Packets this thick

Luke Holle, a tile setter in Lincoln, Nebraska, who owns Superboy Construction LLC, says he works a lot with high-end luxury customers. In his experience they are generally very reasonable, but they have expectations they are willing to pay for. Meeting those expectations means a lot of time with designers, which he says most tile setters do not spend.

Reasonable, with expectations

Luke does not describe these customers as difficult. He says they are very reasonable in his experience. What sets them apart is what they expect from the finished work, and that they are willing to pay for it.

Meetings, calls and packets

He says most tile setters do not spend a significant percentage of their time in meetings with designers, or on the phone with designers, going through packets of small details. In the clip he shows the thickness of the packet with his hands. These are details the designers have to have, he says, so the conversations happen before and during the work, not after.

A learned skill

Luke says dealing with customers who have an obsessive eye for detail is something he has learned to do. He frames it as a skill, separate from setting tile.

He gives no checklist here, so treat this as a point that follows from his: if your project has a designer and a detailed specification, ask your tile setter how much designer coordination they are used to.

Questions people ask

Does Luke work with interior designers?

Yes. He says a significant share of his time goes to meetings and phone calls with designers, going through thick packets of small details.

Does he say luxury customers are hard to work with?

No. He says they are generally very reasonable in his experience, with expectations they are willing to pay for.