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Original poster

Builders requesting drinks

733 replies

crazydiamond222 · 06/02/2020 14:54

We are having an extension built whilst I am on maternity leave. I have a 3 month old. We have 2 builders on site laying foundations who started on monday. I have been making them a drink first thing and on one occasion made them a bacon sandwich. I don't offer drinks all day because my son keeps me very busy and only naps on me and it is a 4 month job so I don't want to have to do drinks all day for this period.

This afternoon whilst I was playing with my son in the living room one of the builders walked past the window and requested a coffee and tea. I thought the request to be a bit cheeky as a) he shouldn't have been looking in the living room and b) he shouldn't been requesting. I made him the drinks anyway leaving my son on the playmat getting upset. I rushed outside as my son was upset and I wanted to get back to him. When I took the drinks outside I tripped over rubble breaking a cup and scratching my arm. The builders reply was you should have passed it through the window. I remade the drinks but suggested in future setting up a kettle in the garage for them but they said they can just bring their own drinks. I am now feeling pretty upset with them.

Just needed to vent really but what do people feel is reasonable regarding builders and drinks.

OP posts:
longestlurkerever · 06/02/2020 19:22

I am obviously a shit client but while I'd shout out "do you want a tea?" If i was putting the kettle on, I'd be unimpressed with being expected to drop whatever i am doing to wait on them. If I'm home during the day i am normally working from home and it'd be a pita to be interrupted the whole time. I make my own drinks at work, don't really see that as a massive hardship. Bacon butties every day also a bit much to expect imo.

ddl1 · 06/02/2020 19:24

Building is often tough work, and I think it is not unreasonable for the builders to ask for drinks. I always offer coffee or tea to people who come to do this sort of work, though it hasn't been such a long-range project. It's a bit unreasonable of them if they expect you to drop everything INSTANTLY to provide drinks, especially when you have a toddler needing attention,. But I think the best solution is to give them access to the kitchen, or at least to a kettle and tap and a coffee jar and tea bags, and ask them to help themselves.

Louise0701 · 06/02/2020 19:25

A 4 month job?? What on earth are you having done? I hope they’re not on day rate 😳
My DH is a builder and always gets offered either regular drinks or access to a kettle to make his own when he pleases. Some of the men who work for him once had to keep asking like this when they were working outside for 4 hours in the middle of summer and there own had ran out. The owners then had the nerve to have words with them about leaving the job to go to the shop

cowboy · 06/02/2020 19:25

Wow, you are totally precious. Your poor builders. They'll be glad when your job is finished I suspect Hmm

whimbrel · 06/02/2020 19:26

If he asked in a cheeky way ie 'Oi love, make us a brew' then it would be cheeky. If he asked politely then probably not. I would offer tea in the same way I would to anyone in my house. Big project - definitely set them up with a tea station.

But as an aside I do think it's unreasonable to feel you have to 'keep them sweet' when you are paying a professional for a job. I wouldn't do crap work and be unpleasant to my employer if they didn't suck up to me (obviously if if they were unreasonable that's different).

Which comes back to the OP - did she make their work place suitable? No. Even though they said they didn't want a tea station she should have said 'Well I'd rather you had one as I'm going to be busy with the baby and I want you to be able to have tea when you need it.' And then the ball's in their court.

cjpark · 06/02/2020 19:27

I think it is accepted that builders 'need' refreshments, probably a man thing! I work 10 hour shifts doing a manual job in the NHS and often don't get refreshment at all. good job though as I don't have time to go for a pee either. Poor builders!

Abouttimemum · 06/02/2020 19:27

I don’t know where everyone got their babies from but mine cried incessantly for months on end and was horrendously hard work. I couldn’t even think straight or make myself a brew. Not everyone gets a sleepy newborn!

Roozy123 · 06/02/2020 19:27

I didn't say anything about it being anyone's "own stupid fault"
I said 'You tripped on rubble because it's a building site right now" ... so, please explain why else she tripped on rubble if that's not why??
Did the builder put some out purposely for her to trip... I bet he did, the bastard. 🙄😂
She tripped, on rubble, on a building site.. noones fault, especially not the builders Ffs 😂

MissConductUS · 06/02/2020 19:27

Lest anyone think me tight for only offering water, when we had our house painted two years ago the contractor did such a good job and his people were so lovely we got them a very nice takeaway lunch on their last day. DH took their orders and went and picked it up then brought it back to the house.

Lipperfromchipper · 06/02/2020 19:30

@Louise0701 as the partner of a builder I find it odd that you think 4 months is a long time to spend on an extention!!Confused a neighbour of ours had a their house extended and refurbed and it took 7/8 months. Our house build took a year from breaking ground to moving in!! And of course they are not on a day rate I’m sure she got quotes for the job and went with the most suitable Hmm

username58788 · 06/02/2020 19:38

Think mine was more than 4 -5 months when I had a double extension .
You've got the financial stress , the mess , chaos . The pets upset about the disruption, the neighbours complaining about the noise , vans blocking the road . One neighbour was annoyed the day I had my bricks delivered she actually expected them to park van down street and carry the bricks to my house Hmm.
All that and think we should make tea and cakes . Give your heads a wobble ladies this is the real world . No they can make their own drinks , providing a kettle is more than enough .

PatellarTendonitis · 06/02/2020 19:39

Oh, god, yes, 'poor builders', unable to provide for themselves whilst getting paid to do a job, expecting the employer to do that. Exactly cjpark, my first thought to 'would you work a manual job without a drink' was HCPs. Their patients should be offering to make them brews, it's ONLY a brew!

CharlieandLolaCat · 06/02/2020 19:40

I had 6 months of work done. They moved out when I had my son and let me be for 6 weeks and then came back. I would always make them tea and coffee. They knew where the stuff was and would help themselves but I would still make them something like 3 cups a day. My son would just stay doing what he was doing. Really bit that hard.

fairlyplump · 06/02/2020 19:42

you can't make a couple of couple of drinks, due to a 3mnth old, get a grip !

SecondaryBurnzzz · 06/02/2020 19:45

If I was at home I would make them a drink when I made myself one. I would also lay on mugs, tea coffee, kettle etc where they are working and a packet of biscuits. One of my friends got into the habit of making his builders lattes every morning, so I would just stick to instant coffee from the get go.

tbh most builders I have had have been lovely, and I would happily keep them sweet so they turned up every day!

PatellarTendonitis · 06/02/2020 19:46

They can't make their own fucking drinks, after their employer came out to deliver them upon request, tripped, broke a cup and scratched her arm. They then accepted replacement drinks she made them. But she's the one who should get a grip?!

Fucking hell. What does your husband make of all this, OP, in all honesty?

Laurendelight · 06/02/2020 19:49

So you make drinks for builders doing short term jobs but those actually building a new part of your house are expected to bring their own?

You can see the voting and read the posts. You don't have to supply the builders with anything but the payment at the end, that said you sound mean and precious. I doubt those guys will work for you again and I bet they do their best job on someone else house.

longestlurkerever · 06/02/2020 19:50

Cheeky to turn down the tea station and then expect to be waited on. Different if there are no other facilities available as most workplaces will have a kitchen.

Jobseeker19 · 06/02/2020 19:51

They should provide their their own drinks and snacks. Big bottles of water and go to Gregg's during their lunch break.

If you are trying to keep them sweet then you are not paying them enough and being tight.

Let them get on with it.

PatellarTendonitis · 06/02/2020 19:55

I doubt those guys will work for you again and I bet they do their best job on someone else house.

Who would want someone who expects their employer to wait on them anyhow? I'd be tempted to fire someone who expected that. Offer, fine, expect, not on. As for someone who doesn't do their best job in exchange for the money they're paid but only if the employer also waits on them and buys them meals and cakes, who needs that?

Shoppingwithmother · 06/02/2020 19:55

I think you don’t have a very nice attitude if you are complaining that someone who is going to be working at your house for 3 months has had the cheek to look into your living room window!

user1497207191 · 06/02/2020 19:56

Tradesmen will make their own arrangements if you're not in, or they're working outside, or a house refurbish without water/power. There won't be many jobs where there's a SAHM sat around waiting to serve them.

Whilst it's nice to offer if you can, it's a bit presumptious for them to ask just because you happen to be in. If you'd gone out, they'd have to sort themselves out.

BumbleBree · 06/02/2020 19:56

Of course my DH would make the tradesmen a cup of tea! He offered them all the time on our building site of a house for months! God that’s really making this about something it’s not! And OPs builders didn’t have access to the kettle etc when they asked (to posters saying why wasn’t access to the stuff to make it themselves enough for them). It really doesn’t take much to be a decent human being Hmm

99problemsandthecatis1 · 06/02/2020 19:57

We set up a refreshments station for them. 2nd hand fridge with milk, coke and lemonade in. A kettle, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar, biscuits and crisps, refilled as needed. I'd also buy the odd cake etc. I made them a brew if I was in and getting myself one. It pays to treat workmen (well anyone for that matter) well

Justaboy · 06/02/2020 19:58

A 4 month job?? What on earth are you having done? I hope they’re not on day rate 😳

They have a habit of "Making a start"

Work for a bit then they disappear their elsewheere making a start there and then somewhere else and then again somewhere else.

But that sometimes is the way of it as various trades have to come and do their bit an more often than not they'll be subbing that bit out.

So the various subbies involved will each be doing their stuff elsewhere and trying to fit them all together sometimes is like herding cats!.

One word of warning and thats;

ON NO ACCOUNT SUPPLY THEM WITH THAT BLOODY PONCY MUCK CALLED EARL GRAY!

ALL TEA SUPPLIED MUST BE YORKSHIRE TEA

By Order!

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