Stretching the truth
Thursday, May 28th, 2009 | Uncategorized
STRETCHING THE TRUTH
The warm breezes of summer take me back to the days when I was but a young man of ten years. In the summer, my parents would travel from Niles, Michigan to Webb Lake, Wisconsin to visit the place of my birth. Most of my relatives still lived in the far north woods which surrounded the twin lakes connected by a channel called Webb Lake. Out of those two lakes flowed a creek which was named, coincidentally, Webb Creek. My grandfather, whom I loved dearly, lived on several acres through which the creek flowed. Land which his father had purchased for one dollar an acre.
My grandfather was a man who was respected by all who knew him. He was a builder who built every home with loving care. He and his son (my uncle) would cut timber from the local forest, saw it into lumber, and stack it in pyramidal stacks to cure. After a year or two, they would plane the lumber to make it into smooth dimensional lumber out of which would spring his wonderful creation of a custom home for some customer from the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Customers who were wealthy enough to build a lake home on one of the hundreds of lakes in that area.
My grandfather and uncle would physically perform every aspect of the building process. They dug and poured the footers by hand, laid the foundation, framed the home, as I said, using their own lumber, built the cabinets, did the wiring, did the plumbing, and every other part of the job they accomplished with pride. I can remember watching my uncle lay the rock for the massive fireplaces for which they were known. It seemed to me like it took hours to pick out just the right stone. Many stones were tried until finally one was found that would fit perfectly into the appropriate place. My grandfather and uncle were perfectionists and took great pride in a job well done. I’m not sure they made much money in their homebuilding profession because they lived in a less than modest home. It seems as though they were more interested in doing the job well than in actually turning a profit.
Even though my grandfather was an honest and trustworthy man, there was one flaw which became evident after he would take me fishing. When we would see folks he knew, it seemed that every conversation turned to fishing. When he was queried as to the results of our fishing the previous day, he would always mention that we caught our fish on such and such a lake, although we had not even been there. I soon figured out that he wanted to keep his favorite fishing spots a secret that just the two of us could enjoy.
It seems that this is a great tendency of all fishermen. Stretching the truth about where, which bait, and the size of the catch is born into every man or boy who enjoys the pleasure of fishing. I have learned that taking pictures ensures the veracity of any catch. Since the days of fishing with my grandfather, I have enjoyed taking my sons to some wonderful places where we catch fish until our arms ache, and we have the pictures to prove it.
I think that I learned a great deal from my grandfather and uncle about taking pride in building homes that both my customers and I can be proud of. They say an acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree and I am proud to have followed in my grandfather’s footsteps. When I started building homes, I also dug and poured footers by hand, I did the framing (although the framing material came from the lumber yard), I wired, did the plumbing, the trim work and the painting. Over the years, however, I began to sub-contract those jobs to others who were competent in their trade and devoted my time and effort to run my building company in a business-like manner.
I have taught my sons also, to live by the golden rule. Eric is on the job every day to ensure that the subs are performing up to expectations. He works with our customers making suggestions as to how the drawing of their home can be translated into the finished product that is desired.
You can be sure that big ads, and fancy claims don’t ensure a quality home. Honesty, integrity, and reputation are more important in choosing a homebuilder than any other aspect. In past articles, I have mentioned some of the little things we do that make for a quality home, but the most important ingredient is integrity. Precision Builders prides itself in being honest in all our dealings.
Oh yes, and pictures have eliminated the fish tales.
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