Why are builders so destructive to the rest of your home?

[OfficeBird]

Can I rant about my builders?

They are actually doing a good job building what they are meant to be doing, but my god, they destroy so much else on the way, don't they?

I've tried to go around pre-empting damage about to happen, but so far we've had:

• an orange Fanta ring on my white stone mantelpiece

• scratches on my (new) painted kitchen cabinets as they carried materials to another room

• hole in wall/plaster of utility room when they drilled too far from kitchen

• a 'nick' in the roof surround when one of them decided to saw off then end of the roof, and his saw continued on when the wood finished

I'm of the view that it's much easier to prevent damage than to repair it later... but they don't seem to share this

All these little things take so long to sort out afterwards - and are costly! I've just found out the tiny tube of kitchen cabinet repair paint is £15 !

You have to point out the damage, allow them to put it right and if not then take the cost of damage off any money you owe them. I don't think it's acceptable at all tbh. We had builders in for about 6 months last year doing a big extension and house renovation and we didn't have any damage like you describe.

Good builders aren't. We had two lots of builders working on our house a few years ago. the first lot covered the place in dust, left a mess behind them and never cleared away dirty cups or left the toilet fresh . The second lot painstakingly laid dustheets over furniture and carpets, spent half an hour every evening hoovering and cleaning up their mess etc. They were a pleasure.

Don't accept it.

No, you shouldn't accept this. DP is a builder and he is anal about covering things in dust sheets, tidying everything up at the end of teh day, containing everyhting.

Then he bloody well comes home and wrecks our house.

Agree with Getorfmoiland...wished my DP tidied up at home like he does on his jobs. Have it out with them.

They shouldn't be. We had builders in for a few months last year and they were brilliant. Tidied up after themselves and crucially... treated my home with respect. You need to have a talk with them.