Present/tip for builder?

[ArsMamatoria]

We are having an extension built and though it has taken a lot longer than we thought it might, our builder and his team have been great - high standards of workmanship, a thoroughly pleasant guy, really helpful with advice and very hard working... and no disappearing off for days with no explanation like some friends have had happen.

Not having had anything on this scale done before, I don't know what the etiquette is re. tipping. If you've had building work done, did you tip? What would be a good tip/gift?

If there are any builders/partners of builders on here, I'd be especially keen to hear your views!

Crate of beers for the crew? I did that for a massive plumbing job.

A letter of recomendation / reference that he can use to give to more potential clients?

As PP said a crate of beer for the crew, ask him what he likes to dirnk and a bottle of that? JL voucherrs? A tip in cash?

I am a landlord so use the same general builder regularly and have done for years. He does not quote but simply charges me cost plus. It is often less than I might pay someone else, so I often give him a bonus by suggesting he increase the bill by of 5-10%. It has been more than worth it, plus I know him well enough to realise that many people treat small tradesmen quite badly. Other tradesmen who I have got to know might get the price of a couple of drinks, but most are usually happy to have their bills settled quickly. Our handyman is the happiest though as we pass on unwanted football tickets. As a result he has been known fit an urgent job into his schedule at short notice by turning up at 6.00am.

Whatever you do will be appreciated, and might be governed by whether you think you will use them again. Good trusted customers get lower quotes.

We've just spent over 100k on building work. The builders were fine but towards the end, the standard of work fell. They also scratched our new fridge so in our case, there will be no tip/present. They have all our money in any case; nothing left to give. In fact they should give us a present for our patience rather than the other way round. Can you tell I've had enough of builders?

Just had extensive work done on the house it looked great but on closer inspection they were cutting corners. They didn't get a tip or present.

It's really nice to see someone praising their builder, OP
My dh is a builder and I notice on MN that most builders are painted in a very bad light (sometimes justified, but there's a lot of contempt for the trade)

My dh will receive a tip quite often from satisfied customers. Usually it's cash on top of the bill, anything between £20 - £50 or a crate of beers. Some positive feedback is always welcome and one of the best things you can do is recommended the builders to friends and family. Word of mouth recommendations are very powerful in the building trade.

He was given an old wardrobe by one customer, which was very useful for our son's room and was offered a ride on a pony by way of thanks by one lady who had her stables redone. He declined that offer