I Almost Overlooked It
Mid-afternoon, August 2023. I was staring at a contract for a residential building modernization in Miami. The Schindler elevator was getting a full cab refresh—new panels, new flooring, updated lighting. The contractor's quote was tight. The timeline was tighter. The board wanted it done before the holiday season.
I had maybe three hours to review everything before the approval deadline. Normally, I'd walk the unit myself. Check the pit. Verify the guide rails. But this was a simple cosmetic refresh. Not a mechanical overhaul. I told myself: "The Schindler 330A is bulletproof. What could go wrong?"
I approved the contract without a site visit.
That was mistake number one.
The First Sign: The Window Glass Replacement
The contractor started on the lobby upgrades. One of the line items was a window glass replacement in the adjacent hallway—not directly related to the Schindler elevator, but bundled in the scope. My initial misjudgment was that it was a simple, separate task.
But halfway through the glass replacement, the installation crew realized the window casing was out of square by almost half an inch. The new pane wouldn't seat properly. To fix it, they had to remove the existing trim—which disturbed the fire caulking in the shaft wall next to the Schindler elevator hoistway.
I only believed the old saying—"check everything before you start"—after ignoring it.
We now had a fire-rated wall penetration that needed re-certification. That meant a delay. And a special inspector. And a $2,200 bill for a re-inspection we hadn't budgeted for.
Dodged a bullet? No. We took a direct hit.
The Real Problem: The Schindler Controller
Here's where it got worse. When the glass replacement crew disturbed the fire caulking, they also accidentally vibrated a conduit running to the Schindler elevator controller. The conduit had a loose coupling—something a pre-construction inspection would have caught.
Three weeks later, during the cab refresh, a technician powered down the controller for panel installation. When powering back up, the vibration from the loose conduit coupling had frayed a ground wire. The controller threw a fault code. The elevator was down for four days.
In a 12-story building in Miami, no elevator means tenants miss work. The board was furious. The property manager was getting calls every hour.
Had I done my walkthrough—a 90-minute inspection—I would have flagged that conduit. I would have required the contractor to stabilize it before any work began.
What I Learned: The 12-Point Checklist
The repair bill for the controller? $4,800. The loss from tenant complaints and a rushed special inspection? About $17,000 in indirect costs and goodwill gestures. Total cost of skipping a single, methodical inspection: roughly $22,000.
Over 4 years of reviewing deliverables, I've rejected about 12% of first-time submissions due to missing specs. But this was the first time I was the one who caused the gap.
So glad I learned that lesson. Almost went another year thinking I could skip those checks.
Now every contract—whether it's a Schindler elevator modernization or a simple window glass replacement—includes a pre-construction verification protocol. I don't care if it's a full mechanical overhaul or just changing the light bulbs. My 12-point checklist covers:
- Hoistway integrity (fire caulking, conduit stability)
- Controller room conditions (loose connections, environmental hazards)
- Adjacent construction impact (vibration, debris, water risk)
- Specification conformance (materials, fire ratings)
The checklist took me two hours to create. It has saved us an estimated $8,000 in potential rework per project—not counting the goodwill we've preserved with clients.
The Takeaway
Prevention is cheaper than correction. That's not just a slogan for quality manuals. It's a financial reality. 5 minutes of verification beats 5 days of emergency repair. Every time.
Is my approach perfect? No. I still get time pressure from clients. But now I push back. "I need 90 minutes on-site before we sign. Non-negotiable."
Prices as of January 2025. Costs verified against industry averages in South Florida for that project. Your mileage may vary, but the principle holds.
In the end, I saved a $22,000 mistake not by being smarter—but by being disciplined about checking first. That's a lesson I won't forget. And neither will my shareholders.
