I expect most of us find having tradespeople working in the house difficult.

[whatwouldyoudoifisangoutofkey]

I hate it , worry about the loo ( will they want to use it when I'm in there) , how often I should offer tea/coffee , should it be with biscuits , should I say sit down and drink it ,, blah ,blah.
But I'm just waiting for the joiner to come and thinking that maybe he has concerns as well.
Will the house be 110 ° ,, will it be clean, will they be saying "while you're here could you also just ..", will the husband be breathing down my neck, will they be paranoid about dust .
Blah , blah ...

My dad is a tradesman, honestly they just want to be left the hell alone to get on with it. Offer tea/biscuits once (or maybe twice if they're there all day), don't keep interrupting them. Be available (in another room) for questions, etc but absolutely do not hover over them.

Yes, I expect they do.

I remember our plumber once expressing surprise that we'd already emptied the cupboards under the sink and the stairs (stopcock under floorboards there) so he could get straight on with work without having to empty them himself.

I just show them where the tea, coffee, biscuits are and leave them to it.

I tell them what my name is and if they need me to give me a shout, as I'll be in another room keeping out of their way.

Better for everyone.

I have a tradesperson in right now. Doesn’t bother me in the slightest. He can even shit in the toilet if he wants as that’s what they are for

dh is a tradesman sparky and he generally, largely hates working in people’s houses. Hoarders, dirty houses, hovering over him, students still in bed at midday, asking him to “while you’re here, could you also…?” “Are you winning?”, kids climbing over him and not being parented.

last week he had his shoes off in someone’s house and he stood in dog shit in the persons bedroom!

he prefers commercial work.

DH used to be a tradesman before moving to an office job. He always liked a cup of tea or coffee. Biscuits, buns or cake welcome too.
He is very chatty though.

DH owns a groundwork company and was on the tools for years before the business got bigger.

The general consensus from our staff is that tea, etc, is always welcome, as are biscuits, and any questions the homeowner has are always welcome. However, lots of chatting about other things can slow them down, and they aren't keen on it.

I can't really see any tradesman being too fussy, to be honest. Some of the customers they have to deal with are rude beyond belief, so just having someone generally pleasant is a big relief.

My husband is a builder, and the only thing (from your list) that annoys him is the near constant 'while you're here...can you just' requests.

That's what I do too. I am usually working from home so just leave them to it and tell them to holler if they need me.

I just stay in other rooms and leave them to it

Clear / clean the work area, make the initial offer of a drink, and say for them just to shout should they want a cup of tea. Point them to the loo, so they know they can use it, and leave them to it.

Most want a clear space to work in, not to be wading through stuff and nasty deposits, be able to do their work.

I always chat to trades, but then I use the same few over and over, as once you have a good 'un, you look after them and they you!

Nope, I offer them a drink, ask them not to leave the front door open in case the cat gets out. And leave them too it.

It is the disruption I find difficult, not the tradespeople themselves.

best bet is to offer the first cup of tea then leave cups, tea, sugar etc out on a tray for them to help themselves

I'm very introverted so not super comfortable having people in the house in general, but I've generally found tradespeople to be great. We've just had loads of work done on our house and had people working here most days for about two weeks. One bloke supervising and on various days also a brickie, a plasterer, an electrician, gas engineer and a painter/decorator. They were all absolutely lovely, were incredibly grateful for teas and coffees etc and generally a pleasure to have in the house.

I don't think I've ever had work done by anyone who wasn't lovely, thinking about it!

As others have said - make sure they know where tea and coffee is, offer them one when you're making one for yourself, tell them where the loo is and ask them to give you a shout if they need anything. Then leave them to it. They really, really don't want you looking over their shoulder all the time.

It’s so uncomfortable having a stranger in your home! I redecorated recently and just left them to it. I work from home so I was in the other room, and I found that I just couldn’t settle or relax at all until they left.

Wish that worked both ways.
The plumber who was here seemed to think he was auditioning for a comedy gig.
There is also nothing left to know about him. Where he's worked, holidays, his wife and where she works, children, and even his parents. Worst was, he kept leaving the job to tell me all this and still the loo drips!

What I don't like is the unreliability, saying they'll come on Tuesday at 8.00, then giving a couple of hours' notice to say that they're coming on Wednesday at 3.00 instead because something more important has come up, and the moaning. If they've quoted on a job they know the age of the house, the likelihood that walls will be straight etc, so why moan about that when they're doing it? My house isn't perfect, but it's mine, and being told that they've never known a job like it (really? Even though millions of similar houses were built all over the country at the same time as this one?) is annoying and quite insulting.

We've got a joiner in here as I type, and the job he quoted on in August is not going to be finished by Christmas because he's never put in a full day when he's been here at all.

My DH is a tradesman and honestly - you are worrying too much! They will not care if the house is clean, if anything it would stress them out as they might feel pressure to keep the job tidier than is possible.
Just offer tea at regular intervals (if left stuff to make his own my DH usually doesn’t bother, as he’s too focused on the job and it gives the apprentices an opportunity to stand around doing nothing) - and they will be happy as Larry.

Which is why it's best to disappear to another room.

Just pretend you're working from home.

Oh and call him back to finish the job!

I go out in the garden when we have the cleaners in.

It's a bit tough in the cold and wet weather though.

That’s disgusting.

Your poor husband.
That really is gross.

I bet the owner didn’t offer a fresh pair of socks, either.

Revolting.

I show them the toilet, and where the tea/coffee is and disappear back to my office and let them crack on.

You renegade!

Anyone who works from home during a long renovation is completely used to trades in the house. But honestly, I think the amount of wibbling you see about them on here is probably mostly from the Mners who seldom leave the house and struggle with ordinary daily interactions. If you wouldn’t dream of inviting someone over, or would need days of notice to worry about biscuits and tidying, then a ‘compulsory’ visit from a plumber is probably genuinely difficult for you.

I just say ‘I’m upstairs working — give me a shout if you need anything’. Have had some bad apples, but our current plumber is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

I don't understand a lot of angst about trade people using the loo and having brews.
I can understand anxiety around a lone female and tradesman, especially if there is a background of trauma.