Never had workmen before feeling stressed for no reason

[HairsprayBabe]

I've booked to have our old back boiler removed and replaced with a shiny new combi next week plus a system flush - I've never had work men in before, everything we have done to the house we have DIYed.

I feel stupidly anxious about the whole thing, how much mess will it make, how do I not appear like a weirdo, how do I interact with the boiler men without my dad there.

I'm nearly 30 with a toddler and a baby on the way but this has made me feel like an incompetent flailing child

Can anyone else relate or am I a total weirdo

@tanstaafl

Sorry to bring the C word into this but given the times we’re in… they should be bringing flasks and sorting themselves out with tea or coffee.

I detest the standard MN responses that the woman, it’s always the woman, should be providing hot drinks, biscuits, snacks and so on.

Ah, feel better to have got that off my chest!

If they're in your house breathing, I don't know why anyone is worried about them drinking a cup of tea. The virus is killed by soap so just wash the mug.

The op is at home with the kids. Why would she get her husband, if she has a husband or partner, to come home to give them a cup of tea? I mean boiling water isn't that onerous. It's not like you have to go haul it from a well!

I hate having workmen in the house too.

I welcome them in, show them where the loo and coffee / tea making stuff is and go out for the whole day.

My boiler man came yesterday to replace old boiler. I left him to it ( boiler upstairs) and just offered tea at regular intervals !
The worst thing is having central heating installed as they seem to want to be in every room then

Occasionally they'll shout 'hello' and you have to magically appear to answer some question or other.

I hate the workmen in the house too.

It's not the tea and coffee; I will happily supply that all day (and not in old mugs).

No, what I can't stand is people working industiously whilst I sit on my arse (my preference). Makes me feel like Lady Muck

So my choice is to hide lazily or look busy. In my own house!

@thistimelastweek
Yes, that’s it exactly!
The only upside was early this year in the lockdown, after I’d been made redundant and just after I’d had Covid watching a young man wiggling his arse around in front of my kitchen window.

So glad I'm not the only one who feels like this

My toddler will be frothing with excitement if he sees anything remotely out of the ordinary going on so I think he will definitely need to be shipped to my mother's for the day.

All of my mugs are cheap and cheerful and I don't buy the fancy quilted bog roll as it clogs the loo anyway 🤣

We bought a wreck of a house just over a year ago, and have been living here for all but six weeks while it was entirely gutted, so the chief contractor in particular has pretty much become family (and I WFH). We’re lucky — virtually everyone’s been great, but there’s no doubt that you can get very tired of having several people continually in your space.

We have painters in at the moment, as well as people working outdoors, and I’ll admit I’m finding the painters very trying, because they’re poor communicators, and keep bobbing up everywhere, and everything is plastic-covered and in the middle of the room. We still have lots to do, but we’ve decided to call a halt till spring because we’re all a bit burnt out.

You’ll be fine, OP.

I know it's takes all kinds, but please try not to tarnish all tradespeople with the same brush. My husband being one. He has told me some awful stories about behaviour, toilet habits in customer's jobs from other people who have happened to be working there at the same time as him. For every awful one, there are plenty like my lovely husband who is engaging, polite, hard working and knows how to find the correct balance with customers. He would sooner drive 20 minutes home if he needed toilet.
PS. we never buy "cheapo" paper, always quilted, aloe vera etc. We drink from (unchipped) Emma Bridgewater mugs at home. I think sometimes people get a little bit judgey when it comes to tradespeople. We also live in a very nice house in a very nice area too!

I’m genuinely shocked that people would deliberately buy cheap toilet paper for tradesmen. Or give them the shit mugs.