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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:
MiddleParking · 02/12/2021 23:45

My dad does this and I find it genuinely excruciating. I call it his working class safari.

GrumpyLivesInMyHouseNow · 03/12/2021 07:09

I wonder if all tradesmen, think that all none tradesmen are cockneys?

JessCat75 · 03/12/2021 07:54

@CamsPaisleyCuffs

DP is a plasterer by trade and pretty handy at most things, but he won't touch electrics or plumbing. He gets other "mates in the trades" to do these jobs (normally in exchange for a skimmed ceiling). He's a proper big bearded manly man, but even I don't recognise him when they're here. His alpha maleness goes stratospheric and my eyes roll so far back I can see my shirt collar. Obviously I completely take the piss out of him when they leave "Why do they call you Chopper, your name is Mike?!"
My husband is like this, he is a builder by trade but has no time to do buildy things around the house so when someone else comes in to do something his builder persona goes into overdrive, I'm just standing there listening and thinking wtf, who is this person 😂
Llamasally · 03/12/2021 07:58

I have never mentioned nor heard of this IRL and am so glad to see this thread. I PMSL every time my well spoken, privately educated DH goes into ‘mate mode’ when workmen are round 😂

AuntieMarys · 03/12/2021 08:00

This made me laugh. My ex was like this. One day I heard our builders calling him a right wanker while they were on their break.

Jobseeker19 · 03/12/2021 08:05

My husband said that if he doesn't act like he knows, then people will slack or take the piss.

Jobseeker19 · 03/12/2021 08:06

I wonder if women do things like this that men recognise 🤔.

Laiste · 03/12/2021 08:08

My DH is a muscle bound builder, carpenter, and highly competent DIYer and has the cockney accent and has ''yeah man'', ''wicked bruv'' and ''word'', ect. as part of his natural vocab.

He's a naturally intuitive and helpful person but if we have to have a plumber or sparky come into the house he goes out of his way to do absolutely nothing to aid them in any way at all. He eye rolls at me moving ANYTHING in preparation. If it's him answering the door to them he'll do it as slowly as humanly possible. They're be one the second ring of the doorbell as he drags himself to the door.

Once they're in and he's grunted at them the one thing he does insist on doing them is supplying them with a fresh cup of tea apx every 30 seconds.

kwiksavenofrillsusername · 03/12/2021 08:11

Haha yeah my DH is exactly like this. He’s very middle class, wears a suit to work and can’t cope with basic DIY, but when a tradie comes round he goes full cockney, yeah mate etc. Also, he suddenly knows a lot about football, which is news to me since he never watches it.

Maybe I’m being unfair. When I go to get my nails done, I think I sometimes adjust my personality a little. Like, I absolutely hate small talk in real life, but when I’m getting a manicure I’ll suddenly be chatting away about the kids or Christmas plans.

YourenutsmiLord · 03/12/2021 08:23

My DH 'helped' the plumber last time he was round, installing an instant water heater for workshed - they plumbed hot and cold the wrong way round Grin

YourenutsmiLord · 03/12/2021 08:29

I always thought I'd got a good way with tradesmen, nice chat, brief but clear explanation of what's needed but now realise they are just dead pleased it's not DH Grin

MiddleParking · 03/12/2021 08:35

Oh god I’ve got a beautician personality too Grin

MiddleParking · 03/12/2021 08:36

@YourenutsmiLord

My DH 'helped' the plumber last time he was round, installing an instant water heater for workshed - they plumbed hot and cold the wrong way round Grin
Wtf! Some plumber!
hapagirl · 03/12/2021 08:37

Hahaha. My office bound husband is exactly like this. But he lives with me, our three DDs and our female dog and cat so I give him this man time.

NeedToKnow101 · 03/12/2021 08:53

@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.
😜🤣🤣🤣
BringMeTea · 03/12/2021 09:24

@Mother87 that was such an evocative and touching remembering of your dear dad.

Mother87 · 03/12/2021 09:41

[quote BringMeTea]@Mother87 that was such an evocative and touching remembering of your dear dad.[/quote]
Thank You... navigating a new dad-less world...Flowers

PumpkinSpiceGirl · 03/12/2021 10:19

This has cracked me up and made me breathe a sigh of relief in equal measures. My ex was just like this and it used to drive me up the wall.

Pretty sure I do the beautician/hairdresser thing a bit myself though - I like to think of it as trying to be friendly not being a patronising cow 😳

spiderlight · 03/12/2021 10:45

Mine goes full Cockney whenever he's talking to a builder/workman as well. It's hilarious. We live in South Wales.

AgnesPerdita · 03/12/2021 13:35

My DH is a builder and has many many stories of 'helpful' customers who tend to just get in his way. But as I frequently point out to him he does exactly the same when the boiler service is due and he follows that poor man around like a lovestruck puppy!

I tend to just make tea and then try and crack on with whatever I was doing. Or watch DH make a tit of himself which is always entertaining

toddybell · 03/12/2021 15:06

@Frederica852

My dad was the opposite of this. He was always telling my mum to 'just get a man in to do it'. Once when my mum exasperatedly reminded he was a man he looked at her deadpan and said 'i meant a real man'. He was know for his fondness of Italian loafers and designer shirts though so I think he just felt digging and drilling was not his area 🤣

I love this- your dad sounds amazing!

toddybell · 03/12/2021 15:07

@Nesbo

I wonder if it’s also related to people putting on a strange slightly foreign accent when speaking to someone- in English - from another country? As if somehow a stilted delivery in a pseudo Spanish accent will help the Greek waiter feel that you’re communicating better.

😂😂😂😂😂

Original poster
DidgeDoolittle · 03/12/2021 15:15

I think in, my husbands case, it's to show that he actually is capable of doing all these manly things ( he's not), he's just far too busy with big important things.
However, this is the man who will not get anyone in to repair the leaky bathroom roof as " it only leaks when it rains". What can you say to that manly logic?

OP posts:
Charley50 · 03/12/2021 16:10

@Mother87

My DDad used to hover/follow workmen around/examine everything... He was amazing @ DIY and sorting stuff around my/mum's house until well into his late 80's but eventually let younger men take over the big jobs. He was also Chinese & an amazing cook (his profession was engineering) He used to be incredibly grumpy about workmen coming at all, but if they were chatty & respectful to him, and listened to his 'advice' he'd end up cooking beautiful food for them every dayGrinand they'd just bin their sandwiches. (To be fair - he used to show them some really useful tricks/methods with household stuff that they'd never seen) If they were on the job for a while, it'd get to the stage where he was asking them what they'd like to eat the next the next dayGrin God how I miss him & his food - and all the jobs being done around the house as soon as they were needed. Takes me/DH months to get round to doing these thingsBlush
He sounds amazing!! I would have loved a dad like that (I got a crap and horrible one) 😍
Mumofone2021 · 03/12/2021 17:01

This is a great thread, and reminds me of an episode of pineapple dance studios when Louie spence went to talk to the builders. It’s brilliant!