Problems with owner supplied landscape lighting materials

Problems with owner supplied landscape lighting materials

By Mike Gambino

Some property owners believe that they are saving money by supplying materials for a design or construction project, and then only paying for the installation labor. However, this is a very myopic and narrow view of the entire “what can go wrong” scenario.

Material Warranty
First of all let’s get something straight right now… there ISN’T ONE!
Since the installer was not the specifier, they are not responsible for any of the myriad of failures that occur with materials. When there are material failures, the homeowner is not going to say, “golly gee, the deal on that cheap material wasn’t such a great deal after all.” I have consulted in many of these situations, and the homeowner response is very predictable. IT ALWAYS IS “they must have done something wrong during the installation to cause this…”

Because the homeowner is not an expert in construction materials or the particular application where they are to be used, they do not know the particular questions to ask when sourcing materials. Just because the vendor says “it’s fine for that use,” does not mean that it is! Just because you saw the same (or a similar looking material) used for a particular purpose, does not mean that it is! Just because you saw a material that looks just like it (used this way), does not mean that it is (the same material)!

Sourcing materials is a science in and of itself. Below is a short list of things to consider (and not even close to being inclusive of all of my selection criteria):
Climate
Material composition (physical make-up)
Reactivity of the material with the environment (snow, rain, swimming pool chemicals, wind, sun, heat)
Material Offcast (will the material bleed minerals or decay when subject to the environmental influences – above)
Hardness (is the material hard enough & durable enough for the purpose)
Porosity & Stain Resistance (will it resist staining from common materials)
Heat Retention (important with LED especially in the dessert/tropical areas)
Available Finishes
Component Sizes & Thicknesses
Workability (how hard is it to install)
Installation Specifications (does the supplier provide them?)

Is the product going to be the proper and best choice to achieve the desired effect?

Is it going to be easy and inexpensive to maintain?

So, do you really still want to source your own materials to save some money on the specifier/installer mark-up?

Installation Warranty
The only warranty provided for the installation of any owner’s supplied materials, is that they light up PERIOD.

So, do you really still want to source your own materials to save some money on the specifier/installer mark-up?

Repairing Material Failures
Guess what – any cost associated with any of these repairs is the homeowners responsibility also! Most homeowners are so embarrassed that they were “penny wise & pound foolish,” they will argue to the death about reimbursing the installer for these related repairs. Most installers will require payment in advance for these type of repairs (to the maximum allowable legal limits).

No one wants to perform any repairs to someone else’s substandard materials, to get shafted for the payment after making corrections – and it happens all the time. It’s one of the oldest homeowners scams in the book…

This is the largest cause of litigation in the area of construction warranties and workmanship. So put it all in writing- any repair or modifications to ANY owner supplied materials will be performed on a predefined “time and materials” basis – and don’t forget the contractor is entitled to include profit in these rates too [because they’re there – they’re not working somewhere else making a profit (it’s called “opportunity cost”)]. Pay the contractor at the end of EVERY day, for the repair work that they performed…. it limits everyone’s exposure!

So, do you really still want to source your own materials to save some money on the specifier/installer mark-up?

Installation Specifications
Does the vendor of the materials provide DETAILED installation instructions and specifications? If they do not provide such details, then who is going to research & specify the methods and materials to be used? If those methods fail, then who is going to be responsible? Will the manufacturer or vendor approve the use of the material for the intended purpose (e.g. submerged underwater, subject to the high temperature of summer, exposed to temperature variables or direct sunlight, etc.)?

So, do you really still want to source your own materials to save some money on the specifier/installer mark-up?

Installation

Yet the available “homeowners grade” materials at most warehouse home improvement stores are not the best available. In some instances they might be from the same vendor or manufacturer the pros use, but almost every manufacturers reserves a few higher end product lines exclusively for the professional’s use. This is usually due to the idiosyncrasies of these products and the additional skills required to install them: reading instructions, working quickly & effectively, installing them properly, and using them for the correct application.

Does the manufacturer of the materials offer a warranty on their products? Some offer a warranty if you stay with a “single source” vendor throughout the project. Add to the confusion multiple vendors pointing their “blame fingers” at each other if there are any issues.

So, do you really still want to source your own materials to save some money on the specifier/installer mark-up?

If the designer or contractor specifies and provides ALL of the finish materials, setting materials, and labor – then guess what?

They assume the responsibility for any failures with the material and or the installation

(unless there are manufacturing defects).

So, do you really still want to source your own materials to save some money on the specifier/installer mark-up?

This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 20 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .

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