Tradespeople

[PanicOnTheStreets85]

We were supposed to be having our garden fence fixed this week as it blew over in high winds.

I assume we need to cancel it now due to new rules (just highlighting this before a bunch of people too lazy to read the post start criticising me). DH has contacted the tradesman and he is still suggesting it go ahead. To be fair, we could avoid seeing the tradesman entirely and he would just need to come through the house into the garden without touching anything (we could leave doors open) but I thought it was still against the rules.

I heard on the local news that when they say you can travel for work, they only mean key workers. Is that right? I can't find that anywhere in the guidance documents. I'd like to be able to point to something specific.

I'm happy to pay the tradesman upfront and have him do the work at a later date if that makes it easy for him, but I just assumed he couldn't come over now.

It's not essential for you. But the money could be essential for him.
He'll be working alone (presumably) and not required to go in your house. You won't need to be within 10 feet of him, or be in the space he inhabits for a time afterwards. Tricky one.

Whatever you do, don’t pay in advance.

Hi
I have been in a similar situation just recently with new windows getting fitted but let me give you my opinion on your fence getting fitted .
If they have to come into your home then I would cancel for now .
However if they can do the fence without coming into your home then I would let them get on with it.
Hope this helps .

Boris didn't say only key workers were allowed to leave the house. He said anyone who couldn't work from home.
He shut shops because it was hazardous to be in there with other people, working alone outside is a different mattter.

It's a terraced house with no rear access so he would need to walk through it.

I'd love to have it done because then we and next door can use our gardens safely (we both have toddlers) but I'm trying not to be selfish.

Then cancel. No outside people allowed in your house.

Whatever you do, don’t pay in advance.

I wouldn't normally but the tradesman is good friend of DH's and we have the cash to spare so if everything went wrong I wouldn't regret it.

Where does it say that no outside people are allowed in the home??? What if you’re a plumber or electrician? I wish people would stop bullshitting.

Just to be clear if it is allowed we would hide upstairs and open all the doors so he'd just walk through without touching anything. I thought he'd have to stay at home though and stop fixing fences 🤷‍♀️

Hi OP ,
You have to in my opinion cancel for now.
You Cannot have people walking through your home under any circumstances .
It’s a Fence , it can wait .
The whole country is on Lock down .

We have a similar problem. We are terraced and the joinung fence isnt fixed. It only needs 2 panels put in. Until tonight we were going to pay someone (not yet found) to pick up the panels and put them in using rear access but after tonight I dont think we can. We worked out we wouldnt need to go near it...but theyd need to go tothe fence store etc...

Id like my garden to feel safe if we're ising it for 3 months + I wish Id thought of it before.

I thought it was no non essential travel at all. Mh fence isnt essential.

The tradesman can't work from home and he'll be working outdoors. I think that's fine, actually. Enforce the 2m rule and sanitise anything like door handles, mugs used, toilets, that sort of thing afterwards.

Lycidas,
He isn’t a plumber or electrician he is putting up a fence .
If somebody is without WATER or HEATING then of course that is a serious situation but a Fence is not a Emergency.
The country being on lock down is not bullshit .
Allowing somebody to come through your home to put a fence up is .

My mum's gardener rang tonight, he is coming to cut the grass tomorrow. Won't be coming in the house, she will leave him a coffee on the patio table when he is nearly finished with his money.

I'm not clear either. My DP is a carpenter and us just finishing a door he has made for someone. The assumption is that he will no longer be able to fit it. He has invested time and money on materials but will now have to postpone. The customer may go cold on the idea. He was supposed to price a job on Thursday, it is non essential so can't do it.

I am beside myself with worry, we are already struggling financially due to a quiet period and this could send us under and we could lose our house.

That isn't anyone's fault though. We won't be flouting laws. Besides I've probably got C-19 already so he's self isolating for just over another week.

Am wracking my mind as to what we can do to bring in money. My job is low pay and I'm on reduced hours. Not a key worker but cannot work from home. I actually paid for an ad on Facebook today offering his services for telephone advice for diy projects but cannot realistically charge, just looking for ways of raising his profile for when the dust settles.

This is so worrying. Fuck you coronavirus, fuck you to hell