New central heating system going in. There wasn’t one here before ( we’ve literally just moved in) so the chap who plans the installation turns up and sort of barges in without introducing himself with another chap and they immediately start pacing around the house saying - ‘one here ‘ (radiators ?) ‘run the pipes down here ‘ and so on and so forth . Totally ignoring me and not requesting permission before barging into each room. It’s very obvious I’m decorating and without a word he takes out a pen and draws a big cross in the middle of a freshly painted wall!! I said ‘I’ve just painted that!’ He responds with ‘it’s where the room thermostat is going!’
by now I’m really annoyed . It’s an old property with a cottage feel , think beams and white render on the outside and the rooms are small so it needs thinking about in terms of planning things like this .
he goes outside to the rear patio and seems surprised I’ve followed them, I ask him to clarify what’s going on with the pipes and he says there will be pipes run down the outside of the wall . I say ‘okay so is it your job or mine to paint those to match the render?’
and the cheeky fucker says:
’no we don’t do it, you need to use the proper paint though love , you can’t use indoor paint’.
I’m extremely pissed off. Beyond angry now. I’m 38 , I left home at 18 and moved into a little house, I have renovated and loved homes for 20 years and made them look really nice! I can paint , plaster , tile , repair brickwork and I’ve even refitted doors and architraves all while keeping children alive and studying or working full time! . I had to restrain myself. Surely he could see by my car and my ( okay unfinished but clearly going well) decorating and my possessions that I was a capable and productive adult ?
sadly I don’t get to choose the contractors as I did a mutual exchange into a council property and therefore I’m stuck with this idiot . But it’s just an appalling way to speak to someone and I can’t decide if it’s a mysogynistic thing or because he thinks social housing tenants are all a bit basic or something? For the record it’s outer London and while not poor I can’t afford to ‘buy my own house then’ - before that cohort jump on. I pay the rent from my own pocket and keep the gardens and house looking beautiful.
surely even renters deserve to be treated with some respect like asking to be let in, asking to pass through doorways and not having fresh paint scrawled over and being accused of being daft enough to emulsion copper fucking pipes outdoors?
Or am I being sensitive?