The Several Thousand Dollar ceiling fan. AKA My wife negotiates much better than I do

Disclaimer.  I love my wife.  Nothing in this post should be construed to the contrary.  If you read this and see her point out that I mentioned how much I love her.  Also this took place a few years back but just found it and think it deserved to be posted.

My wife is brilliant.  Not in an in your face prove her point kind of way.  More in a subtle, knows just what to do to get what she wants kind of way.  And I am no match for her skills....

Here I am coming home from work where I spend a reasonable amount of time negotiating fairly large deals often between multi-billion dollar corporations.  And these negotiations are complex often involving many parties each of who have different agendas.  And I have been doing this for years and like to fancy myself as pretty good at the whole process.  Except when it comes to my wife.

A few months back my wife casually mentioned that she thought a ceiling fan would look really good in our family room.  She was upfront and explained that the ceiling fan she had in mind was rather ornate (one of those fancy palm frawn things you imagine you would see in a hotel lobby in a tropical resort).  And that was it.  She didn’t push the issue.  Didn’t discuss price.  Didn’t seem that important.  Just a thought she had.

A few weeks later after we finished dinner she mentioned to me that she had been with a friend who was picking something up at a lighting store and noticed that they had one of those Palm Frawn ceiling fans. She had inquired about the price and she said that it was only about $400.  She asked if I thought if $400 was too much for something that would help change the look of our family room and I of course said, “sounds reasonable to me”.  We agreed that we should go by the store sometime in the next weeks and take a look at the fan so I could see it.

The next day she stopped by my office to say hello and asked if I was very busy.  I wasn’t too busy and the store happened to be just a mile or so from my office so we agreed to make a quick stop by and check out the fan.  Well, she was right.  It was very cool and would really look nice in the room.  And it was $429.  As we stood there discussing it we realized that the room was big enough that just one ceiling fan would be kind of stark and that two might look better.  We agreed that we needed to think about it and decide if two was better.

That weekend I was on a ladder hanging two pieces of rope from the ceiling in the family room so that we could visualize where the fans (yes both of them) would go.  We agreed on the spots and agreed that they would both look quite nice.  The next step was to get an estimate of what it would cost to hang/power them.

Kirk the electrician is a really good guy.  I’m surprised at how often he needs to come over to do one thing or another and it sometimes reminds me of that painter on Murphy Brown who essentially lived in the house throughout the show.  Nonetheless he is a good guy and is nice to us as I’m sure he appreciates the frequency of our business.  So when he hit us with the news about the install he did it in a very nice and gentle way. You should have seen the look on my wife’s face as he explained that it would be 2 days of labor and one to two grand to hang the two fans.  She looked really upset.

So, I did what any reasonable husband would do…I told her that I thought it was too much but that if was really important to her it was fine (all the while hoping she would think it was too much).  She said she understood and also thought it was too much and that we should just skip the ceiling fans.

About a month later, while she was rubbing my shoulders in the family room, Jenny told me that she had continued to think about the ceiling fans and that our house really deserved something nice like that.  She went on to explain how she really thought that they would make the entire room come alive and thought that they were worth the investment and as such we agreed to move forward.

A few weeks later she told me that the fans were in and that Kirk was going to come by in the morning and begin the installation process.  The next morning I greeted Kirk early (what is it with the contractor guys that work 7-2???) and he asked if we had prepared for the drywall repair?  The drywall repair?  I didn’t understand.  Kirk explained that part of the reason that the job would take a few days is that the fans were going in the middle of the ceiling and as such he would need to cut out little pieces of drywall all across the ceiling.  As such, of course, the drywall would need to be patched back in and painted.  Makes perfect sense doesn’t it?

Well, I was already in the game so what would a little spackle and paint cost anyhow.  The ceiling really isn’t that big.  So Kirk began the work and Jenny agreed to have a painter come by that day and give us an estimate on the ceiling.

When I came home that evening I could see the results of Kirks handy work being half done.  No ceiling fans yet but as promised lots of little holes in the ceiling.  About a dozen 3 inch square holes cut out all across the ceiling.  Quite an effect.

Over dinner Jenny and I discussed the painting bid.  She reminded me how she and her friend Sheri had been talking about needing to add some color to the walls in the family room (they were basically white).  And that since we were going to paint the ceiling in that room that we might as well paint the walls since the ceiling will probably no longer match the walls and since the painters would be there anyhow they should do the walls with this new bone color she has been eyeing.

And of course since our house has a flowing layout and the rooms kind of blend together it is hard to find a place to stop the painting.  So, if we are going to do the walls in the family room we really need to continue through the kitchen, dining room and entry way and that the painting total would be several thousand dollars.

At this point I realized that I had been so over powered by her negotiating skill that there was no reason to fight.  Out of respect for her ability and maneuvering I of course agreed.  You see, it is important to know when you have been beat and it is okay to pay respect to those who have beat you in such an artful and masterful manner.  And when all was said and done the $400 fan turned into a several thousand dollar minor renovation.  But I must admit, those fans really make the room come alive.

Comments

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[Ceiling Fan Reviews]

Good story. It reminds me of my relationship, although I'm normally the one that convinces my wife to make the big purchase. You're lucky the ceiling fans were only around $400. Some nice fans can get into the thousands. I love the fan pre-wiring in my newer home.

[Ceiling Fan Reviews]

Good story. It reminds me of my relationship, although I'm normally the one that convinces my wife to make the big purchase. You're lucky the ceiling fans were only around $400. Some nice fans can get into the thousands. I love the fan pre-wiring in my newer home.

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