Looking after builders

KateLiana27

We have builders coming this week to do a garage conversion. I have a week off work but am looking after my young child so will be in and out for most of the day. I have stocked up with lots of teabags, coffee, sugar, mugs and chocolate biscuits. The kitchen is right next to where they are working and I'm happy for them to have free run of the kettle etc. I was planning to just show them where everything is and tell them to help themselves, and I will replenish as necessary.

Is this enough or am I supposed to actually MAKE the tea at regular intervals and offer it to them? (I don't drink tea or coffee myself). There are four of them here all week, so that's a lot of tea to be making during my few days of annual leave... But I'll do it if it's the done thing...

FreeBear

Toilet - Make sure that they have easy access to it and cover your carpets & flooring with plenty of old sheets.

Builders will tread all sorts of muck in. If you have small children or large dogs, you'll know what sort of mess they can make. Put limits on where they can go, and no urinating on the compost heap.

Oh, and insist that they don't wash their tools off in the sink/toilet/bath or empty buckets down the drain. You really do not want the drains cloged up with bits of cement, plaster, or paint.

warehouse

If there's one thing I've learned over all the years of dealing with builders it's to give them an £8 Argos kettle and that's it. Little interaction, not a penny up front and let them know who the boss is. Any other approach always ends badly.

KateLiana27

Thanks very much for tips.

FreeBear - I just picked up a heavy duty long dustsheet to cover the stair carpet as the only loo is upstairs. I was worried I would be seen as paranoid, glad it's a sensible idea!

Good point on the sink / drains. We had to get DynoRod out 7 years ago when we moved into the house after a load of renovation work was done (thankfully before we moved in, this is my first time with builders while I'm living here). I hope they won't be offended by me saying it.

Warehouse thanks for that - I'm glad it's acceptable to just leave them to it with a kettle and supplies. I sort of feel like hovering around making them tea all day will be setting up the wrong dynamic. I will treat them professionally and with respect but have no desire to be their maidservant/mum/housewife. No way would my husband be doing that (or expected to) if he was home instead of me!

comeandgo

All the workmen I've had in my house take their shoes off before coming in regardless of how clean or otherwise they are.

naf123

warehouse wrote: »

If there's one thing I've learned over all the years of dealing with builders it's to give them an £8 Argos kettle and that's it. Little interaction, not a penny up front and let them know who the boss is. Any other approach always ends badly.

I agree but "little interaction" - unless you have a fully detailed specification to follow , a lot of interaction is required!

KateLiana27

comeandgo wrote: »

All the workmen I've had in my house take their shoes off before coming in regardless of how clean or otherwise they are.

Do you mean you asked them to, or they did it automatically?

EachPenny

KateLiana27 wrote: »

Is this enough or am I supposed to actually MAKE the tea at regular intervals and offer it to them? (I don't drink tea or coffee myself). There are four of them here all week, so that's a lot of tea to be making during my few days of annual leave... But I'll do it if it's the done thing...

Personally I'd offer to make the first cup, and say to just help themselves (to tea or coffee) after that.

Establishing that you are friendly, but also what the rules are, within the first hour or so sets things right for the rest of the job.

Don't be embarrassed to ask them to take boots/shoes off before going upstais for the toilet - which is probably preferable to putting a dust sheet down on the stairs as that can be a trip/slip hazard.

Make sure your child is safely out of the way, but try and find an opportunity to show them the work (safely) while it is going on. Children tend to be fascinated by building work, and getting them interested now might mean you have your very own builder/DIYer to do all those jobs for you in future.

Gastines3

As it's a garage conversion, I presume there is an electricity supply in there? Having done a few of these jobs I used to take a kettle etc. with me. Perhaps your builders have the savvy to do the same.

LandyAndy

FreeBear wrote: »

Toilet - Make sure that they have easy access to it and cover your carpets & flooring with plenty of old sheets.

Builders will tread all sorts of muck in. If you have small children or large dogs, you'll know what sort of mess they can make. Put limits on where they can go, and no urinating on the compost heap.

Oh, and insist that they don't wash their tools off in the sink/toilet/bath or empty buckets down the drain. You really do not want the drains cloged up with bits of cement, plaster, or paint.

I'm afraid I made an inappropriate connection there. :eek:

trailingspouse

I always make cups of tea - one mid-morning, one at lunchtime and another mid-afternoon. I would be making one for myself anyway, so it's no bother and I certainly don't feel like a maidservant. And it saves having plastery fingers on the kettle and the kitchen units, fridge etc. I only use mugs that wouldn't matter if they got broken/chipped - not the good ones!! Not a problem at this time of the year, but bottles of water in the fridge go down well when it's hot. And one particularly hot day I set up fans to keep them cool, which they really appreciated.


Smoking outside only (I'd rather they didn't smoke at all, but if they do it can't be helped).


I think it's all about respect and understanding how physically demanding the job is.


Had a plasterer come to stay with us (well, it felt like that - he was here off and on for weeks), and on his first day on the job he announced that he knew a good electrician... I asked him why I would need a good electrician (we'd just had the whole house re-wired!!), and he replied that he thought the kettle wasn't working. Nice one.