What do you give builders at the end of a project?

[Wantarest]

I'm wondering what the usual protocol is. Did you give (or are you planning to give) your builders something at the end of the project? For example, drinks, a takeaway, etc? Or do you just say thank you and send them on their way?

Hmmmm....... probably spent £1k on bacon rolls, tea, ice creams, cold drinks over the best part of year. For the most part did an excellent renovation totally fell at the last with a disastrous error. Sooooo....maybe see them in court 😕 it's all a bit depressing really as we did get on really well, until there was a problem...

DH works for a relative. Business was passed down to that relative by someone else in the family who had founded the company.

It's all DH has ever known, went to college for 2 years from school to learn the trade. And has worked for the company since, for last 16 years.

Pay is a pittance tbh. But he stays there because the base is local to home (which is in a rural town). He has children from first marriage in the same town. This employment allows him to pick his children up at a decent time after work to bring home for their nights/start of their weekends together. Instead of a long rush hour commute from the nearest city.

I have no idea how much other trades are paid. Although I rather suspect that many tradespeople who work under someone are possibly not paid as much as they should be?

My DH has chronic lower back pain and calcium deposits in his shoulders, which are also painful at times. Some days he mixes 5 tonnes of cement, which he has to shovel in to the mixer. Some days he has to dig trenches which are 20ft long for the electricians to lay cables.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that nobody knows how much they're being paid out of that great big whack of money you're handing over. My DH's company do small jobs right through to doing the building work on large projects (entire house builds on private land) alongside other trades.

We had a gardener over for three months to completely redo our garden.
After the first week the first covid-lockdown started. It was just the weirdest of times. Dh and I both working from home and very happy to get coffee breaks with our workmen in the garden. And the gardeners were very happy to have this job during these difficult times. (They had lots of older customers who didn’t want them coming over at that moment)
When they finished the job we had takeaway together in our new garden and we gave them a box of special beers and some other small presents. We really became a sort of friends because of the special situation we were in.

My last reply was for @shitdriverbutnot

Also to add, I'm only speaking from my own experience. I know there's cowboy builders (and other trades) out there!

Yeah, fair enough I mean I don't see people's pay as a barometer of needing thanks. I'd give a token to NHS consultants.
I'd only reward for going above and beyond. Not just doing a 'good job'.

S*hithotbutnot
*
Ah I see, understand now.

I wouldn't say they should be getting a bonus/token gift for every job, it's definitely an individual thing. My DH certainly doesn't expect it. Each time he does though, he tells me about it because he's delighted! I suppose just pointing out how much of a difference it can make to someone to feel appreciated...no matter how big or small

Crap work/service shouldn't be rewarded though!

Exactly our own situation. Sympathies. It’s head-wrecking.

I have the foreman some money to buy the lads a few pints. They'd been there months. Knew their names etc

Chances are most of the hundreds of thousands went into materials and fixtures and fittings. Or were those on top of the hundreds of thousands

My builders finally finished in June. It was a hot day, so I offered them some little stubbies of beer that I already had in. And I paid the invoice & wrote them a trust pilot review.

I'd anyone has fantastic builders that they would have considered giving a bonus to in North London, please feel free to PM me the recommendation. Thanks

I “gave” mine £40000

Prompt payment and a good review.

We’ve never had good enough builders to do more than pay the invoice.

But I have given a box of six bottles of champagne to each side of my neighbours to thank them for putting up with the noise.

I think it depends if you feel they've really gone above and beyond or whether they've just fulfilled their contract with you. If the latter, pay invoice, say thanks. If the former, then a bonus or a crate of beer or whatever you consider appropriate. There are instances where the job has turned into something much more serious, or larger or more complex than expected and if they've done a great job then you might feel extra grateful and want to show that.

I had a vision that we'd see them into the van, shake hands, give them a bottle and wave them off. In reality, there was no 'end', each trade moved on to their next job and we were left chasing up a few snags (which we ended up sorting ourselves).

We have recently had a builder and his partner and we gave them some beers at Christmas which was part way through the work and offered stage payments which weren't originally requested (they'd only asked for a deposit). We paid the final payment within 24 hours of them finishing.

Our work was done by the business "owners". If I had a job done where clearly they had apprentices or employees doing the work then I might specifically give them a bottle/some beers/small gift (not money) at the end to say thanks.

Even though they've worked on projects which have cost the customer a pretty penny, he (and his colleagues) don't see any more than their basic wage.

Yes, but why should they receive more? Why should customers pay extra beyond what was agreed as the price and top-up wages? It's on the employers to pay for doing the job.

We just paid them but they'd been treated handsomely throughout the job; proper coffee, homemade cake etc.

At the end we got a letter from the boss saying thanks for treating them all so well - which I still can't decide whether it was an indication that some people don't treat them well or something they send to everyone.

Either way they've been very happy to come back and do small jobs when needed and have always turned up very promptly!

Never given a bonus to tradesmen and we've had some onsite for up to 4 months. But all trades working here get offered tea/coffee even if they're only here for an hour. Longer than that and they get biscuits and multiple drinks. Bacon baps or pizzas have been offered on longer jobs and ice creams and squash in hot weather.

From his clients, at the completion of the project, my husband often gets a bottle of wine and some chocolates for me!

Mines getting a kick up the arse. If I was a happy then prompt payment and a glowing online review.

Hahaha - the end end or when they said it would end?
Just their final payment. They've usually drank over their body weight in tea and milk and eaten 10 packs of biscuits each!

It totally is, sympathies to you too xx

I assume this is for me?

I wasn't saying I expect the customer to subsidise the company employee's wages....what i DID say is that my DH speaks mostly about the customers who offer refreshments. So for example....scorching day, a cold drink. Winters day...a hot cuppa +/- cake.

I was also pointing out that the guys who are breaking their backs do so for a pittance, which is obviously their choice of trade/job. However as someone just earlier pointed out....there's a hefty proportion of customers who treat the tradespeople like dirt and look down on them. Barely a thank you. I thank everyone who provides a service, whether it be a doctor, checkout person, tradesperson etc. A verbal thank you means a lot. A refreshment for people providing a service which likely damages their health in one way or another is fantastic like i said, DH's health is suffering. A colleague has developed arthritis in his joints. I actually work in occupational health and the number of tradespeople who end up medically retired due to joint issues is staggering.

So no, an envelope with wads of cash is not what I was saying. (As already stated in my posts).