Builders requesting drinks

[crazydiamond222]

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.

Basically they’ve had a strop
Hardly. They got a telling off for asking for coffee so wisely decided to leave op out of the equation altogether in future. They didn’t ask again after the contretemps described in the op, or she would have said?
The poor sods can’t win.

Well bully for you banana but the OP offered this and has still been pestered for delivery of drinks. I agree with being friendly and offering a brew if you are putting the kettle on is a nice gesture, but if facilities are available then i don't see that personal service is actually required.

When we have builders or the gardener in I usually offer drinks 2-3 times a day. Have never provided biscuits or sarnies. They make a damn good profit from us and tend to go off for their break in the nearest town anyway. When I go to work on a customer's site (I'm a translator), I don't get waited on either.

Op hasn’t been pestered since her offer of a tea station, longestlurker, read the op.

Its very standard in the Uk for builders to regularly drink tea. It's cold outside. But they are very happy to do it themselves - leave them a kettle or a thermos.
I am more concerned you have your baby only sleeping on you and that leaving the baby for 10mins is causing you issues. You are setting yourselve up for some major sleep drama. At 6 months when babies are stronger and can fight sleep they do. You need to get your child to settle in a pram or not now rather than on you or you are going to have lots of hassles soon. My son did not sleep through the night until he was 4.5 years old and I spent over £2k on different sleep consultants so I know more about baby sleep than other mums.

ittakes2 Utter nonsense. OP should do what feels right for her and her baby, and if they are both happy with baby sleeping on her, that's her choice. Human babies are born 3 months 'prematurely' (google '4th trimester') and are meant to be held / carried. Both my children slept on us throughout their first year of life and had no bigger sleep issues than children who had to soothe themselves.

I don't make tradespeople tea or coffee because I think I need to 'keep them sweet' - I do it because I value the job they are doing. I also make sure they know where the tea and coffee making stuff is, and that they are welcome to make themselves drinks if I have fallen down some internet rabbit hole and lost track of time! Basically, I treat them the way I hope I'd be treated if I was doing a job at someone's house.

I do understand why the OP doesn't want to be leaping up whenever her builders want a brew - and it would be perfectly reasonable of her to set up a tea/coffee making spot for them, and to say "I've got a very small baby, who only sleeps on me, so it's easier for me if you make your own drinks - I hope that's OK". Only the most churlish would say it wasn't OK.

We had our bathroom replaced when I was 36 weeks pregnant and suffering from spd too during the hottest summer ever. I explained to the workmen that I was struggling to move around so I had put tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits, mugs and spoons next to the kettle. I told them to help themselves to milk and fizzy drinks from the fridge and ice from the freezer if they wanted it. They were very understanding, quite often offered to get me a drink when they made one and on the last day told me they were going to the chippy to get lunch and asked if I minded them eating it in the house. I told them they were welcome to sit at the table if they wanted to, offered them plates cutlery and ketchup and they even offered to bring me some back

I also dislike making tea at my work. Its something i generally try to avoid in life. Ive made enough tea in my life.

Wherever I go, I equip myself with what I need for the day, I wouldn't dream of walking into a personal space and asking someone stop what they're doing to make me teas and coffees and provide me with biscuits!

If its offered, I'm not going to say no, but I wouldn't ask and I have my own flask for the day, and any food I need. I have also kept builders in tea and coffee all day long when I've had work done, despite having my own substantial amounts of work to get through, but they were not strangers to me so it felt more like the friendly thing to do, whilst I was making a drink and having a break, than to meet demands, which is rude!

These are rude and presumptious, but you can always say you can't leave, or comply with their wishes at the time.

Am I the only one who read the title and thought you meant alcoholic drinks?

I also wouldn't be ok with strangers wandering round my house at will, those I know, maybe, but no some randoms doing building work outside, does nobody read some of the horrendous incidents on here and the news that can happen.

Its very different if you know someone so having strangers wandering in and out your home, its also not my responsibility to remember it might be time for their tea when I'm caught up with my own duties.

We had an extension recently. I work from home a lot. I'd make a drink for them first thing then made a hamper basket with tea coffee hot choc and biscuits etc and left it out next to the kettle. Made it really clear they can help themselves because I'll be busy on work calls etc. They could also then freely use it when I was out (or in the office rather than working at hone) and meant they weren't left without access to a hot drink during the cold weather.

Oh and yes, our builders were here for 6 months... so it was a long project!

They got a telling off for asking for coffee so wisely decided to leave op out of the equation altogether in future. They didn’t ask again after the contretemps described in the op, or she would have said?
The poor sods can’t win.
a) They didn't get a telling-off and b), even if you did call that a telling-off, are they such delicate flowers?

And she made them new drinks and then offered a tea station. Which they petulantly refused. Poor sods my arse.

😂 at 400+ posts on making tea for builders!

OP, I’m with you. I don’t drink tea or coffee during the day and I dislike making it for other people but realise it’s the done thing to offer it to tradesmen, who always seem to want one. So I usually do offer to make one but after that tell them to help themselves because I CBA.

A 3 month old really doesn’t need constant entertainment though.

So you are only nice to ppl if you want something from them??

Your comprehension is spectacularly poor.

And no not EVERYONE can or will go the extra mile because someone was “nice” to them

Good job I never said "everyone" then isn't it? 🙄

Calm yourself down. I think it’s cheeky to not give people a drink when they’re working 10 hours a day outside! Get a grip woman

Jesus it’s a cup of tea, I can’t see why the need for all the drama!

But then again I’m irish and we always have a cup of tea on the go. It literally takes two minutes.

I'd be horrified that they'd needed to ask, especially in January/February. I've always offered tea or coffee regularly to workmen.

Maybe their wives have to make a flask for them if OP won’t do it!

Just set up the tea station anyway. You've probably embarrassed them into saying not to bother.

All this 'But if they bring a flask it's not fresh!' Um, you bring a flask with hot water in it and tea bags, milk and sugar and then make it freshly in your cup. It's what us fellwalkers do. It's not hard.

I thought 'being nice' was paying your bills on time and not making big design changes and being a flexible customer, not being a tea lady.

@Igavebirthtoabanana

So being a polite and flexible customer who pays on time without quibbling every penny means nothing? And sets you up with a drink station maybe too. And that's not enough for you?

I think you need to re-read my post. We are more than happy with a tea station, thank you very much its very appreciated.
I always cover this topic head on before commencing on any project. Its called welfare! and covers toilet and washing facilities, and arrangements regarding refreshments. That way the client is happy and so are the team.

Also I would like to point out, that my team also have it drummed into them, that they have 30 min break at 10am, for breakfast a 15 min break at mid-day and a 15 min tea break at 1.30. No we do not expect the client to wait on us!

If the client wishes to be kind, then its wonderful to feel appreciated. Its not expected, by no means. Chocolate Digestives and Jaffa Cakes makes their day!

I can tell you this much the clients that have been great with the team, and want more work doing, i have the team fighting to go back and work there again!

You can take from that what you want. Happy team, happy client.