Few home owners have warm and fuzzy relationships with their contractors. Indeed, most have horror stories about workers who show up late or not at all, jack up their prices after they start and don't clean up after themselves.

But contractors have gripes, too. According to a survey of 400 contractors undertaken by the Opinion Research Corp. this spring, they positively hate customers who continually ask them to do more than the contract calls for at no additional cost. And they pull their hair out over those who don't pay on time.

An owner's worst nightmare: Shoddy workmanship.

A contractor's: An owner who continually asks them to change or redo their work.

See any similarities here?

The relationship between contractor and home owner is often fraught with conflict, but the survey of contractors and corresponding one of owners who have had work done in their homes, both on behalf of Kimberly-Clark Professional, reveal some rather striking similarities, similarities that indicate the two sides may not see things differently at all.

For example, one of the least favorite aspects of the home improvement experience for owners is feeling like they have to watch workers all the time (17 percent). For contractors, it's the feeling of being watched (10).

Another constant complaint of both owners and workers concerns kids and pets. Contractors don't like dealing with these annoying distractions (5) while parents are uncomfortable having workmen around their two and four-legged loved ones (7).

And one more thing: Contractors don't want to be your friend and talk to you all day long while they're trying to work (16). Not anymore than you want them to be your buddy and chat with you instead of working (8).

Actually, a small percentage of workers take this last point even further. Their worst nightmare isn't being asked to do something over again or being paid late. No, it's lonely or bored customers who make romantic advances toward them (2). Back at ya, says an even larger percentage of owners who don't like being hit on, either (12).

Owners also don't like it when workers stick their noses into the owners' refrigerators (3). At the same time, contractors say it would be nice if you offered them water or a soda once in a while (1). Or allow them to use your bathroom (5).

These, of course, are mostly small things that all can be overlooked if the contractor started on time (36 percent didn't, according the owners) and if the owner doesn't postpone the job (9 percent did, according to the contractors).

Or if the contractor didn't raise his price after work started (22 percent did) and the owner didn't ask the contractor to do more than the contract called for (24 percent did) or didn't try to renegotiate after the work was done (15 percent.)

Why, with all this animosity and acrimony, one would think it might just be best to let our houses fall apart, or at least leave them as is.

Published: July 5, 2006

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When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated. He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year. Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972. The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country. He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others. Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.