To be worried about leaving builders in my house alone.

[Teapotqueen]

We are thininkg about having our loft converted into a bedroom, it is the first time we have had " the builders in". Both me and DP work full time and I don't know what is normal when it comes to leaving builders in your house un supervised. Am I being paranoid about strangers in my house alone or is it just what you have to do. Help.

Can you possibly take some annual leave whilst they're doing it?

I wouldn't do it. No way, sorry. Get parents/friends to stay with them? Take AL?

I've never used a builder who wasn't thoroughly recommended for that reason really.

Will you be using someone you or anyone else knows?

If not, I think your local council can provide a list of builders who have been CRB checked and all their credentials checked out too.

Depends if they come personally reccommended or not. I have a friend who left her buildres alone and they mixed up the plaster in her brand new, just installed, never used bath!!!!
She laughs about it now, but was bloody furious and besides herself at the time!

It's just what you end up having to do, and in many ways it's better to be out at work than in with the noise and strangers. Make sure you go for a reputable company, etc. References from neighbours who have had similar work done can set your mind at ease. It's grim and dusty, and you feel like you have no privacy, but worth it in the end.

You're employing someone to make substantial changes to your property.

If you don't trust them in your house alone then surely you have no way of trusting their professional competence...

The only builder I've used unsupervised is a bloke who my dad had used for 20years. So I really felt that I knew and trusted him. In fact dd was off school sick the other day and I left the builder with dd!

He feeds my cats for me and all sorts.

Anyone else I really wouldn't be happy.

Have done it in the past I think with a loft conversion it is nearly impossible to be ther all the time! But get good recommendations meet them loads and don't just go on price. Store valuables and if they have a key change the lock when they finish

don't leave them unsupervised. my dad was a builder, absolutely upright and honest. but my cousin, also a builder, allegedly goes through all cupboards etc when left alone in houses...

also, went to pick up daughter from her access visit with daddy once, years ago. the family hadn't got back from their trip out, but the builders were sitting in the living room drinking beer and watching daddy's huge television!

And if I did it would have to be a small family firm who rely on their reputation and are well recommended. And make sure they don't leave some junior apprentice type on their own.

I would be wary

We got our locks changes, thought we could trust them. They nicked my mums antique violin.

I know someone who knows a lot of tradesman and he told me they go through underwear drawers etc when they're alone.

Now I KNOW they're not all going to be like that, but it was enough to make me not let anyone in the house unless I knew they were highly recommended.

I've never worried about leaving builders alone in my home. I've had central heating installed, new kitchen, new bathrooms and new windows. Never had a problem

Was going to use one of the builders that the architect recomended, he said he could give us the name of 4 or 5 builders who could do the work. Going to ask for previous examples of work and speak to them. No relations very close, ILs could pop in now and then to keep them on toes. Just have to do it I suppoes.

We left carpet fitters in our house, our passports, birth certs, and deed poll all disappeared.
We know they were in the hanging files after we moved in, they were gone when we went to get new passport for me (knowing mine was expiring) 6 months later.
They were the only people ever left unsupervised in our house. They were sub contracted to the carpet people and had been dropped by them for reasons they wouldn't discuss when we rang up.

DOG- have you seen rogue traders?

Now I'm sure your DH is nothing like this, I'm sure that 98% of builders are nothing like this but instead are like your DH.

But the worry is how do you make sure you don't get one of the very small minority who might not be honest. There aren't many times when you'd invite a total stranger into your home, hand over the key and leave them to it for the day!

I have had loft conversion done in our last house - 16 weeks work.

Extension done in this house - 24 weeks work.

Honestly, you cannot stay in for that amount of time! If you trust them to do your conversion then I think you should be able to trust them in the house unsupervised. Or maybe I was just lucky with my builders.

I left the builders here during the day for 3 months. They were recommended by a friend of a friend. I hid anything away that I didn't want them nosing through, just in case. It was fine, but it is hard to get over that initial hurdle of leaving strangers in your house.

Tell them that, for various, reasons there are cctv cameras in the house. That'll stop 'em doing anything untoward.

I would not leave them in the house unless they were personally know to me or someone close to me.

When my parents had some remodelling done the people who were contracted to do the plastering/painting (a 2 week job for two men) were left alone and A LOT of items went missing.

The things were all small but valuable & rarely used such as a travel wallet with dollars from the previous years holiday, rings that were too small for my mum and therefore in an old jewellery box, solid silver cutlery only unwrapped for christmas day etc.

It took them months afterwards to realise the extent of the pilfering, and of course this made it impossible to prove it was them, or to claim on the insurance for a lot of it. A year later my father found a two small moorcraft pottery things wrapped up in newspaper and hidden in the hedge- presumably they'd stashed stuff there and lost these two.

What most upset my parents, though, was the thought of them combing through all their possessions (these things weren't out in the open). They have found that very difficult.

These were people who weren't know to us but seemed very professional, honest and straighforward. Hence the fact I would only trust people in future with a personal recommendation.

FIL is a builder and the most honest harder worked you could ever met.

Not every one is like this.

An old landlady gave keys to old family friend who was a plumber who let himself him while I was at work, landlady working and plumber couldn't do an evening or weekend slot. Came home to find several small things missing. Landlady refused to believe it was plumber as they'd never had issues in all the years they'd used him.

No one else had access all day - left in morning got call about plumber agreed to it got back and things were gone.

Do know someone who had windows done while they were both at work - and the company was in their words bit dodgey - with no issues mind you one was a police office so perhaps that was a deterrent.