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Original poster

Husband going into hyperdrive when workmen are around.

130 replies

DidgeDoolittle · 02/12/2021 12:06

Does anyone else's husband do this?

My husband has worked in an office all his life. He's average at diy but we do need to get workmen in occasionally.
When a workman is imminent he goes into headless chicken, hyper drive mode. He's up at the crack of dawn making sure everything is out of the way and perfect for said workman. He couldn't possibly be caught still in his pjs. The disgrace.
When man arrives, husband goes up a gear. There's lots of " yeah mate, yeah mate, I'm sure you'll be using your blah blah blah on that". It's like he's a different person, eager to impress the manly man that has entered his domain. My kids ( now adults) take the piss something terrible. He gets very bad tempered.

He's just refused to help me unload a massive supermarket shop as he's 'assisting' ( distracting) a neighbour with manly garden things. This is top priority and cannot be interfered with in any way.

Anyone else have a partner that does this?

OP posts:
frogsbreath · 02/12/2021 12:13

I have an engineer DH who can do all the manly things but doesn't often have bloody time. However, if we get another manly man in to a task DH insists on hovering (if at home) and diagnosing problem or discussing how he's so very busy that while he could do this, he can't.

I've told him he's getting embarrassing and his dad is the same and he complains about him but can't see it in himself.

IncompleteSenten · 02/12/2021 12:14

No thank goodness!

Anythingbutsnow · 02/12/2021 12:18

I used to be an engineer visiting people's holes and I found most men to be exactly like this!
To be honest I'm abit like it myself aswell.

IncompleteSenten · 02/12/2021 12:19

@Anythingbutsnow

I used to be an engineer visiting people's holes and I found most men to be exactly like this! To be honest I'm abit like it myself aswell.
Crikey. That's a hell of a job. 😁
Asi1 · 02/12/2021 12:31

@Anythingbutsnow

I used to be an engineer visiting people's holes and I found most men to be exactly like this! To be honest I'm abit like it myself aswell.
People's holes 🤣😂
Anythingbutsnow · 02/12/2021 12:37

😂

Birdsnesting · 02/12/2021 12:40

Mine is utterly relaxed about his complete inability to do DIY. He makes tradesmen a cup of tea and lets them at it.

NinaDefoe · 02/12/2021 12:43

Alpha status.

He’s pissing on his territory.

PleasantBirthday · 02/12/2021 12:43

My Dad's like that. Drives my Mum insane, I'd say the workmen charge extra for entertaining him for the day and if they do, they earn it.

Webbing · 02/12/2021 12:45

I’m a bit like this if I book a cleaner. Will put in hours beforehand sprucing up the place.

Sally872 · 02/12/2021 12:48

Chris Ramsey mentions it on his podcast. He knows he does it but can't help it, commented on catching himself throwing the last bit of his tea out of cup onto ground as that's what the builders do Grin

TallulahsCurse · 02/12/2021 12:50

@Anythingbutsnow

I used to be an engineer visiting people's holes and I found most men to be exactly like this! To be honest I'm abit like it myself aswell.
I think this typo has just won the internet for the day!
Flockameanie · 02/12/2021 12:55

Not quite, but DH has a 'special voice' he uses only with tradesmen and taxi drivers. It's a bit 'awight mate'. He's always done it and I've always mercilessly taken the piss out of him for it.

BeautyGoesToBenidorm · 02/12/2021 12:55

@Anythingbutsnow

I used to be an engineer visiting people's holes and I found most men to be exactly like this! To be honest I'm abit like it myself aswell.
That's given me a much-needed laugh today, so thank you 😂😂😂😂
Original poster
DidgeDoolittle · 02/12/2021 12:56

I think it is territory marking. He also does the " I could do it but don't have time" crap. It's so bloody irritating.

OP posts:
weaselwords · 02/12/2021 12:56

Mine gets overly attached to any workmen and thinks they are his new best friends.

Original poster
DidgeDoolittle · 02/12/2021 12:56

@Anythingbutsnow

I used to be an engineer visiting people's holes and I found most men to be exactly like this! To be honest I'm abit like it myself aswell.
Could you perhaps give a little more detail? 😄
OP posts:
Tish008 · 02/12/2021 12:57

@Anythingbutsnow

I used to be an engineer visiting people's holes and I found most men to be exactly like this! To be honest I'm abit like it myself aswell.
Brilliant typo... 😂 I hope you were well compensated
girlmom21 · 02/12/2021 12:57

@Flockameanie

Not quite, but DH has a 'special voice' he uses only with tradesmen and taxi drivers. It's a bit 'awight mate'. He's always done it and I've always mercilessly taken the piss out of him for it.
Mines like this. His man voice to only be used with manly men. I don't think they even realise.
Original poster
DidgeDoolittle · 02/12/2021 12:57

@Flockameanie

Not quite, but DH has a 'special voice' he uses only with tradesmen and taxi drivers. It's a bit 'awight mate'. He's always done it and I've always mercilessly taken the piss out of him for it.
Oh yes! The voice. Never used at any other time.
OP posts:
MsTSwift · 02/12/2021 13:03

Mine doesn’t but he is very self confident- we had builders here for 4 months. He’s just relieved someone else is doing it. He’s very good at diy but slow it takes him ages as he does everything very well .

Overhearing builders conversations when they didn’t realise I was there was funny. Entirely consisted of bitching about other workmen that weren’t there and comparing best recipe for lamb curry 😁

bollocksthemess · 02/12/2021 13:06

Mine is the opposite! Last week I had to remove him from the bed as the plasterers had arrived at 8am and needed the plug socket in our room to be able to start.
He leaves dealing with any tradesmen to me, and would prefer not to speak to them at all. He tends to hide in one room if people come round to do quotes and he can’t engineer a reason to be out of the house.
It’s bizarre really, as he deals with contractors and building things for his work, but wants no part of it in the house.

Nesbo · 02/12/2021 13:07

I think it triggers all sorts of weird social discomfort, particularly around class issues, having people “working for you”, memories of the sort of antagonism that would sometimes come up as a child at school (e.g having the piss taken for speaking too “nicely”) all that sort of stuff.

Prolonged “social” interaction with someone you wouldn’t normally come across in your usual social bubble, so grasping inelegantly for ways to connect.

Also the intrusion of having that person enter your home and potentially seeing a less filtered version of your life, which feels peculiarly and uncomfortably intimate.

It just leaves a lot of people just feeling really uneasy and unsure how to handle it all.

Minceandonions · 02/12/2021 13:09

Yep. It's always me who gets tradesmen round to give us quotes, me who decides who we will go with, books them in and sorts every aspect of the job. Sometimes it's me who's paying for it too.
DH swans in when they arrive and does his "I'm masculine and really competent at diy" performance, complete with a fake cockney accent (he's from an area where he might have one, but doesn't).

cantgetmyheadroundit · 02/12/2021 13:10

@Flockameanie

Not quite, but DH has a 'special voice' he uses only with tradesmen and taxi drivers. It's a bit 'awight mate'. He's always done it and I've always mercilessly taken the piss out of him for it.
Same!! It makes me inwardly slugger every time he does it.

It's just dick swinging isn't it? Makes me laugh. They're quite pathetic really 🤣