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We love them. We hate them. At one time or another we all think we can do their job, but the truth of the matter is, if it weren’t for contractors we’d still be living in huts or tents.

The contractor is a different sort of breed than most of us and I can say this with authority, having lived with one (married one, bred with one, etc.) for the past 17 years. There are many things that contractors do that leave the rest of us just dumbstruck and sometimes annoyed. Personal digs aside, here are 10 things that top the annoying list of contractor habits:

1. Not having the ability to purchase the proper size pants. This particularly applies to plumbing contractors, hence the loving term “Plumber’s Crack” - it ain’t pretty and there’s not much you can do about it except steer clear. In fact, it may just be their very clever ploy to keep customers from interrupting their progress until the job is through and their standing erect.
2. Not showing up on any particular day. It happens, one day he’s there plugging along and the next - nothing. A good contractor will be in touch, though, to let you know if he won’t be there for a day or so. Typically the reasons for not showing up that are acceptable will include bad weather (for outdoor jobs), need to shop for supplies/materials, have another customer with an emergency or multiple customers that the contractor is splitting time between — although this should be admitted to the customer up front.


Photo credit: Redfin blog

3. Leaving a mess. It’s one thing when a contractor leaves a mess around MY house (after 17 years I’m pretty much used to it), but it’s another thing when you pay them and they leave a mess around YOUR house. A quality contractor should always clean up after themselves, be it from his lunch break or from your home improvement project.

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