October 5, 2022
Don’t Sh!t in Their Bathroom:
Mastering the Art of Homeowner and Contractor Relationships
Gabriel Krueger
Aviva Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-890427-27-6
New Book Teaches Contractors and Homeowners How to Work Together Better
Gabriel Krueger, aka “Gabe, The General Contractor” has long known there are things that go unsaid when contractors and homeowners work together. After more than ten years as a contractor and nearly a quarter of a century in construction, he has a long list of items that need to be talked about, but rarely are, if a home improvement project is going to go smoothly. His new book Don’t Sh!t in Their Bathroom: Mastering the Art of Homeowner and Contractor Relationships discusses precisely the types of conversations that need to happen but rarely do. In these pages, Gabe talks about the need to set boundaries, create clear contracts, and simply communicate with each other so everyone is clear about what needs to be done on a project. Then, the workers can get the work done efficiently and properly, and the homeowners can have as little disruption in their lives as possible.
While bathroom humor may not be to everyone’s taste, the title references a situation that happens too often where workers are left wondering when to use a bathroom. It is just one of many issues that arise during a construction project—where to smoke and where to park are a few others—and Gabe has the answer to resolving all such situations, big and small.
Don’t Sh!t in Their Bathroom is divided into a series of chapters, each of which contains a section for contractors and a section for owners, but I highly recommend you read both sections so you can understand where those on the other side of the construction project are coming from so everyone can better navigate the project. Homeowners will learn what they need to tell contractors to ensure their projects get done to their expectations without any surprises for themselves or the workers. Contractors will learn how to run a business efficiently, from creating workable contracts to hiring quality employees, and also how to avoid people-pleasing to the point that they make no profit.
Throughout, Gabe tells it like it is, sharing his successes and nightmare stories of various jobs he’s worked on. Early in the book, he states, “we all face problems in the construction business. We need to start facing the facts; otherwise, this industry, and we as homeowners and contractors, are doomed to failure as we move further into the current technological revolution…. Contractors and owners, usually unwittingly, set invisible emotional booby traps for each other, and the madness carries through the project’s duration. By the end, everyone is worn out emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I’m here to say it does not have to be this way.”
Gabe does an excellent job of illustrating all the potential pitfalls that can happen while being more than willing to laugh at himself and admit his own mistakes. One of the great, and surprising, aspects of this book is Gabe’s forthright style, including his revelations about how he went from being an alcoholic to a successful entrepreneur. Anyone who wants to be a contractor or run any kind of business would do well to take his advice about the things you need to do to straighten out your own life so you can avoid drama and run a productive business.
Among the cautions Gabe offers is not to think you’re making new friends, whether you’re the homeowner or the contractor. People need to realize a construction project is a business exchange and keep it professional. At the same time, owners want to hire contractors who fit their personalities, schedules, and needs. Gabe gives homeowners advice on how to look at estimates and get more than one and not to hire based on price alone. At the same time, he gives contractors advice on how to put together a contract that will save them frustration and wasted time later.
One of the book’s funniest sections is Gabe’s warnings to contractors that they might be dealing with a psycho from Psychoville. He has some incredible stories about past customers, which are entertaining for the book, but at the same time, he cautions contractors not to be negative or complain about past customers when talking to prospective customers.
Another comical moment in the book is Gabe’s discussion of reality shows. Because people see home improvement shows in which a room or property is remodeled in thirty minutes, they think their work can be done quickly too—something Gabe has to educate them on realizing such expectations are unrealistic, despite the names of such shows. He even shares the story of when he was invited to be on a reality show, with less than stellar results.
Additional advice for contractors is how to operate your business to be profitable, as well as how to treat your customers fairly, why you need to charge everyone the same, and when to suck up a financial loss or ask for more money for a project, even after the contract is signed.
I really appreciated the introspective moments in the book that go beyond the nuts and bolts of running a business into talking about how to avoid stress, set boundaries, and learn from your mistakes. As Gabe quotes Billy Graham as saying, “Every human being is under construction from conception to death.” Consequently, sprinkled throughout the book are Gabe’s “Nine Steps to Becoming a Peaceful and Profitable Contractor.” This advice alone is worth the price of the book since, as Gabe notes, “96 percent of contractors don’t make it to year ten.” He goes into detail about why they don’t, the primary reason being that they don’t know their numbers.
Don’t Sh!t in Their Bathroom includes so much more. The list of topics is truly exhaustive: setting boundaries, coping with family issues, understanding preexisting conditions, money, payment schedules, money management, contracts, lawyers, and of course, bathroom humor. Anyone who reads this book will definitely have an eye-opening new understanding of construction projects from all sides, and they will be better prepared for their next project, no matter which side they are on. In the end, they will find construction projects don’t have to be stressful and disruptive; they can be enjoyable.
For more information about Gabriel Krueger and Don’t Sh!t in Their Bathroom, visit www.DontShitInTheirBathroom.com.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of Narrow Lives and The Best Place
