Building Better Relationships in Construction

Creating Space When Clients Go Off The Deep End

Paul Schwinghammer

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0:00 | 8:55

Episode 10 of “Building Better Relationships in Construction” explores how to handle clients who “go off the deep end.” Drawing from Paul Schwinghammer’s book, Alex and Sabrina explain that when a client is highly emotional, logic and explanations only escalate things. Instead, builders should “create space”: pause, acknowledge the client’s feelings without arguing, and calmly say they’ll step away, make calls, and explore options. The hosts stress that follow-through is crucial—circling back later with solutions turns a potential blow-up into a trust-building “deposit” in the relationship bank account.