I totally get where you’re coming from. I once had a buddy help me tile a bathroom, and he was way more chill than I was comfortable with—just eyeballing grout lines and saying “it’ll look fine once it’s done.” Drove me nuts at the time, but looking back, I probably needed that balance. Sometimes I have to remind myself that not every detail is worth losing sleep over. Still, I’d rather work with someone who cares a little too much than not enough… but maybe that’s just my inner perfectionist talking.
“he was way more chill than I was comfortable with—just eyeballing grout lines and saying ‘it’ll look fine once it’s done.’”
That would drive me nuts too. I’ve learned that “good enough” can mean wildly different things to different people. For me, I look for folks who actually listen and ask questions, not just rush through. If someone’s too casual about prep or cleanup, that’s usually a red flag. But yeah, sometimes my standards are probably a bit much... balance is tricky.
I’ve seen that “it’ll look fine” attitude way too often. Had a guy once who didn’t even use spacers for tile—just guessed. Drove me up the wall. I always say, if you’re not sweating the details at the start, you’re asking for headaches later. But yeah, sometimes I have to remind myself not every project needs to be museum-grade perfect... just wish more folks cared about the basics.
Totally get where you’re coming from. I’ve seen folks eyeball tile spacing and just hope for the best—drives me nuts too. Here’s what I look for when I’m trying to find someone solid for a reno:
- Do they care about prep? If they’re not cleaning surfaces or checking for level, that’s a red flag.
- Ask them how they’d handle something tricky—like uneven walls. The answer tells you a lot.
- I like seeing their past work, but I’ll also ask about what went wrong on a job and how they fixed it. If they say “nothing ever goes wrong,” I get suspicious.
- Communication matters. If they can’t explain their process or seem annoyed by questions, it usually doesn’t get better once the job starts.
Not every job needs to be perfect, but the basics shouldn’t be negotiable. I’d rather have someone who’s honest about their limits than someone who just shrugs and says “it’ll look fine.”
Couldn’t agree more about the prep work—if someone skips that, it’s usually a sign of bigger issues down the line. I really like your point about asking how they’d handle something tricky. That’s where you see if they’re problem-solvers or just winging it. I’ve had contractors who were great at talking up their past jobs, but when I asked about mistakes, they got defensive. Like you said:
Nobody’s perfect, and honesty goes a long way.If they say “nothing ever goes wrong,” I get suspicious.
