goalie playing both side.

Resilience

Why painting townhouse complexes in the Surrey/Langley area is easy and why that means you need to consider hiring an inspector.

When you drive past Surrey and Langley on Highway 1 it is tempting to think: Hey, all these townhouses look the same!

That should mean they are easy to paint the exterior of right? Easy contracts, easy money? Once you have done one  you could do them all! Right?

Wrong.

Often these townhouse complexes are very similar to one another, it’s true, but they were also put up during a construction boom which means they all went up around the same time.

This is a problem for a few reasons.  This means that in that time, there was a shortage of construction workers, sometimes leading to… not the most solid work, and it means that they are all coming up for paint jobs and roofing jobs at the same time (which will, in turn, lead to another shortage of construction workers).

This means that you want a qualified company to do the paint job and you want to make sure it is done right.  The easiest way to get the job done right is to have an impartial party oversee the work.  Most of the time, this means hiring an inspector.

There are several really good inspection agencies in the Vancouver area including IPI, Inspec, and the MPDA.

Getting an inspector involved in your project may end up meaning that you spend a little bit more up front but it could end up saving you a lot in the long run.

Here are just a few of the reasons you may want to consider hiring an inspector, especially if you have a paint job someone may perceive as easy:

• You will have someone managing your (probably quite large) project, saving you the headache.
• You will have peace of mind knowing that you job will get done right in the end.
• You know you will have a qualified company bidding on your project (only qualified companies are invited to bid on inspected projects).
• You will have deadlines that you can rely on (weather dependant) to make sure that you get your job done when you want it done.
• You will have the assurance that you are not being overcharged for anything or that any extras are being charged fairly.

When it comes to your home, why take a risk on saving a bit of money by going with a small company if it causes more stress in the long run?  Large companies that are qualified to handle your project may end up costing you a bit more but you will be happier in the end.

Having an inspector involved is one way to ensure a qualified company is bidding but, by all means, you can also go without an inspection agency on a large project. If you choose to go this route however, you should make sure you check the references of the companies you get to quote and make sure that they have the capacity to handle your project.

All that said, Wolfgang has done tons of these projects, inspected and non inspected, so if you have a large strata or townhouse complex in the Surrey or Langley area, give us a call, we are always happy to give you an estimate, even if you just need a budgetary price .  We are also more than happy to assess your building and give you a recommendation on whether or not you should have an inspector involved, if you are on the fence about it.

The Importance of Perspective in Conflict

Like all businesses, conflict is a natural part of the wonderful world of commercial painting. With so many stakeholders involved in any given project, it is natural to have varying points of view, and these can often lead to a clash of perspectives.

In this post, I’m going to discuss the first and arguably most important key to resolving this clash: true understanding of where the other individual is coming from, their unique perspective.

Understanding begins with listening. But not the natural tendency to listen with the intent to just throw your perspective into mix. Instead, listening to understand is crucial here. This can take some willpower. It requires you to put aside your own view for a moment in order to be fully present and engaged in the other person’s perspective.

And while listening, you need to be aware of two distinct issues, and how they intertwine.

The first is awareness of the person. It’s important to understand their values, strengths, weaknesses, hopes, fears, goals, needs, etc going into the conflict. If you don’t know the individual well, this may be more challenging, but many of the cues in the conversation will be present if you watch for them. If you understand how the person mentally and emotionally operates, you will have much better insight on their perspective.

The second is awareness of situation. You need to understand clearly what the other person is trying to communicate, and their full understanding of the situation in conflict. Here, actually repeating back to the other person in your own words their perspective of the situation can be very helpful. If you have it right, they’ll agree with you, and appreciate your dedication to understanding them. If you have it wrong, they’ll let you know, and you can continue to work to understand before moving forward.

With awareness of the person, and a real understanding of their unique perspective on the situation in conflict, you have the data you need to move forward toward resolving the conflict.

Get your painting quotes early while companies still have capacity to paint. Thinking about painting now will save you a headache in the summer!

The exterior painting season is officially here with all this sunny weather we have been having lately! With HST out and a big resurgence in new construction this year (you see more cranes than ever in the city), labour capacity in painting is already stretched thin and it is only going to get thinner as the summer goes on.  This will lead to scheduling challenges & higher pricing as the year goes on.

Avoid these hassles by being proactive.  It is important for stratas and businesses in vancouver to think about their painting quotes now so that they can be first in line when production really starts rocking.  Even if you don’t have your yearly budget put together or approved yet, it is a good idea to come to your AGM with a budgetary price in mind.  Wolfgang is happy to provide budgetary prices for you and your strata if you need them.