Giving builders open access to your house

[Mummyshark2018]

Hi everyone,
I just want to know if I am being unrealistic as my dh thinks I am. Builders have started excavating out the back for our extension. My dh starts work at lunchtime and had been allowing them in to use the toilet, and making them tea etc this morning. I specifically told him not to give them a key. I work from home a few days a week (not today) and have confidential client files (hidden away- but the unit could easily be broken open if somebody wanted to) and work laptop and do not not feel comfortable with anyone having open access to our home. Also we have a dog who is staying with friends this week but who will be Hank next week and will go nuts if he heard people walking around upstairs.
What is the standard practice here? They don't need to be in the house as majority of work is taking place outside. TIA

Where will they go to the loo if they can’t come into your house? May need to hire a portaloo. I get it, but equally think it’s a bit mean to lock them out entirely. I don’t think they’ll break into your locked cabinet!

I try to stay home when we have people doing work but when I have to go out I'll give them a key and make sure everything is hidden away and shut doors to rooms that they don't need access to.

I think its very mean not to allow them to use the kitchen for tea making, and as pp said you'll need to hire them a loo. Goodwill goes a long way with a big project like yours.
Surely you researched the builders and chose someone you trusted.

For a big job like that, I would definitely let them use your facilities.
We've just had a loft conversion done and I just let them know that I had a home office I would be working from a lot and possibly be making confidential client calls from and asked them to be respectful of that.
We're also having all the windows and doors replaced in a couple of weeks and I will be giving them a key for when I'm not in.

Just to add, I'm not saying you're wrong. I actually hate having tradesmen in my house and I'm sick of the sight of them at the mo but it seems like much less hassle if I just let them in freely and it'll be over soon

This should've been agreed up front.
if access isn't allowed (which isn't unfair and builders will understand) then they would need to provide toilet and welfare facilities which would be charged to you as client.
It is reasonable to restrict them to kitchen and bathroom though.
I'd take your files with you for duration of works; explain to them your concerns about the dog and build some trust and bond over a builder's tea.

Thank you for your responses. I do agree that it would be better to have good relations. I will put extra security measures around my things and move upstairs. Will have to re-think the dog situation though and make sure he's only at home when someone's there as he will not cope with people coming into the kitchen (where he is crated) or hearing them walk upstairs to use the loo.

To be honest when they knock through they'll have access anyway? I would not expect builders to start poking around, i can't really see the incentive, but maybe it happens. They're already taking tens of thousands of pounds off you anyway, anything they could get on the side would be insignificant.

If you only have an upstairs loo I'd consider a portaloo anyway, just from a dust/dirt/debris perspective it might be better to keep them downstairs. I'd give access to the kitchen though.

I understand your feelings but I wouldn't worry about them poking around in confidential stuff.

Walking upstairs for the loo? Nah - they can get a portaloo. Do you have an outside tap? Ours set up a mini-kitchen in the garage with kettle, toaster and microwave. Which was at times more of a kitchen than I had inside!

Oh God, we had kitchen refit and extension... just let them get on with it. They knocked in the morning, I let them in - made them tea, had a chat, left them to go to work, and they posted the key through the door each day.

and our loo was upstairs...

Yes as pp said if you don't allow access to your loo you should have said up front and would have been charged for the hire of a portable one. It would be different if it were a job taking an hour or two but long term work, they need to have access to facilities it's a welfare thing so it's either free and you deal with them in your private space or you pay for the alternative.
It's fairly standard. I tend to recommend clients bite the bullet and pay for the portaloo, you can still ask them to do this now but it make take a day or two to organise and probably won't be cheap if you are on a tight budget.

Yes only toilet is upstairs- one of the things I'm looking forward to most in our extension is another loo! Our hall, stairs and landing have cream carpets 😂😂 but if they get dirty my dh will have to agree to redoing the floors!

hate to break it to you but it's very unlikely they'd bother going upstairs anyway - if they're working in your garden they are going in your garden

Don't give them a key. Suggest they get a hire toilet in, that's what we did, and pay for that. You don't have to keep making tea either!!

They shouldnt expect to use your kitchen to make tea either as someone suggested.

That's what flasks are for.

The dog already uses the garden as a toilet so that doesn't bother me at all 😳. We have outside water tap and outside mains electric and a canopy where we can set up a little kitchen and then we can discuss the loo situation. Just checked a portaloo is about £25 per week plus VAT.

We've had lots of building work and always allowed them free access to our home including kitchen facilities and toilets. They have never ever been anything other than respectful and considerate - knocking before entering, calling out to le me know they're inside, hoovering up after themselves etc.

I always bought nicentea and coffee and biscuits/snacks too. Ours were outside in all weather's and worked very hard from early in the morning. I would have felt really uncomfortable bit offering them some treats and shelter etc.

I always let them have keys to the house and garage too. It would have been a right faff otherwise.

It's not necessarily your nice builders who you need to be wary of - there's delivery drivers, extra contractors, someone's mate who popped by, a new apprentice, etc, - you're opening up your house to almost anyone. We had brilliant contractors to do our house and were recommended a portaloo for them just to ensure there was no mess indoors or in the garden! They also had access to the shed with light, electricity, kettle and fridge.

No problems at all until after the work was 99% done and a new firm had to come in for just one day to test and sign off a piece of equipment. Two men here for two hours, moving separately around the house, only needing to go into loft and utility. I was in the open-plan kitchen the whole time. £90 cash went missing from my son's bedside drawer and a pair of small diamond earrings gone from a box on my dressing table. Of course we have no proof but my faith in contractors will probably never be restored

I gave our builders a key and they tinkled in the garden anyway!

I've got guys in just now doing my downstairs bathroom. I have been out twice to walk the dog leaving my purse and everything in the kitchen and then i went out for a few hours to do some chores. I need to be out early tomorrow so i will give them a key to get in. The dog will be shut in the kitchen so she might bark but she won't annoy them. I think i am maybe just very trusting. I don't make tea for them though. Can't be doing with that level of hassle!

Builders in at the mo. They have a front door key. I specified not to arrive until 8am. Its worked well so far. I work part time and local but this makes everything easier.

Thank you all. I think I may need to be more trusting. I don't want the project to get stalled because they could turn off the mains electric/ gas etc. I will just do what I can to secure my work related bits!

*couldn't