Absolutely--I've got a story that still makes me laugh and sigh at the same time.
There's a beautiful home on Lake Conroe that I've been honored to work on not once, not twice--but five times now. It started a year ago when the homeowners brought me in to remodel their kitchen and living room. The transformation was modern, warm, and exactly what they didn't know they needed. Six months later, they called me back for a total gut job of their primary bathroom. Another showstopper. Then came the powder room. Then a whole-house flooring upgrade to LVT. By this point, I practically had keys to the kingdom. Their trust in me is one of the greatest compliments I've ever received.
Fast-forward to now--we're tackling the stairs. Naturally, I wanted to maintain the clean, modern aesthetic we had going, so I sourced square-edge stair treads to match the LVT flooring. Sounds simple enough, right? It should've been. But the universe had other plans.
First, the order arrived--three treads short. Fine. My installer moved forward while we waited. Then the supplier shut down their local warehouse, meaning shipping went from 2 days to 4-6 weeks. Cool. We're patient. The next shipment arrives... and it's the wrong product. But by some miracle, the incorrect treads actually solved a problem we didn't know we had--avoiding drill holes in seam lines. So we roll with it and place a new order using the revised specs.
Six more weeks pass. The new shipment arrives... and it's half square nose, half rounded. I could've cried--or screamed--but instead, I paid twice the cost of the materials just to get the replacement shipped. That shipment? Sent to the wrong address. As of today, we're still waiting. I can't make this stuff up.
But here's why this project still stands out to me. It's a masterclass in patience, communication, and doing what it takes to protect both the design integrity and the client experience. They're still thrilled. I'm still proud. And despite the hiccups, the trust we've built through every project together has only deepened. That staircase? When it's finally done, it'll be the cherry on top of a home that tells a true design journey. And I'll be the one who stayed in the fight--stair tread delays and all.
