Last week after a rain storm I found that our basement had flooded. We have lived in our home for 15 years and this was the first time we have had any significant water problems. After we hauled up all the boxes from the basement and sucked up what water we could, it was time to figure out how to restore our finished basement.
I am the type of person that likes to do things myself. “Why would I hire someone if I can do it myself” is something I have often said. A contractor friend suggested that I pull up the carpet and use a fan to dry it. As I thought about fixing things on my own, it didn’t take long to realize that I needed professional help. The question was who to hire.
I was concerned about not only getting the basement dried out, but making sure that we wouldn’t have mold problems. I wanted a contractor who would respect our property, offer a fair price and do a good job. This was uncharted territory for us, and I didn’t want to make a mistake.
After a search through an Angie’s List booklet I called a contractor. After I finished the call, I wondered who would be coming, would the representative be professional? Would he or she know their business? Would they be arrogant? Would we feel comfortable trusting our home to a person we were about to meet? How much was this going to cost? Price was important but having a great job was paramount. I was going to live with the results of their work for years.
When Tom arrived, he introduced himself and his company. He assessed the work and gave us a proposal. It seemed expensive. I reminded myself that I want the job done right, and the plan he outlined seemed like they knew what to do. After reviewing the proposal, talking with my wife and looking at our wet basement, I called Tom back and said we wanted to hire them.
Once we gave them the go ahead, their team came and went right to work. They were professionals. They were polite and efficient. I soon realized that having the pros do the work was the right choice. If I had tried to do the work myself, I likely would have missed some important steps and it would have been a disaster. Our basement would likely still be damp with mold growing. Instead, it is dry and usable.
I have reflected over this experience. I have been reminded of what it is like to need a professional’s services and the questions that a homeowner has. While I could have invested plenty of time and energy in trying to fix the problem on my own I wouldn’t have had the results I wanted.
Luminocity is a company that is an expert at outdoor lighting. Just like the team that restored my home, we are professionals. We treat homeowners and their home with respect. We always see ourselves as guests at the customer’s home. We will do a much better job of installing and maintaining landscape lights than if the homeowner tried to do it themselves. Our goal has always been to have the experience with Luminocity to be so special that the customer will be glad they called and would gladly refer us to a friend. My experience with a flooded basement reminded me of what it is like to be a customer … and that we are on the right track.
