Builders, what's the etiquette?

[Lyndsb]

I have builders starting work on my house this Friday. It's a large extension and a self contained apartment in the garden. I will be here most days. So I offer lunch,drinks etc?

I just offer cuppas and biscuits. They'll bring their own bait.

Not sure the size of the job has much to do with it.
Don't get in their way, don't presume they'll want anything you can provide, in fact, our last trade was coeliac and brought his own scran.
During our loft conversion i put out a tray, new kettle and mugs. Generic tea, coffee and a herbal tea. Milk. Clean teaspoons. Check and clean everyday.
In exceptionally hot weather bottles of water/Coke.

Our builders brought their own food and drinks but I offered them fresh cold water in the hot months

Drinks and biscuits - I just give them a tray with it all on.

For the love of god, let them use your toilet if they need to. Other than that, offer the occasional cup of tea etc but let them crack on.

Lunch and drinks? Fucking hell. No.

Builders bring flasks and their own lunch. If you want to leave them a kettle then fine but you aren't their chief chef and bottle washer.or corporate hospitality. You are the client. You are paying them and they are well used to bringing a flask and their own lunch! They probably even have a kettle in the van. I know I used to when I was on the road.

I or DH offer to make the first drink when they arrive and then leave them to it. I make sure the tea things are out for them to access easily and make it clear they are welcome to help themselves. One thing I dis is provide somewhere to sit - I put the garden chairs accessible for them so they would eat in the garden or the house wherever they preferred.

When I had an extension built I offered tea/coffee and squash plus biscuits. They brought their own as well but always welcomed a freshly made brew.
I have also provided ice creams/lollies in exceptionally hot weather.
Never provided lunch. They all bring packed lunch. (Rural area so nowhere handy for them to buy take outs)

tea/coffee/biscuits day to day. i do offer them some toast most mornings but they don't often have it. On a Friday they have a bacon butty and a cider....that was set out from the start of the job! our builder has done work for us before and he's brilliant so I don't mind looking after him and his team.

I also did cool drinks and ice lollies in the summer, i got a big drinks dispenser filled with juice and ice

I made coffees and teas Ie first thing in morning, mid morning. At lunch time and mid afternoon, I didn’t do food etc

for anything more than a week I just give them a tray with a travel kettle mugs sugar coffee tea and long life milk and leave them to it.

Thanks everyone. They will be working outside for the first few weeks so won't actually be working in the main residence. Should I just bring tea and biscuits out at 11 ish and let them help themselves.

Personally I prefer to do a first thing in the morning drink, but I’d leave a tray and leave them to it.

Offer drinks and use the opportunity to ensure they’re doing what’s been agreed. In my experience, you need to manage them carefully and keep asking questions if you’re at all concerned.

Our worst building experience a few years ago, was when we were both working f/t long hours and left them to get on with it. It was a complete nightmare!

Most recent experience of a large extension, separate annex and garage and DH was at home to project manage the work. So much better for our peace of mind and budget too.

We had builders in for about eighteen months (conversion) and the foreman dropped off refreshments for the various trades on site every week or so: a catering box of tea bags, milk, coffee sachets and their own special mugs. Occasionally I'd leave a tub of Celebrations or some biscuits but that was it. We paid their boss a fortune - the least he could do was provide their PG Tips.

He also provided a portaloo (as part of the quote). It was like having the Tardis parked in our garden, but less fragrant.

(I used the mid-morning Popmaster break to nip down and see what was going on. We had a league table by the end of the project.)

Ask if they want them. Mine weren't interested. They were very pleased to be able to use the toilet though.

@Lyndsb Builders are humans. They may be working outside in the autumn / winter but they still (comes under health and safety) require a loo to use. If you don’t want a trade person using your toilet then a portaloo can be ordered. It is a nice touch to have somewhere set up to make hot drinks and a break spot. However unlike office work technically they cannot drink and work - health and safety regs.

Rather than hassle of serving them for weeks I’d end I’d just ask them when they first turn up what do they need.

Then, if they don’t already have one of their own, go spend £10 on a cheap supermarket own brand Tesco and get them a box of tea bags and cheap, large jar of coffee, bag of sugar, few packs of own brand biscuits. Can be set up outside, under cover or in the rooms they’re working in. Give them a bunch of old mugs and a tray. All you then need to do is make sure the mugs are washed up or thrown in the dish washer every night.

£10 supermarket own brand kettle*

I never said anything about them not using the toilet. We have a portaloo ordered as upstairs is newly decorated and that's where the bathroom is. I meant they will be outside so no electricity to plug in a kettle.

Ours has just started - I've offered tea and coffee a few times when I was there and they said no thanks each time. My plan is to drop out the occasional box of biscuits etc.

No. They will bring flasks and their own food.

I worked in construction sites for years and years and never ever had lunch provided. You are the client. Why are you running around like their maid? Baffling.

We used to offer to make a cuppa a couple of times a day - more as an excuse to see what they were up to. occasionally biscuits. And squash on a really hot few days when they were working like Trojans.

The best thing about the thing ending was the bloody portaloo disappearing off the drive....

I was living elsewhere. Ours brought their own kettle and set up a table under a tent outside. Dunno where they plugged in kettle, extension cable I guess.

I left them a pile of paper cups on their table, but they threw them in the skip. They did find and take the mug on the kitchen floor that my cat drinks out of though 👀 they drank from it for a while then used it as a concrete scoop?!

I also left them a pile of chocolate snacks (twix etc) but they mostly ignored these and after a while the snacks were covered in plaster dust so I threw them away.

They loved ice lollies in the summer though.

Weirdest thing was they’d buy a huge bottle
of milk, leave it outside all day and all night and keep drinking from it even when it was practically yoghurt. 🤢

I suggest you ask them what they normally do re tea and coffee and perhaps suggest you make something at 10.30. The main thing is you do not want them feeling free to knock on your door interrupting your work to ask you to wait on them.

Do not let them touch your kettle unless you’re happy to replace it. Builders don’t realise that they’re covered in concrete etc.