Builders - clearing up

[Risotto]

Wacky Racer said:

mintybiscuit said:

Your skip loading is making my eyes bleed !!!

Considering that you are paying for the skips separately, please load them efficiently

It's a skip ffs!

Do you expect him to stack the bricks up in a neat pile?

The last builders I used regarded skip filling as a skilled trade and had an apprentice who did little else beyond standing in the skip artfully arranging debris. I suspect that replacing the skip while there was an empty cubic centimetre in it was a sackable offence

Oh and yes, a builder with any sense of pride should be tidying up as they go.

Edited by Risotto on Thursday 21st September 20:41

[Ashtray83]

You should have a word with them I don't think it's acceptable and I couldn't imagine leaving my rubbish for a customer to clear up shows a complete lack of respect to you and your property,
most sparks I know clear up by dumping rubbish in the corner of each room as they go which I normally end up cleaning up myself

[Coxey]

I would wait until the job is complete and then contra charge them for your time. In all seriousness builders should clear as they go and the good ones should even make good the lawn if they have placed a skip there

[dazwalsh]

Risotto said:

Wacky Racer said:

mintybiscuit said:

Your skip loading is making my eyes bleed !!!

Considering that you are paying for the skips separately, please load them efficiently

It's a skip ffs!

Do you expect him to stack the bricks up in a neat pile?

The last builders I used regarded skip filling as a skilled trade and had an apprentice who did little else beyond standing in the skip artfully arranging debris. I suspect that replacing the skip while there was an empty cubic centimetre in it was a sackable offence

Oh and yes, a builder with any sense of pride should be tidying up as they go.

Edited by Risotto on Thursday 21st September 20:41

Indeed, if the skip is half full of air you havent got your money's worth, I once had the skip wagon doing wheelies trying to lift a skip off my drive that was so tightly packed it was bordering on taking the piss. Old Internal doors were used to make the sides higher. Think I damn near got the whole house ripout in there.

Like so..

[Big_Dog]

Just had a 3 week painting job done and another company so far 4 weeks landscaping and deck building. Some chippy stuff, some building work and a gardening team.
I have had no rubbish left or been expected to clear any up behind them. They really are having you on unless they are on day rate and are expecting you to have employed some labour?
All I have left is a neat pile of logs from the the garden guys for my fire. They asked me first.

[anonymous-user]

I’ve just been to a restaurant with my wife and I, ended up having to do the dishes and clean the kitchen..

The chef came out and said it’s a mess in the kitchen and asked us to tidy up before he could make desert. Is this normal?

[B17NNS]

Risotto said:

The last builders I used regarded skip filling as a skilled trade

You don't fill a skip. You build one.

They're dead money. Got to get the most out of it.

[Alucidnation]

Why not just ask the builders to tidy up their st?

[Moonhawk]

Alucidnation said:

Why not just ask the builders to tidy up their st?

Because, as I explained in the OP - I didn't know whether clearing is automatically implied in a quote or whether some builders quote for it separately.

The fact that some have asked whether it was specifically called out in the quote leads me to believe different builders operate in different ways.

[227bhp]

The problem is you've set a precedent by cleaning up for them. It's like feeding a dog from the table, once you've done it it's difficult to turn back the clock.

[V8RX7]

20+ years in the industry - it's their job to tidy up.

However it is also reasonable to have some mess around depending what's going on.

I'll admit when I employ on day rate I'll sometimes ask them to work and I'll sort the tidying up - but never on a price.

I tend to tackle these things with a bit of a joke to start with "this site looks worse than my daughter's bedroom" etc

and then head on if they don't take the hint. "Oi get your finger out your arse and tidy up"

The middle ground never works IME

[wolfracesonic]

C Lee Farquar said:

My exact first thought!

Then I remembered that not leaving a mess is sweeping into a heap against the wall

Not one heap though, lots of little ones, each beneath the chase they've just chopped out.

[hairyben]

Moonhawk said:

Alucidnation said:

Why not just ask the builders to tidy up their st?

Because, as I explained in the OP - I didn't know whether clearing is automatically implied in a quote or whether some builders quote for it separately.

The fact that some have asked whether it was specifically called out in the quote leads me to believe different builders operate in different ways.

No-one really should be leaving rubbish strewn around the place but responsibility for clearing it depends - you have a contractor in overall charge? If so its his job to chase people to clean up or do it himself.

If you're acting as main agent and employing various trades direct then its for you to kick them up the bum.

[Dave_ST220]

dazwalsh said:

Indeed, if the skip is half full of air you havent got your money's worth, I once had the skip wagon doing wheelies trying to lift a skip off my drive that was so tightly packed it was bordering on taking the piss. Old Internal doors were used to make the sides higher. Think I damn near got the whole house ripout in there.

Like so..

hahaha! The old build it up trick. We did that but not to your extent. If we'd gone that far I think a punch in the face from the skip driver would have ensued. Getting rid of the st is an expensive game these days.

[Douglas Quaid]

They should be tidying up. I’m in the building trade and always clean up. Wouldn’t dream of leaving a mess. Tell them they need to sort it out.

[sleepezy]

Complete renovation and double extension - over the course of a year long project they always tidied up after themselves both tools and any left over materials. Fixed price contract so 'in their own time' (I know it would be included but I wasn't paying them 'extra' to do so) - all their subcontractors did the same, it was noticeable that the plasterers were not quite so good, but they weren't their usual guys as we had some specialist stuff done.

I'd expect the site to be left clean and tidy, and excess material disposed of (unless otherwise agreed of course)

[BlueMR2]

Wish our neighbours had used some of you guys/your contractors.

[Bristol spark]

wolfracesonic said:

C Lee Farquar said:

My exact first thought!

Then I remembered that not leaving a mess is sweeping into a heap against the wall

Not one heap though, lots of little ones, each beneath the chase they've just chopped out.

Some people are never happy

[TA14]

Douglas Quaid said:

They should be tidying up. I’m in the building trade and always clean up. Wouldn’t dream of leaving a mess. Tell them they need to sort it out.

No doubt the OP will be back to reply when he's finished tidying up

[MrVert]

OP- they're taking the pi55 expecting you to clear up after them...

Are you their client, or labourer?

Totally unacceptable. If they don't keep a job clean, it says everything to me. Any decent builder knows a clean site is so much better to work in.

Have a word now, before it goes on for too long.