Beyond Repair

According to that survey, the top contractor complaints are customers who want more work without more money, those who make untimely payments and those who try to renegotiate prices. Other nightmare scenarios mentioned in the survey: contractors who make romantic propositions and customers who distract workers by constant conversation.

But the relationship need not be adversarial. Leslie Sewell has worked with a slew of contractors in the past, including on a sunroom addition that was critical for her daughter's wedding. It was a quick turnaround, but checking the status with her contractor got the room completed just in time -- one day in advance -- for the celebration.

"I think a lot of people look at contractors as sort of servants, not part of a team, and they treat them accordingly," said Sewell, who lives in Northwest Washington. "A lot of these guys who do this kind of work are professionals. They're proud of their work, and they want to be treated that way."

Gordon Green of Multiple Services Inc. in Burke takes pride in tackling any job. But even he was thrown for a loop by one request.

The homeowners were trying to move, but their giant leather couch wasn't budging. They had put in a living room addition but, by the time the project was complete, the only door to the outside was smaller than the sofa. Movers refused to deal with it, so Green and his crews removed a kitchen window to rescue the couch.

The more common challenge, Green said, is the inexperienced customer who lives in an older house.

"An old place is a Pandora's box," he said. "It's like an artichoke where every time you peel back one layer there's another one."

Archaic galvanized pipes and plaster walls make for difficult working conditions and require hardware and materials not usually available at Home Depot or Lowe's. Add a client who already distrusts contractors, and the job becomes more difficult.

Green said the key for contractors is to make themselves available to the client. As long as clients know they can get a contractor on the phone, the anxiety goes away, he said.

Changes to the work required -- and the ensuing price negotiations after a contract has been signed -- can mean additional headaches.

"When you're in a grocery store, you don't buy bread and milk and then come to the register to start discussing prices," said Romenskii, of Domus Inc. in Rockville.

He has a small operation, often handling both design and construction for renovations. Past customers have taken advantage of his company's size, he said, refusing to pay their entire bill because they think he can't afford to go to court.