Conversation with a Builder

(Not actual photo of house or builder)

I was talking to a builder in my neighborhood yesterday who approached me when I was taking a walk.  We had a very interesting conversation.  He said he was improving the house he was working on and it would, in turn, improve the value of the houses in the neighborhood.  He promptly handed me his business card.

Since he was friendly and open, I decided to probe him for information. I saw wood boards being put up in a vanilla color, and I asked him if that was the color the house was going to be.

He looked at me and said no.  He didn’t offer any information about what color the house was going to be.  He seemed to be avoiding it, which piqued my interested even more.  He just said, “It’s going to be vinyl siding.”

So I hit him again, “What color will the siding be?”

He looked at me and said, “It will be a beautiful color. The house will look really nice.”

I though what is up with this guy!  So, I asked him again.

He evaded me again! He said, “It will be a neutral shade.”

That involves a lot of colors, I thought!

I asked again, “What color?  Tan, brown, coffee ice cream?”

He looked at me and said, “It will be a swirl.”

I was dumbfounded at this point.  Swirled vinyl siding?  I kept envisioning little hurricanes in brown and tan all over the house.  That would kill property values, if you ask me–if such a horrible product existed!

He certainly got me to stop asking questions because I thought maybe there is some new product I have never heard about. I wanted to go home and read about it to see if I was missing something.

What I’ve found it there may be a swirl pattern to the siding, but not in the color, so the builder completely evaded me!  When I think about it, I suspect he will be getting whatever he finds on sale and he didn’t want to commit to a color to me in case I shared it with the homeowner. The homeowner might be asking more questions that he doesn’t want.  He is trying to do something underhanded!!

I mean if the homeowner hadn’t picked the color, he certainly would have volunteered that information by saying he didn’t know just yet.  So he is likely telling them he’ll get this great new shade–they just have to wait until he can get a sample.  Yeah, that great new shade will be whatever shade is cheapest for him when he needs it!!

I certainly smell a rat!

If this builder thought he was selling his services, he swiftly close the door in his own face!