The Emotional Side

Trust/Vulnerability: Construction forces you to depend on others (often relative strangers) for primary needs. Not only are they spending your money, they are providing (or demolishing) the very roof over your head! You are asked to trust that they will make it all right in the end, despite being regaled with the horror stories of others. Some people become angry with the unaccustomed feelings of vulnerability and dependency on the contractor. Others experience a "hostage effect", where they over-identify with the contractor out of a subconscious fear of displeasing him. Particularly for successful people used to calling the shots, this complete dependence on a relative stranger feels unfamiliar and uncomfortable at best.

• Recommendation: Hire people who you have a positive gut reaction to, in addition to their other qualifications. Ask them what procedures they use to keep you abreast of all project developments; the more you track a job's progress, the less you feel that you could be homeless forever. Also ask how they deal with mistakes. Do they seem like people with whom you could calmly resolve problems? When the project is underway, communicate any questions or dissatisfactions you have promptly to give them a chance to correct the problem.