Boots, builders' for the cleaning of: recommendations?

[TerryE]

@Steptoe, I didn't misunderstand you.  The point I was making was really addressed to other self-builders reading this.  In chatting to the guys that have worked on our build, one very common observation is just how ignorant and inconsiderate some customers are; they seem to think that just because they are paying for something then they have the write to treat the workers involved as servants, and then they bitch about the workers' attitude.  The whole idea just makes me and Jan cringe.

 

Our slater worked on our roof last February and it was really cold and the wind was cutting at times, so we kept him supplied with hot drinks and the odd bacon butty, as well as working along side him on the verge and eave detailing and fitting the roof windows.  He mentioned that that having customers like us was very rare, and by example he'd worked reslating a roof on his last job, and the customer had been at home all of this time; during the 3 weeks, she had said hello once and had never offered any hot refreshments.

 

Our philosophy is:

• Treat anyone that is working on your site as a peer and offer them the normal courtesies that you would expect.
• Make sure that you've prepared the area and preconditions so that they can do their job efficiently.  At the end of the day, anyone pricing up a job has included a contingency.  If this is eaten up working around and dealing with hassles that aren't really their fault, then they might start to cut corners, but if they are running ahead because they haven't had to use their contingency, then they will use it properly on real issues that do occur.
• Accept that everyone can make mistakes.  So you should be tolerant of and cooperate to work around reasonable mistakes; the sort that you yourself could make.  OK, some people adopt a hard nosed "it's your responsibility; you fix in your time; not my problem" policy, but in the end if you do this then you are just cutting your nose off to spite your face.  The only important thing IMO is: is the final job fit for purpose and to the general standard that you expect?  Going to war over petty demarcations is just stupid.  If you are flexible on others' mistakes, then they will return the attitude when you make yours.

I know that this approach can open you up to be exploited, but our honest view is that we've liked every workman who has worked on our site, and I can't recall a single "bad penny", and we've been very please with the standard of work.   We've only had one real issue with anyone trying it on during the whole build, and that was our plasters' boss who did the pricing and scheduling was just a liar when it came to promising and keeping start dates and he pissed us around terribly, but the plastering team themselves (when they did start) did a fantastic job, so we still ended up recommending them to friends. 

 

Maybe we were lucky, or maybe you make your own luck.

[Jeremy Harris]

34 minutes ago, TerryE said:

Our philosophy is:

• Treat anyone that is working on your site as a peer and offer them the normal courtesies that you would expect.
• Make sure that you've prepared the area and preconditions so that they can do their job efficiently.  At the end of the day, anyone pricing up a job has included a contingency.  If this is eaten up working around and dealing with hassles that aren't really their fault, then they might start to cut corners, but if they are running ahead because they haven't had to use their contingency, then they will use it properly on real issues that do occur.
• Accept that everyone can make mistakes.  So you should be tolerant of and cooperate to work around reasonable mistakes; the sort that you yourself could make.  OK, some people adopt a hard nosed "it's your responsibility; you fix in your time; not my problem" policy, but in the end if you do this then you are just cutting your nose off to spite your face.  The only important thing IMO is: is the final job fit for purpose and to the general standard that you expect?  Going to war over petty demarcations is just stupid.  If you are flexible on others' mistakes, then they will return the attitude when you make yours.

I know that this approach can open you up to be exploited, but our honest view is that we've liked every workman who has worked on our site, and I can't recall a single "bad penny", and we've been very please with the standard of work.   We've only had one real issue with anyone trying it on during the whole build, and that was our plasters' boss who did the pricing and scheduling was just a liar when it came to promising and keeping start dates and he pissed us around terribly, but the plastering team themselves (when they did start) did a fantastic job, so we still ended up recommending them to friends. 

 

Maybe we were lucky, or maybe you make your own luck.

 

I think you're probably in in the majority.  We did much the same and there were only two people who caused a problem. 

 

The first was an electrician I'd got in to do the external electrical installation.  He arrived half way through the day (and we really needed him to turn up on time, as the DNO and supplier were scheduled in later that week to put in the supply)  and when I took him a mug of tea in the afternoon, just after he'd finished wiring up the electrical box in the sewage treatment plant, I spotted an SWA gland brass collet sat on the ground.  I picked it up, made a light joke about it being easy to forget to slip all the right bits on before putting the cable in the gland and he replied that the collets weren't really needed.  I kept quiet, made an excuse to drive up the road to get a mobile signal and started ringing around to get another electrician in for a day or two's work, and put the DNO and supplier off for a couple of weeks.  I then went back, sacked the electrician and said I'd pay him for his half day in cash, and got another chap in later that week.  He went around with me and pointed out that all the SWA glands were loose, that the earth banjos had all been fitted incorrectly (and why he'd used them was a mystery, as I'd provided a bag of Piranha nuts and crimp eyelets) and that an earth link in one box had been made with an off cut of blue sleeved wire, with no earth sleeve or even a bit of green/yellow tape over it.  All told, none of his work was acceptable, and some was downright dangerous.  How he'd got a ticket I never know.

 

The second was more serious.  I'd hired in a couple of labourers, on a day rate, on the recommendation of another tradesmen I trusted.  I started spotting empty half bottles of vodka in the skip, and wondered where they were coming from.  One afternoon I saw one of the labourers come out of the portaloo, tucking a bottle back under his jacket.  When challenged he admitted to having a "bit of a drink problem".  He got sacked and sent off site immediately, but I did pay him till the end of that day.  The other labourer said he knew the bloke had had a problem for years, and was currently banned from driving for something like 5 years.  To their credit, the two trademen that had receommended the bloke were as surprised as I was to find he was pissed all the time, as it didn't show, and the bloke was a hard worker.  My view was that I couldn't take the risk of having someone drunk on site, and had to be hard over about it.

 

Other than that we got on really well with everyone else, in fact we're still in touch with a lot of the people that helped build our house, and view them as friends.  They are all listed on my blog, with links to their own websites, as our way of trying to return the favour they did us by doing such a good job.

Edited January 30, 2017 by JSHarris