To not give builders food

[ThiswillDoItsfine]

Help me settle this difference of opinion. I have a company coming out in 3 weeks time to install a lot of fencing. I mentioned to dh that I will get them coffee, tea, and biscuits/cookies in to have with drinks. Dh is saying just the drinks is fine, and for me to just offer it as and when. The job is going to take 2 days. I want to give the men something to eat as well, at the very least.
DH is then saying he doesn't want them trailing through the house, which I do understand. However, I was going to set a table outside with a flask, tea bags, coffee, milk & sugar, and bowl of biscuits so that they could help themselves. I thought this would be less restricting and mean that they can get it when they want, without waiting for me to ask. I also think it saves me running around when i have a child to look after. DH is saying that this is well over the top.

Is this okay? Or is it wrong i set this up outside for them? It is an outdoor job, so I thought it would be easier all around, and they'll be working hard.

Thank you.

We had builders in for 9 months, no way was I doing drinks and food for them for that long 😄 their work didn’t suffer at all as we chose professionals. It’s nice if it’s only 2 days as in your case OP but certainly not necessary.

We had a fair bit of work done, with different contractors here for different periods of time.
It was simply not possible to consistently offer drinks, and often they said no. I found they often just wanted to get on with the job and tea and coffee literally got in their way.
I wouldn't go to the lengths of leaving a flask and tea coffee facilities personally.

We would offer to make a drink - only if we were around and not busy or obviously making one for ourselves. And typically no more than twice a day.

Yes, I'm thinking you're right. It would be worth it if it was a longer job, but not just for the 2 days. Setting it up is probably just extra hassle.
I'll just leave the bowl of snacks and cold drinks outside and occasionally ask about hot. I have told Dh that offering toilet use is definitely a given, too. He has now said I am right when I explained that it is their place of work for those 2 days and that it is a basic legal requirement for any other workplace to provide.

Sorry read whole thread.
Toilet access, along with breaks is for their employer to sort.
If the employer or the person you are dealing with has not asked then they will not be expecting you to provide it.
It's kind of you to offer, but these guys are used to working outside every day. They probably won't bother....and if the are desperate they will probably ask anyway.
You will find it is built in to how they work. They will do 3 hrs work then go off somewhere to get lunch/use toilets, come back do another 3 hours. And they find they don't need the toilet in that time (which is why they often refuse tea and coffee)
My company has guys working in vans all day....they are given lists and maps of public and supermarket toilets, not expected to use customer toilets.

It was more of a building site than a home but our most expensive possession anyway is the dog and they come with us everywhere!

Goodness that’s overthinking on a grand scale. Clearly I meant they didn’t leave a mess, and fresh in terms of a drink means just made with freshly boiled water.

surprised I need to explain that to be honest.

It came across a bit snooty when you said "fresh" in comparison to a station which I was going to do. I also don't agree about the hygiene comment, because you quoted a comment from another pp who said her workers refused drinks, and then went on to say hygiene puts them off if they think a home looks dirty. I'm sure the poster has a lovely home. Maybe they were simple some throw away comments on your part, and not subtle digs. No problem.

Not read the whole thread yet but I do let builders know they can use the kettle if they wish (and there's coffee and tea if hey want it). I don't generally make them anything as they usually just want to get on with things.

I don't let builders use the loo. I know it's a pain for them to go off and find somewhere else but I made the mistake of letting a British Gas man use the loo once and he completely scummed up my bathroom. Wasn't quite that scene out of trainspotting but the loo and sink were filthy.

The best, most sensible post of the entire thread!

Thank you, that is good to know. I'll still offer. It is my nature and I don't mind, we have a downstairs toilet, sometimes even as an adult you need to go when you need to go! If they don't eat the biscuits etc it's not big deal, they're there if they want them, and can decline hot drinks if not wanted. I had a man once tell me that he has a flask in his van, and sandwiches etc. I think they don't know if anything will be offered/don't expect it, and various other reasons, so usually do come prepared I suppose. I think it is me feeling awkward, I'm uncomfortable with strangers on my property 😂 I can never relax!

Feed the workers!

Why?

We had our kitchen done, took 2 weeks. We had tea/coffee/squash available, biscuits, fruit etc.
I was home once and got them bacon rolls from the café round the corner.

They did a great job, worked hard etc,.and said they appreciated the food. Often they can't even fill water bottle!

No it isn't. Not at all.

Any workmen coming to my house would have a 12 mile round trip to use a public toilet.

I honestly don't get the angst that some mumsnetters get about other people using their toilet.

Nor mine thank goodness!

It sets you out as basically a nice person if you offer basic drinks/chocolate biscuits/some sort of snackage.

Beyond that though, I wouldn't bother, theres a good chance that what you offer is not to their tastes, half of 'em will be on a diet and off the chocs and whatever anyway, the other half will prefer fresh fodder from Greggs or McDonalds or whatever is near to where they are going to pick up materials etc.

I provided a tin marked 'help yourself' which contained a variety of chocolate biscuits/not chocolate biscuits, and access to a kettle and they could help themselves to milk from the fridge.

The biscuits did disappear, but I don't think anyone made a brew the whole time as Screwfix down the road does free coffee and they all turned up with Stanley cups/thermal mugs. We did buy one lad a McDonalds as we were going anyway and he was the only person on site that day and up to his eyes in something tricky, and that was accepted and meant he could leave an hour earlier.

They were welcome to use the loo as necessary, though I DID insist I was the first to get to use the new loo (fancy wash/dry job), I don't think it was used often though, again they mostly went on their lunch break.

Because some aren’t very careful with their aim( bet they are in their own houses, though!) do great smelly dumps and don’t wash their hands! If, like some, you only have one loo, you don’t want them trudging through your house to use it. There is a cafe very near me, and luckily workmen had their lunch there and used the facilities.

The post was from a tradesman, so straight from the horse’s mouth and he should know! I just don’t believe that most put out veritable banquets for their workmen. It would be expensive and time consuming. Hot and cold drinks and biscuits are sufficient!

Hot and cold drinks and biscuits are sufficient!

Just drinks in my case, although I did buy some biscuits for the guy who installed our kitchen. He then offered to do the floor for me and came back on the Sunday to do it.

When we had builders in (I worked evenings), I supplied regular tea, coffee and biscuits. I also made sausage sandwiches for before the concrete for the footings arrived and needed barrowing round and then most Fridays during the project.
It took me a couple of days to realise they were peeing in bottles so told them to use the bathroom (only one iupstairs).
Subsequent workmen have been offered varying refreshments depending on the length of the job: the boiler engineer gets offered a hot drink on arrival; the bathroom fitters were offered regular hot drinks and biscuits, as were the drive people; the solar panel fitters were offered a mixture of hot and cold drinks (squash, Pepsi Max) and biscuits and left access when we were away. We don't normally have biscuits in the house so had to get them in especially.
Everyone is told where the downstairs toilet is.

Thank you all for your responses. There is definately a vast variety of offerings! I do think job size, type and length of project, indoor/outdoor seems to be a factor! Time factors, personal circumstances, and other priorities differ obviously aswell.

It is personal preference, but I would find hot meals a bit over the top for a 2 day outdoor fence job. I would also find it uncomfortable, to say the least, letting workmen trudge in and out of my kitchen, using the kettle at will. They're strangers, I have a young child with me, and don't trust people I don't know in my home!

Toilet is a basic requirement, and dh knows this, after I had a stern talking to him. 😂 I will however require muddy boots off, we have a no shoes rule in our home. I also expect to be given a curtesy "excuse me" as a prewarning that they're coming in, toilet is free etc. Seeing as how this is a short job, and shouldn't be excessive, I won't be purchasing boot covers. I also will under no circumstances leave a key if I had to go out, I was absolutely unsettled by that comment by one poster, and wouldn't recommend anybody do this!

Hot/cold drinks, and biscuits it is, no roast dinners happening here! 😂 Unless it was somebody in need of company, I would be wary of people going that OTT if I was a tradesman; there is a balance. I might think that they were after discounts etc. As overly kind as it is, I would also be irritated, and want to get on with the job so I could go home, and not be sitting at a strangers dinner table, or being stuck chatting!

I wonder if this is a generation difference. I really don't know.

This sounds perfect op.

I would always offer hot and cold drinks to anybody working in/out of my house.

when we had a full house refurb we weren’t living here and they had brought their own kettle etc. but I did pop by with packets of biscuits and a tub of chocolates (it was around Christmas time) on a couple of occasions. It was a long project though and the workers were really nice.

I have had various tradesmen in this year during a 3 month adaption to my flat
I kept teas, coffees and biscuits coming at regular intervals and they were all really grateful
As I was having a wet room installed they all had access to my ( only) toilet!

I set up a drink and food table for council contractors outside my house for three weeks they left their lunch in my fridge days I was home used my microwave and kettle when needed I left biscuits for them and as a single mum got a shed load of jobs done for free evenings and weekends for my kindness recently theyve been clearing the gutters along the rural road I use for the school run so we’ve handed out water on our way home so my daughter is learning the art of human kindness too 😁

My dad is an ex trades person, he has been making cups of tea for a neighbour's work men for weeks, as she doesn't bother. I think it's normal and very kind to do tea/biscuits. I always would, it's least your can do for someone working in all weathers. (How cold is it btw!? 😪☔️) I think you should do whatever is easiest for you, if the table is easier, go for that.