I'd be happy if the guy who is supposed to be the local coordinator for projects and handles everything from materials ordering to the GCs to insurance interactions and works for the company that is supposed to be fixing my basement would call me back when I leave him a voicemail during the usual business hours of 9am-5pm and it's well before the end of day. He could have even called back the next day if he happened to be too busy the day I left the voicemail. I'm not waiting for a call back from him tomorrow, I'll be calling him and then I'll be calling the headquarters office if he doesn't handle things with my basement in the appropriate manner and expeditiously.

Not everyone has the same work hours, nor is everyone expected to follow the same policies/processes/etc. There *is* some general level in terms of being polite, responding to customers/vendors in a reasonable time period, and so forth though. I'm just not sure everyone got that memo. ;)

I agree that email isn't time sensitive. I use business hours, normally, but that's because I can think about how to present an issue that I saw on Friday night, for Monday morning. However, I wouldn't be irritated by a late night email because I assume dealing with it during business hours is implied.

I don't feel the same about texts or phone calls. I don't silence those notifications because no one I know would contact me after 9pm unless it was an emergency. One of DD's teachers sent out links for study after 9:15 & 9:20pm on a Thursday, for a test on Friday. I send my kids to bed at 8pm because we wake up at 5:30am to get everyone to school/bus stop. I DID send him a 9:30 email with my opinion about such a late notification for test content, the next day. He sent a 10:30 email that I responded to the next day. I didn't expect him to read his work email that night and certainly didn't expect a response. I think communication expectations have been jumbled with the addition of texting.

The guys who have been the ones showing up to do the actual work in my basement were the ones who said to text them in my situation, they've also been very communicative and I appreciate that a LOT. :P

It really does depend on the people you're dealing with, what sorts of 'understandings' you've come to with them, all of which require open communication to figure out - whether it's at the job site or after hours, that's a conversation that needs to happen or everyone is going to be upset.

Yes. Timely response to inquiries/concerns are part of a coordinator/superintendent's job. Mine never texts me but does address my texts to him with a phone call during business hours. We've never discussed "reasonable" hours to do so. I adhere to phone etiquette from my youth, though I've emailed during odd times with a "catch you later", and he doesn't respond until the next work day begins and does so with a phone call. He has made it clear to call him with concerns because he wants it caught early. I don't expect responses during off hours/weekends. I assume they're like me and skip/glance over client messages until their work day begins.

I am not a contractor or designer, but I am an attorney. I never mind if my clients e-mail me in the middle of the night or on weekends. Unless they are e-mailing me repeatedly about the same thing over and over again (e.g., 10 e-mails in a 2-hour period), it never makes me think poorly of them. My assumption is that we work 24/7 now and that this is the time my client has available for e-mail. Plus, I would much rather be able to plan my Monday a little on weekends, rather than walking in to a ton of e-mails that have been saved all weekend and sent Monday at 6:00 a.m.

Although I would not call or text a contractor outside normal work hours absent an actual emergency, I would totally e-mail them during the time I am not working (i.e., generally sometime after 7:00 p.m.). I do not expect an immediate response. Honestly, I am pretty stoked if I get a response within a week.

The world would be so much nicer if we could choose to view other’s actions in the most favorable light, rather than assuming the worst of people.

As others have posted, emails are sent 24/7 and no one feels any need to respond immediately. It's not viewed as intrusive unless the email demands some kind of action outside of normal hours.

Phone calls to a personal cell are quite different in terms of being intrusive and indicate an emergency.

I don't think text messages are the best way to communicate in business relationships unless they are truly confirming meeting time or directions or other transitory matter. I like emails because they provide clear written record if necessary. I would never send a text because they don't generally contain threaded correspondence and are otherwise much more difficult to sort and and save and find. In my experience, real business people don't use texts for business purposes unless the message is transitory. When people text me with business data I will cut and paste into an email to respond so that I have an easily accessible thread. Since emails are received on phones, there is no reason not to use email.

Sophie, would you think it odd if I walked to my mailbox and put a letter in it on a Sunday to be picked up by the letter carrier the next day, delivered on the first possible postal day after processing, opened by the recipient when it is delivered, and responded to at their convenience? If not, then why would you think it odd for me to "put" an email in my outbox on a Sunday to be "picked up" by the recipient when they next check their email and responded to at their convenience? Email is the same concept as snail mail, without the physical aspect.

I agree that texts and phone calls on weekends are for true emergencies only, unless I've been specifically invited to call anytime.

The difference between the US Mail and emails and texts is that texts and emails that come to the cell phone cause the cell phone to beep or buzz or make some sort of tone.

And the owner of the cell phone may not want to turn the ringer off for any number of reasons, such as wanting it on for true emergencies, family, business, etc.

If you are calling someone who only has one phone line about a business matter at a time that is inappropriate, regardless of the fact that the recipient may choose to not read the text or email, the sound of the ring has already intruded into their time-off.

We all mock spoiled brats who want instant gratification, and we prate on about work-life balance, but when we have a concern, we must contact our service provider immediately if not sooner.

Oh, but he doesn't have to answer.

Yes, let's put it on him.

By all means, let's arrogate the responsibility and consequences for our lack of manners to the recipient of them.

Heaven forfend we actually take a deep breath and think, "Can this wait until normal working hours?"

My phone doesn’t ring for email. It doesn’t make a peep. My Gawd, I get so much email that if i got a notification for each one, I’d go batty! I’m pretty sure most people who are clever enough to hold a responsible job position are also clever enough to know how to manage their cell. The joy of email is that you can compose and mail it when something is fresh in your mind...but you DON’T need immediacy. It’s a feeling of, “yes, I’ve handled my end of this, now I’ll wait until the receiver has an opportunity to review and respond in THEIR OWN TIME! “

My dh, while not in the trades, does have clients. I cannot tell you how many times clients have called him as he getting ready to head home for the evening. Does he disregard these clients, give less than his normal quality of work, or charge them a higher rate bc they are a PITA? No, of course not. He respects his clients, he takes enormous pride in the quality of his work and, bottomline...these clients PAY HIS SALARY and allow his firm to exist. So we roll with it. He would laugh at the notion of an email that was sent over the weekend being intrusive.

" No one feels any need to respond immediately"

"My assumption is we work 24/7 nowadays"

Here's the problem. These are both assumptions. So I will ASSUME if you need to tell me on Sunday, that you came home late Saturday evening to the home I installed on Friday, that I will open an email on Sunday that has you declaring how wonderful I am. That you are OVER THE MOON HAPPY and dancing with joy and could not contain yourself. Otherwise? I do so appreciate that you save the nausea producing,, stomach churning, oh S_ _ _ _ email until I have had my five am coffee on Monday.

Why? Because I am going to see the little red number next to the stamp in the MAC tray. .......And unless you have nice things to say, you are going to RUIN my Sunday brunch. My Saturday lunch with my sister. You will get the acids going in my stomach as I click on a photo that has you pointing at a speck of whatever, a string on a sofa, a bad spot on drywall, a ding in your new cabinet, as you regale me with "Hubby is just flipping, given what this cost blah blah blah. " I will grind my teeth and very politely reply that It will be promptly dealt with, but the not very silent curses here will burn the screen and the air. Just thought you should know.

I DO work. A lot. More than I should many days, and even some weekends disappear. I appreciate now and then, the chance to be unable to find a single pressing thing to do.

It's really sad that people think they must work 24/7 and think nothing of imposing such a similar workload on everyone else. Technology was supposed to decrease our work burdens, not increase them.

Unless it's an emergency, it can wait until business hours. I don't need my phone dinging at midnight Saturday just because you think that the cabinet molding is a half shade off, or the sidewalk concrete pour is 1/4" off over 10'.

What’s the definition of work, GreenDesigns? Is participating in (deferred) communication 24/7 work? If I’m getting an email (or in rare cases a text/call if it’s urgent) outside of Mo-Fr, classic work hours, I’ll just reply with what’s reasonable (which is less “work” than typing this text for the Houzz forum). I don’t consider this a burden. In fact, it allows for awesome flexible work hours and no one bats an eye if I hit the gym for two hours during the day (where I sometimes reply to emails between sets) or run errands etc. For me it’s the opposite of sad. I sometimes have to pinch myself how lucky I am to get paid extremely well while having super flexible work hours.

My phone doesn’t ring for email. It doesn’t make a peep. My Gawd, I get so much email that if i got a notification for each one, I’d go batty!

Same. With multiple accounts, notification sounds would never stop.

Jan Moyer, you are correct. This is the main reason folks should not send the communication after normal working hours, and it also tells me you care enough about your clients to check. I assume you have an email address for business separate from personal, so go into your device settings and turn off notifications when the work day ends. Note to app designers: granularity in notification control.

Anyone complaining should turn off work email notifications on the times they don’t want to be disturbed. Honestly. I asked in another group about this topic, nothing related to homes or design, and every single comment was yes send when you want but expect a reply when the receiver is ready. Interesting that here, yet again, some people are expecting something special or unique in the Reno/design/build arena.

Hi galore2112,

I have many great coworkers with a similar mindset as you. They too feel extremely lucky to have a similar loosely structured work schedule as you. In exchange for being allowed to take chunks of time during “work hours” for personal matters, they make the sacrifice to be on call during a much larger window of time each day.

I am not one of those people and do not like being disturbed outside of my work hours. That includes responding to emails outside of work hours, which is absolutely work. If it’s part of my job it is work, doesn’t matter to me if it takes 30 seconds to reply or more. I will be thinking about that email afterwards, and the emails add up. A line has to be drawn somewhere in my opinion. Being the type of person that I am, I will still occasionally read some emails though over the weekend or at night....and yes there have been emails I read that ruined my weekend or evening. I did not reply until the following Monday, but the damage was done.

Personally I am sick of the havetohaveitnow mentality and wish it would stop. Everyone is entitled to enjoy their work-life balance as they like, but let’s not assume everyone is the same.

I guess I'm one of the "weird" ones. When we go on vacation it's no cell phone or internet for the duration. And the trips have been as long as three weeks! Same setup that we had back in the 80's....LOL!

This last trip we did bring a Smart phone for the first time only because it's increasingly difficult to get around without one (calling Uber, or a remote owner of an AirB&B place that we're arriving in 30 minutes, etc). But even with that we don't use it for anything but that stuff and it's "off" almost all of the time as well as having a number no one back home knows.

And amazingly, when we get back, the world is still turning on it's axis!

Wow - having to wait to send an email, or putting it in drafts so it arrives during work hours, etc. Seriously?

I have a day job - I may / may not be able to address home building issues during 9-5. So, I email when I have time - generally after work and on weekend when I am on site 8+ hours a day. I don't expect anyone to email me back - it's not an emergency. I CALL if there is an emergency.

The email puts me in the queue and documents the ask / issue as much for my ability to follow up as the contractor's.

With text and phone, the expectation that you will get an immediate response to an email is antiquated. Also - getting dinging notifications for EMAIL is ludicrous (or it's for people who get less than 10 per day...) For contractors, I view emails as "in the office" type items that require a laptop / screen / larger keyboard and thus will likely wait until they are out of the field where thoughtful responses are more difficult on a smartphone.

The short answer is - he banged out your answer, settled your concerns (in about 2 minutes) and went about his day. All with giving you a good feeling that he's on top of things. IMO - he sounds dedicated and competent and was happy to let you know ON A WEEKEND (gasp!)

Lets put it this way: If you were counting on a delivery of pick- the - thing........and some unforeseen disaster , a semi rollover, a hurricane in North Carolina, a DAMAGE God forbid means it isn't happening? I tell you first thing M-F UNLESS you were expecting it that day.

The point is why ruin a sunny day? Or make a rainy day worse? In these "I must disappoint " cases my day is already ruined, I despise disappointing any client. But. The need to know immediately, especially in instances where NOT ONE DARN THING can be done until the next day ? Or the day after that? Is virtually zero. Sorry. Our need to share every waking moment, every errant thought is sort of out of control. It is off my desk and onto yours mentality .............unless you are sprinkling some joy into the life of the recipient. P.S Yes I'm "On top of it" That is the issue, in a nutshell.

This is an unresolvable situation. I am with those who think the sender should wait, but I also know that society today won't change. Two options: Receiver controls notifications or sender sets a send delay.

On the plus side, this has given me another question to ask contactors for large projects before hiring. If they are going to be offended by e-mails during off hours, even though I do not expect a quick response, then we would both be happier if we chose not to work together.

In every aspect of life including emails I consider it my right and responsibility to set my own boundaries. And I respect every single other human being's right to do so as well.

For me, that means checking my email once a day on weekdays and responding immediately after I check it. Because otherwise I know I'll forget. If it's an issue that requires more thoughtful consideration, I start a draft so I'm reminded to come back to it. So colleagues, teachers, friends, family, customers might have to wait a day or three depending on when they send that email. If you're close enough to me to need me in an emergency, you have my phone number. I recognize that my line of work allows me that freedom; no one runs into an emergency need for carrots at 11:00 on a Sunday night. And if you want carrots tomorrow morning and you're emailing me at 11pm, you might miss out. I'm ok with that.

And when I send an email it's at my convenience too. If that means 8 o'clock on a Saturday night because that is when my kid is melting down over something that happened at school and I want to be sure I alert the teacher before I forget, and the peace of mind that her teacher knows will allow her to get the sleep she needs, so be it. If the teacher chooses to check his email on a Sunday before his weekly brunch with mom, so be it. Often I do add something like "this matter isn't pressing and I understand that I might not get a response until the next school day" but not always. I've even sent emails over school holiday breaks. Those always start with "I hope you're not checking this over your holiday. I don't expect a response before January but I wanted to write it while it's fresh in my mind."

I expect that the recipients will check their email at their convenience precisely because I know I *don't* have the right to dictate how they manage their own time, personal or professional. I have to trust that they've learned to set boundaries in their lives as adults. If they haven't, I can't take responsibility for that.

Exactly, Smit! Perhaps this is another situation where capitalism will be the determining factor. If people value hiring folks who don’t mind having an email sent at off-hours (I still can’t fathom why people can’t fix their notifications...in today’s world, NO ONE sends “emergency” emails and you shouldn’t HAVE to check it unless you want to, but whatever,) they will ultimately end up with more business. The market will shake the others out. Sometime, excellent customer service is the best way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

And, I think we are forgetting...these emails aren’t getting sent to an hourly tradesman. They are sent to the person RESPONSIBLE for the project! That’s why you have their contact info...they are responsible. They aren’t paid by the hour, this is a career. Some will like glancing at email over the weekend to preemptively put out fires or just organize things for Monday, others know that nothing life or death is typically communicated via email so they ignore it until Monday. Both are reasonable, and acceptably responsive to clients.

I would be interested to see the correlation between age and opinion on this subject. I’m not young by any stretch (late 40’s) but astute enough to know that younger generations have grown up with technology and yearn for flexible work schedules.

This is absolutely an age divide. With the caveat that of course not all people from all groups are going to align with all the stereotypes about that group.

I'm a spoiled brat if I expect to be able to manage my time in the way that works best for me, and I expect you to do the same.

I'm entitled if I turn off my phone during non-work hours and refuse to let a boss infringe on my private time. I'm a workaholic if I answer an email in the middle of the night or on vacation.

I have a gottahaveitnow mentality if I want to get business out of the way after my kids are in bed and the house is finally quiet, before I'm off and running again at 6:30 the next morning. I'm lazy if I don't jump to accommodate every request as soon as it comes in.

I'm prattling on if I try to explain my perspective to you and you don't understand it. I'm self-centered if I don't call my aging relatives.

What the hell is a Millennial to do??

The trades can do whatever they want but there may be consequences.

We built remotely. No matter when I sent an email our architect responded at the end of the business day on Friday. Right before he left for the weekend. I found this annoying. One of our interview questions had been about communication and preferred methods. Sometimes ppl tell you what you want to hear. A lot of stuff got missed or miscommunicated. We felt like red-headed step children even though he was being paid top dollar.

Our builder answered emails in the afternoons after he got back to the office. He also called if it was more urgent. He did not seem bothered by emails and he used them as confirmations. Much better. Its the 21st Century after all.

from the original post: "My question to Houzz: this is an aesthetic problem only and I understand that. Should I push hard to have it fixed (if they don’t readily offer to fix it; we will see when the builder responds), or just leave it as is?"

Where do we get the ASSUMPTION that the OP's email was frantic, abusive, micromanaging, critical, disparaging or any of the other accusations that have been made or implied?

Of course we've all dealt with unreasonable clients/customers. We've probably all been unreasonable at some point too! And this discussion is an interesting one. But I don't get the impression that our OP is irrational or has expectations that are out of line with reality. To me it seems that s/he is actually trying hard to discern what the expectations are *before* s/he forms a decision or passes judgement.

https://www.lifewire.com/fundamental-email-etiquette-1171187

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/272780

https://www.themuse.com/advice/when-you-should-and-shouldnt-send-an-email-the-new-office-communication-rules

If you only read one, make it this one: https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/late-night-emails

Seriously? This is so silly. Email is not phone calls. Email is not texting. People get to their email when they have time and opportunity. Everyone knows this. Stop overthinking. This is a nonissue, and the poster did nothing wrong.

"Wrong" is robbing a bank or kicking a dog. Courtesy / thoughtfulness is different. It is certainly defined by age groups , norms and cultures. I DO love how a twenty something curls up on a bar stool like she is home in moms basement:).....especially when she twirls her hair. .....and never takes her nose out of the phone .

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate my phone. I only love it when I need it. Other times its a whining sniveling toddler trapped in my handbag

Cooks kitchen why not just turn off email notifications in general and then look when you want to? I have zero notifications on my phone other than text which I see as more like a phone call. Email and app notifications don’t show up till I open each app including email.

and I block all notifications except from certain folks (family) after 11PM and before 7AM...

This is a link for an article about using Do Not Disturb. Not sure if it is exactly what you want. And I agree navigating their settings are tricky|!

https://www.imore.com/how-to-setup-use-do-not-disturb-iphone-ipad

Amazing! Forty-nine responses to a “dilemma” which was resolved by the fourth post.

I am responding to placement of lights, not when to send a message. I didn't notice that my lights were not centered over the windows (as specified) until the sheetrock was in place, My architect told the contractor to fix it, so he figured out how to make it work. It took some time, but it could be corrected.

That being said... my policy regarding texts is to ask everyone when they are available to hear from me. Some people have cell phones near the bed so they can receive emergency calls/texts. I respect sleeping times. Other than that, I send messages whenever I feel the need to, but I don't expect a reply outside business hours.

Dan1888 said it best add 4 more...

I work on Sundays most my clients have that day off so it works for them to check things out and I communicate with all my subs and builders Sunday but don’t bother my hourly guys on their time off.

Aside from Google, you can stop into your AT&T/Verizon/Whatever store and ask them how to update your settings on your phone. They will probably just do it, so you don’t even need to comprehend it. If you bought an IPhone, pop into an Apple store and they will help you. For anything else, wander around Best Buy talking to associates until one can help you. Then, majically, you only need to check emails during your 40 hour workweek. I would also suggest setting up a specific work email address. Then your personal email can still ding your phone, and you can just check your work emails during business hours. Now you can keep more clients and fire less for sending emails at rude times!

"... leaves the ball in their court as to when they reply"

That's wrong, Alison. And it's passive-aggressive. You're putting the employee (the contractor) in an untenable position. He is pressured by either the reality or the possibility that you are expecting an answer. Just because YOU operate by one set of rules doesn't mean that anyone else operates by those rules.

Business e-mails during business hours ONLY. And if someone is on a team that operates 24/7/365, then they have their own set of ground rules about replying to e-mails. But that is NOT the relationship between a client and a contractor.

Sophie and Jan are right. You save the weekend drama for when there's a real problem. you don't waste goodwill on things that are better handled during business hours. he may have replied promptly, but he's probably rolling his eyes and telling his family about that pain-in-the-butt whining client.

The Cooks's Ktchen: Do Not Disturb is a really good and flexible. And really easy.

My phone is on my nightstand or in my pocket. I had my service extended so I could take calls in Mexico while I was on vacation. I knew taking the calls was not as bad as missing them. If you're self-employed, you're always a little bit at work. Get used to it or those of us who are will eat your lunch.

IMO....I see no problem e-mailing someone on the weekend. That's normal these days. People ck their e-mail several times a day. I disagree with Sophie on this one. Ditto what Alison said. MDB,.....congrats they are going to correct.

@tatts... you do your work in our homes during business hours. We don't see your work, (because most of us are at OUR jobs in many cases), until after hours or on weekends. What would you suggest for those folks who cannot spend time from 9-5 dealing with construction issues? In addition, we have no idea whether telling you these things right away is important given scheduling of subs etc. When I was building my last house, the builder actually scolded me for not telling him about a door that was put in that had the swing the wrong way as soon as I noticed it, rather than waiting the weekend.

Frankly, if I'm spending 10s of thousands of dollars or more on a project in my home, I'm going to contact my contractor when I have time and opportunity. If you don't want to receive any communication from your clients outside of working hours, I would suggest making that clear up front before starting work, and be prepared for people like Joseph Corlett to "eat your lunch."

When I get away from my phone for a while it serves as a little reminder to myself that the cemeteries are filled with indispensable people.

@tatts "passive-aggressive" doesn't mean what you think it means.

adjective

adjective: passive-aggressive

1. of or denoting a type of behavior or personality characterized by indirect resistance to the demands of others and an avoidance of direct confrontation, as in procrastinating, pouting, or misplacing important materials.

It's so bizarre to me that some posters here think that it is inconsiderate to send an email at 9pm, but they think it's fine to send it at 6am on a Monday (when people are getting their kids off to school/daycare, having a moment of consultation with their spouse before work, meditating, whatever) or at 4:30pm when the dilemma then becomes "do I put this off until tomorrow and risk pissing this person off because she technically did contact me during business hours? Or do I deal with it today and add who knows how much time to my already exhausting day?"

Jan's Sunday brunch with her sisters is just as important as my breakfast, lunch making, hair brushing, shoe finding, backpack loading, and goodbye kissing with my kids every work day. So she can let folks know that she doesn't check emails on weekends. And I can let folks know that if you email me at 11pm, I won't see it until at least 8:30 the next morning. Not sure why that's so challenging to some.

Email is completely equatable to snail mail. You don't want to hear the notification? Turn off the ding and add "check email" to your schedule once or twice per day. If your kids' school or your mom's care home needs to reach you urgently they will call! Phoning and texting are more equatable to home phones and I think similar rules of etiquette apply there.

What are "business hours"? In this day and age, there is no such thing as global business hours. 9-5 in your local time zone is an antiquated notion.

So much work happens with others who are outside of your time zone. In addition, since people 'can' work away from the office, they can now have the ability to have more flexible hours than they used to. It can be a curse and a blessing to be able to move your working hours around to accommodate your personal situation but ultimately that's your responsibility (or your boss's if you are an employee).

Therefore, it is either your responsibility to express to clients when your business hours are OR you can choose to ignore any contact (or certain type of contact) outside of what you consider your business hours. It isn't the client's responsibility to try to guess when an appropriate time to email is since the situation would be different for everyone.

If the client has been told what's appropriate and continues to harass the contractor, then that's the client's fault. That wasn't the situation here.

Couldn't you also argue if they knew about the error and were fixing it they should have contacted the OP last week regarding that. Then there would have been no email to send as they would have already communicated the error and fix.

tiggerigh,

Exactly! It's not okay to 'ruin' the contractor's weekend with a little email, but it's okay to ruin the client's weekend by neglecting to inform them that the glaringly obvious error has been noticed and will be fixed without issue?

Let the client worry and fret all weekend about a possible confrontation that they may have to deal with on Monday!

Courtesy goes both ways.

Some of the replies are shocking to me. I’m surprised you get any business with your attitudes in all honesty. Anyone who wants to close themselves down to limited communication will simply not survive in today’s market. Good luck!

^^^^ Folks can send me an email or leave a phone message anytime the want but I do business between 7AM and 3PM M-F with the sole exception being the face to face or remote design charrettes I do sometimes on a Saturday morning since I ask for all decision makers to be present and most folks work during my business hours.

And with that I've always been booked up I don't even have a website. Well, ok I wasn't booked up in 2009 but that had nothing to do with my business hours...LOL!

No problems with client emails incoming after hours, but response will most likely be reserved for next business day. MOST of the time this lands logical across the board, yet there are some instances where technology has fueled the monster! New construction/Building truly is a "day job" when you think of the process, a large amount of any new home is completed by contractors working without power, running water, utilities. So obviously they can't work in the dark and have completed a full day before after hours and may not be looking to answer calls. We are available all business hours and we staff weekend hours in our models. Yet we still get a surprising number of people who call at 8pm wanting to talk about building a home or want a private showing late after business hours. A lot of our showings are done by women, so it's not going to happen that we are meeting strangers at a house in the evening. Yet this is what the technology world has created with "instant gratification" as the norm. Some do think building a house should operate like the 24 hour Walmart. We value our team enough to say it's perfectly fine to have an end to your day and pick up again tomorrow. Thankfully, the majority of our clients are respectful of that.