My disaster in home repairs

debodun said:
Care to explain your comment?
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I can but I don’t wish to offend you.
For one I have some very similar issues as you with people coming over but perhaps for different reasons. Having working contractors coming in and out of our house would make me very uncomfortable but in a situation like this, I would make allowances

Expecting contractors to bring a generator so they don’t use your electricity is ridiculous. There are these things called power chords.

You’re worried about noise? No radios? That’s a bit unrealistic!
Having said that, do you know how loud generators are?

As far as garbage is concerned;
Supply a garbage can.

Yes you have a right to have expectations but your expectations say more about the type of person they are going to be dealing with then anything else. Nobody wants to deal with someone who has such strict expectations. The way you’ve written out the rules is already treating these workers like children needing to be micro managed /supervised by you. A woman.

And the electricity issue is an expense thing. Like I said before, you are so much like my parents that I can usually tell where the motivation comes from.

These guys could use up a few dollars worth of electricity and how will you calculate that otherwise ?

The music issue? Usually that could be solved with a headset of earplugs BUT when dealing with dangerous equipment this isn’t a good idea.
Will you hover around them making sure it’s at a reasonable level?

Do you think you’re fun to work with or work for?
 

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Knight said:
Yes they are on the Alcan highway headed for Alaska. BTW each home they renovated they got permits for & inspection certificates for each phase of renovation. Assuring all repairs were up to code. They are living the American dream now.
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Well, they are living their American dream 😂. Good for them!
 
debodun said:
I may not be fun to work for, but I am paying them, so that makes me the BOSS. Contractors are in business to work, not have fun while I am paying them.
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Hmm, I guess I disagree. If anyone was working on my house at lunch time, I bought them lunch. During the winter I served never ending hot chocolate or coffee, summer-water or kool aid. I let them use my husbands bathroom 😂. Let the music blast, so wish I understood Spanish.

People in the trades are, well, people. Just because you pay them doesn’t mean you own them. I engaged them all in conversation when I could. Asked about their families etc. They always did excellent work with a few exceptions. I think the exceptions were due to their skill level, lack of.

Most often than not, niceness gets you more. I’ve often had someone in the trades say to me “I fixed this as well, but won’t charge you.”

It sounds to me like you may have a reputation in your town for being difficult to work for, what with the rules and all. You might need to change your “I am the boss” attitude to “thanks for coming” in order to get work done. But, lol, I still think you should sell.
 
I've been bamboozled so may times by contractors, I am on the defensive now. I want them to know I am not an old woman that's going to be taken advantage of. Seems they don't like that. When I did my aunt's estate and had someone in to fix a crack in the foundation, he asked to use the bathroom and left a huge log in the toilet and didn't even flush it - and you ask me why I feel the way I do about handymen...
 
debodun said:
I've been bamboozled so may times by contractors, I am on the defensive now. I want them to know I am not an old woman that's going to be taken advantage of. Seems they don't like that. When I did my aunt's estate and had someone in to fix a crack in the foundation, he asked to use the bathroom and left a huge log in the toilet and didn't even flush it - and you ask me why I feel the way I do about handymen...
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Nasty but it happens as people are use to self flushers and forget to flush.
 
Aneeda72 said:
Hmm, I guess I disagree. If anyone was working on my house at lunch time, I bought them lunch. During the winter I served never ending hot chocolate or coffee, summer-water or kool aid. I let them use my husbands bathroom 😂. Let the music blast, so wish I understood Spanish.

People in the trades are, well, people. Just because you pay them doesn’t mean you own them. I engaged them all in conversation when I could. Asked about their families etc. They always did excellent work with a few exceptions. I think the exceptions were due to their skill level, lack of.

Most often than not, niceness gets you more. I’ve often had someone in the trades say to me “I fixed this as well, but won’t charge you.”

It sounds to me like you may have a reputation in your town for being difficult to work for, what with the rules and all. You might need to change your “I am the boss” attitude to “thanks for coming” in order to get work done. But, lol, I still think you should sell.
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I could have written this. This is exactly how I treat tradesman in my home, and for that I get the best work,
 
Contractors are generally hard working people and deserve to be treated nicely.

A couple of years ago, we had to have our roofing replaced. I found what sounded like a good contractor, and made an appointment. They showed up on time, went right to work, and did a great job. While they were working, I cleaned up all the old shingles with my tractor, and the wife kept them supplied with coffee, iced tea, and cold water....and even offered to make them some lunch...which they declined, as they brought their own. We left the back door open so they could access the rear bathroom as needed. When the job was all done, they charged me about $400 less than the estimate because I saved them a lot of time and work by carting the old shingles to the dumpster.

We started out on a friendly basis, I stayed out of their way, and we parted friends. I got a good roof, and left a positive review on their website.

It has been my experience that if you treat others respectfully, you get respected.
 
My parents and in-laws treated contractors and handy men with great respect for their craftsmanship and human needs. Provided cold beverages, snacks, a clean restroom, paid a decent wage and didn't try to bargain down their prices.

We modeled this same behavior for our children and they likewise have had excellent relationships with their contractors. Humans want to be treated well and work in a pleasant environment.

If a worker leaves a mess, I've found that nothing more is needed than a polite conversation the following morning.
 
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When we had a house, we always made certain to have bottles of water, soda and coffee/tea on hand for them to partake of.

I made lunch sandwiches for the movers who unloaded my furniture when I moved to Australia.

On the flip-side, my ex was a contractor, and when I accompanied him on a few jobs, we were always treated well. Customers gave us bottles of water, tea/coffee, biscuits .. and many had conversation with me, in particular and invited us inside. One family brought out a plate of fruit, and another family welcomed us to join in on a family party. A few gave us a bottle of good wine on job completion. Only one time, did a client insist we knock at the back door (for Tradesmen). They were a bit snobby.
 
debodun said:
Well, I treat others like they treat me. Many of the tradespeople I've dealt with have an imperious and condescending attitude.
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Probably because of your rules and attitude. Sorry but this is my opinion. Anyone who comes into your house, ANYONE, is a guest and should be treated as such. Guest rules apply.

How someone treats you is not a yardstick to measure how you treat them or others. “Kill them with kindness”. 😀.
 


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