Vent - Workmen in house

sarahg1969

robatwork wrote: »

I presume you sent them packing!

Actually either you have an enormous staircase or those 5 people were all sat on different stairs a few apart? It's a nice picture either way.

They were sitting all the way up the stairs. They weren't even doing work inside. I left them a key so they could brew up and go to the loo.

I have to say, they probably thought I was a bit of a fishwife!

Cottage_Economy

I water and feed my workman, lunch as well if they want it. I don't ever haggle on installation costs, only the product. If they're fitting something for big companies they usually get paid pittance anyway.

The last guys I had in to do major work was a two day job installation job for new windows from a well known national company. I fed them bacon sandwiches for breakfast, they disappeared to get their own lunch although i did offer to sort some out for them, and they had the largest slices of victoria sponge known to man with a full afternoon tea. They finished the job half a day early, then went round and did some repointing under the windows for me. They didn't have to, it wasn't in the contract, and I didn't ask them to do it.

They said the mix had been too sandy and was eroding (an ex-council house where the council had replaced the windows 20 years before and reduced the size of the window openings by two brick courses) so they had sorted it out for me.

I already knew the pointing was poor and disappearing with the passing years. I was going to get someone in to quote me for the job, but in this case a few bacon sandwiches and cake plus a few teas and coffees saved me a lot of money. Bless them.

CKhalvashi

I've just had workmen in to remove a tree (3 day, 2 man job), and they were fed (bacon sandwich in morning, and lunch in a cafe) and given as much tea as they required whilst they were working for me.

Ok, they were working on 'mates rates' (friends of a friend), but even if they had been on full pay, they'd still have got the same.

Newbold

Look after your workmen, and they will look after you.