We all know of jobs where an earnest contractor strives to produce a workmanlike job, and the client, instead of gratefully accepting his product, tries to skin him alive. Although such stories raise a builder's blood pressure, it's important that he calm down and rationally assess how things got that way. Only then can he develop strategies to avoid such trouble in the future. Keep in mind that at the signing of the contract the interest of the owner and contractor closely coincided. From that moment, however, they started to diverge—until they reached a point where mutual satisfaction was out of reach. From that point on, only one side can win—the other loses. Even that might be acceptable
