Blog - McLennan Contracting

3 Reasons We Love Our Customers (A Thanksgiving Post)

One of the most common topics around our house is customer service. How are we meeting people’s needs? Where is communication falling short? What will it take to improve?

Given that we have such a desire to serve our customers well, it’s always humbling when they end up serving us instead.

1. Patience

If you haven’t heard, the trades are experiencing a major labor shortage. It’s extremely difficult to find highly skilled, high-integrity crew members, which means we’ve been short-staffed in the office and the field, resulting in what we consider below-par customer service.

While we’re working as hard as we can to fill the gaps, it’s been wonderful to experience patience on the part of our customers. Rather than criticism, we’ve received encouragement. And it only takes a little bit of grace to make a big difference.

2. Partnership

In September, our church ran an ice cream cookie fundraiser to help establish an adoption fund, which will in turn provide grants to adopting families. We shared about the fundraiser on social media, and several of our customers jumped on board to show support.

It was this kind of generosity that helped the fundraiser raise five times its goal! Being involved in making cookies and spreading the word was a tangible way for us to work toward creating safe havens. And being reminded that many of our customers share that passion made the results that much sweeter.

3. Praise

Everyone knows word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising (or the worst, depending on what those mouths are saying). Judging by the calls we’ve received this year from prospective customers, y’all are saying some pretty great things.

Have you ever overheard someone saying something nice about you? Isn’t it almost better than receiving the compliment directly? Well, that’s how we feel whenever a stranger passes along the praise of our customers.

As Thanksgiving approaches, inspiring us to pause and reflect on our many blessings, know that we will be lifting a prayer of gratitude for you, our customers. May you be as richly blessed by the people in your lives as we have been by you.

By Alison Leave a Comment

Growing Pains, and Expanding Our Team

Our 8-year-old son, Liam, used to wake up clutching his leg almost every night. The first few times it scared me, listening to him wail in agony while I desperately tried to determine the cause of his pain. When I asked a doctor about it, his diagnosis was simple: growing pains.

It’s true, Liam seems to gain about an inch every month. Thankfully his growing pains have lessened, but McLennan Contracting’s have not.

It’s been a busy year, full of changes at home and within the business. Some are good, some are hard. To sum it up: we’re growing, but not without growing pains.

Unfortunately, an ice pack and some stretches won’t alleviate our current team’s discomfort. We need a new team member, someone to take on responsibilities in the field while upholding our standards of excellence, integrity, and family-friendly conduct.

This Lead Carpenter will supervise our field carpenters, ensure the safety and cleanliness of the job site, and lead by example in both skill and character.

If you or someone you know might be interested in applying for this position, please download the job description below. The responsibilities and qualifications listed were chosen with care, so please read them thoroughly.

If applying, please email us a resume and we’ll arrange a time to talk.

We look forward to welcoming a new member to the MC family!

Read/Download Lead Carpenter Job Description

By Alison 1 Comment

What’s On Your Home’s Bucket List?

A few months ago my parents decided to move. In the weeks leading up to putting their house on the market, Tim and I helped with an assortment of small repairs and improvements. Many of these were items they’d had on the to-do list for years, but simply didn’t get to until it was time to attract a buyer.

One of my tasks was to paint their master bathroom, which was the same builder’s-grade white it had been since construction. It was a blank slate, and I couldn’t wait to transform it with color.

My mom picked out a warm, earthy green. It only took a base coat for us to fall in love. With the natural sunlight coming through their bathroom window, the room had been transformed into a beautiful, inviting space. My mom kept saying, tongue-in-cheek, “Why are we moving again?”

Why Wait Until It’s Too Late?

I had a similar experience before moving from our previous house. Preparing it for market, I touched up lots of paint, rearranged furniture, and hung decorations on the walls that had been sitting in my basement for years. I cleaned out closets and reorganized storage space until our tiny rancher felt twice as big as it had when we decided to move. “Why are we moving again?” I asked myself.

Of course, there were many reasons for our move, and those simple changes certainly didn’t negate our decision to find another house. Nor did the painted bathroom change my parents’ minds about moving on. However, most of the repairs and changes we made were relatively simple and inexpensive. All they required was intention and a little bit of time. The end results far outweighed the costs.

Emptying the Bucket List

All these little projects add up to a homeowner’s bucket list. They’re things we mean to do, but don’t get around to until the end is near (the end of homeownership, that is).

After painting my parents’ bathroom, I’ve been looking around my own house with a different mindset, asking what our home’s “bucket list” might be. What changes could we make, with a minimal investment of time and resources, that would enhance our home’s functionality and atmosphere now?

One, for me, would be upgrading our kitchen light. It’s old and dim, and from day one I’ve struggled with seeing well enough to avoid slicing off a fingertip. Considering how many hours I spend in my kitchen, good lighting is well worth the investment, and won’t do anything but increase the kitchen’s appeal if we ever do decide to sell.

What’s on your home’s bucket list? Freshening up a paint job? Replacing a faulty faucet? Adjusting a door so it doesn’t drag on the carpet? Why put those things off until you’re ready to sell?

In thinking about your home’s bucket list, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. What, exactly, do you want to accomplish, and why? How will this change enhance the functionality or enjoyability of your home?

2. What’s holding you back? Time? Finances? Product selections? Do you want to do research first? Do you and your spouse have differing opinions? Do you need professional help to get the work done?

3. What resources will be required to turn your goal into reality? Do you have what you need on hand, or will more planning be involved before you can take action?

I hope these questions help you empty your home’s bucket list so you can enjoy the benefits for years to come. Happy planning!

By Alison 1 Comment

Website Revamp and Techie Problems

Procrastination will only take you so far. We’ve been putting off a website redesign for years, and our antiquated system is finally biting the bullet.

If you happen to visit mclennancontracting.com over the next few days, it will either (a) look exactly the same, (b) look like a website under construction, or (c) no longer exist, due to some grave technical error on the part of yours truly.

We’re shooting for (b).

If you’re reading this, I’ve at least succeeded in salvaging the blog, I Married a Contractor. Unfortunately, if you were subscribed by email or RSS, and you’d like to remain that way, you’ll need to resubscribe, as the subscriptions will not transfer. I’m sorry for the inconvenience this causes. I do hope you move with us!

And if you want to be entertained by an amateur’s attempt to design a professional website, go to mclennancontracting.com and refresh your browser every ten minutes over the next few days. My vast learning curve is bound to keep you enthralled.

See you on the other side!

By Alison Leave a Comment

4 Tips for Low-Stress Hospitality

When we made the decision to buy a larger house, the first things I told Tim was, “Now we can entertain!”

I had grand visions of our home becoming the social center of our quiet street, where neighbors would pop in and out with unannounced regularity. I would be one of those effortless hostesses with an endless supply of scones and coffee, the kind of woman who could whip up a fresh batch of homegrown peppermint tea at a moment’s notice.

In the weeks before our move, I spent hours on Pinterest cataloguing decorating tips, recipes, and ideas for creating ambiance. The contrast between the adorable concepts I saw on Pinterest and my own meager hospitality attempts of the past was shameful. Soon the vast world of hospitality, which had once seemed so simple, became an uncharted ocean in which I was drowning.

More Work Than It’s Worth?

In the three years we’ve lived in our new house, we have entertained neighbors exactly zero times. A handful of friends have come for dinner here and there, but in general I’ve hosted less in my current home than I did in our old shoebox, where the living room, dining room, and kitchen were in arm’s reach of one another.

I would be unfair to blame my lack of hospitality solely on Pinterest overload. There’s also the general exhaustion of raising young children and running a business. But without question, the greatest reason I don’t entertain more is stress.

If having people over is so much work, is it even worth it?

1. Start with Baby Steps

Maybe your stress isn’t about cleaning the house and cooking a meal. Maybe, like me, you’re an introvert, and socializing tires you out. Maybe you want to get to know people, but having them into your home feels like a daunting prospect.

How about starting small? Begin your journey toward hospitality by chatting with a neighbor by the mailbox, or making small talk at a school function. Suggest a coffee date, or meet at a park for a walk.

Do you have a front porch? Use it! Make a point of waving hello as neighbors walk past, and have an extra chair handy for anyone who wants to stop and chat.

Exercise your social skills, and hospitality will grow.

2. Accept Imperfection

Maybe the images that pop into your head at the thought of hosting are straight from a Martha Stewart catalogue. Maybe you’re friends with the kind of people who set out place cards and hand-stamped menu tags at every get-together.

If perfectionism is holding you back, consider which environment will make your guests more at ease: a home in which they’re afraid to drop a single crumb on the polished hardwood, or a home where “life” is clearly happening? Hospitality, after all, is about making people feel welcome.

If you can accept imperfection in your home, you can accept imperfection in people. And nothing makes a person more welcome than an invitation to be who they are, for better or worse.

3. Take It Outside

Maybe your home is small, or there are too many kids running around to have a grown-up conversation. Maybe your dining room table doesn’t have enough chairs, or you just don’t feel like dealing with all the dishes.

Outdoor hosting is the perfect low-stress solution (providing the weather cooperates, of course). Lawn chairs, paper plates, canned drinks, the grill…what could be simpler?

If your outdoor space is lacking, why not host somewhere else? A couple years ago, while our yard was being graded and reseeded, we hosted our daughter’s birthday party under a pavilion at the local park. We brought sandwich fixings, but there was a grill there, and plenty of space for the kids to ride bikes and play. It was so relaxing and simple, we’re talking about doing it again this year.

4. Keep It Simple

Maybe you’d love to have people over. Maybe you’re not worried about space, or plagued by perfectionism. You’re just not sure feeding another family, even for a night, fits your budget.

Why not think outside the box? No one ever said hosting had to include a full mea. Consider sticking with coffee and dessert, or throwing a potluck. I’ve even heard of people inviting friends over for a pantry-clean-out dinner, where everyone brings an unwanted or close-to-expiration item from the pantry (granted, you need a sense of humor for this one, and fun-loving guests).

Again, remember that hosting is about making people feel welcome. It doesn’t have to cost you anything, other than time and a smile.

I hope some of these ideas get your creative hosting juices flowing, without the stress of a Pinterest-inspired shindig. If you have any other helpful tips for practicing hospitality without wearing yourself out, please share in the comments!