Have you ever heard the saying “If the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem is a nail.”?
That phrase and others like it refer to the Law of the Instrument, and it’s also known as “Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding.”
It refers to the way people work and how they solve problems. It’s about looking at things from the point of view of one’s profession.
So how does that apply to solving problems with buildings? It means that if you only know how to fix things one way – then that’s how you will always fix the problem. Even when it doesn’t fix it the first time, the second time, the third time, etc …
Oftentimes when that type of “fixing” doesn’t work you’ll hear someone offer this bit of advice “Get a bigger hammer.” Do you suppose that really works?
So, when the “hammer” isn’t working what do you do?
- For the contractors, heating and cooling companies, and other service providers out there – what do you do when the problem you’re working on hasn’t (or can’t be) be solved by the product or service that you sell?
- For the building owners out there – what have you been doing when the service providers you’ve been using can’t fix your problem?
Some problems just can’t be solved using the methods you have. It doesn’t matter whether that method is your “hammer”, or someone else’s.
This same law of the instrument applies when you hire someone to solve your building problems. If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always got. It’s not cost effective to “hammer” away at a problem if you keep getting the same unacceptable results.
We have a full toolbox of skills, techniques, and experience that helps us view your buildings problems in a way that others don’t. We have a problem solving mindset, and that lets us see things in a way that others can’t.
And yes, we have a hammer. But, we bring the whole box of tools when we arrive to solve your building problems.