Patronising Builders - Was maintaining sash windows

[plumbers mate]

I couldn't find anyone to do my sash windows so called Mr Ventrolla who didn't try to sell "add ons"
A woman on her own has problems getting work done sometimes - the roofer, builder, plumber can be a rather patronising lot if they are discussing a job with a woman.
One roofer I got, or rather didn't get, a quote from was one such - he tried to tell me that reconstituted slates were indistinguishable from "real" and would last longer and in any case are real slate.
I told him which quarry my slates are from, how they make the reconstituted slate and how long real slates last. Never heard from him again and got the roof done with the original slates (firsts at the front, seconds on the back and thirds on the off shoot although I now have some seconds on the front which I can spot, but no-one else seems to notice.
Ditto the plumber who was going to do my bathroom. I'd measured and drawn it to 1:20 with proper text block in the corner, linear scale etc. He was convinced that the layout I'd drawn wouldn't work and a "sketch like that" was no good. My layout worked and has been there for 20 years now.
I cringe when I think of having to get in touch with builders.

 

[Lime]

Albeit I'm a man you have my sympathy.
I upset builders by knowing too much too.
Nearly all cannot stop making comments that are derogatory of the previous builder/plumber/etc and giving unnecessary explanations that demonstrate their ignorance and big head.
If only they knew how foolish they look and sound.

 

[Gervase]

It's one of the reasons we need more women builders. It would also help to stop the average building site being the last refuge of the most appalling sexist and racist attitudes that otherwise should have gone the way of the dinosaurs.

 

[plumbers mate]

>>If only they knew how foolish they look and sound.

And how it loses them jobs .....

 

[Nemesis]

Clearly an Industrial Archaeologist with professional training in measured surveys is no match for yer average British plumber. Plumbers? God calls them God.


And as for those slates - well you should not have bothered your pretty little head. It may burst.

 

[Manny]

More female architects, engineers, tradeswomen, etc, by all means... but please no more female quantity surveyors! We all know that you might as well bash your head against the wall than argue sensibly with a woman! :lol: :wink:

 

[Nemesis]

Oh dear.

 

[Penners]

It's one of the reasons we need more women builders. It would also help to stop the average building site being the last refuge of the most appalling sexist and racist attitudes that otherwise should have gone the way of the dinosaurs.

It would also make building sites prettier. There would be embroidered covers over the stacks of bricks, curtains in the tea cabin and the site would be dusted and vacuumed after the end of work each day.

I'm a dead man. :shock:

 

[Becka]

not if it was me on site.. I have the ability to be a slob that'd match any male builder..

I totally agree with plumbers mate tho, if I could find a decent, non patronising tradesman I think they'd be worth there weight in gold, I got so upset and frustrated with the plumbers I had to do my bathroom that I've lived with an intermitant leak behind the bath for months now rather than call back them or one of there kind.. :O/ plannning on learning to plumb then borrowing a couple of strong mates to shift the bath out for me so i can fix it myself.. :O)

 

[middi]

The hairy cheeks of the male builder ,when working at ground level, is not a pretty sight.

Bring on the women " derriere".

 

[NT]

>>If only they knew how foolish they look and sound.

And how it loses them jobs .....

It loses them jobs with customers that know more than they do, which is a good thing for them, as they'd get themselves into trouble with their bodging and dodging otherwise. And it gains them jobs from people that dont know jack, ie people they can inflate jobs for and overcharge, and get away with duff workmanship. Sadly it is to the incompetent builders advantage.

The genuinely skilled ones tend to cost too much.

DIY is nearly always the answer.


NT

 

[andrew gayton]

b- what is wrong with the bath? - a

 

[Nemesis]

It's the 'intermittent' leak has me puzzled - only when the bath is used possibly?

 

[Becka]

sometimes, when you use the bath a pipe behind it (leading to hot tap) starts to leak, but not always.. I've got in the habit of turning off the water for a bit after a bath so the pipe drains into a pot (if it leaks) I think its only sometime as it must be a tiny crack (tried to mend a couple of times with epoxy stuff, its a plastic pipe so most of the normal stuff won't work) which occassioanly gets bunged with limescale and its then fine for a while.. unfortunatly to mend it properly requires moving the very heavy bath out the way to get at it properly..

 

[andrew gayton]

plastic pipe to the hot tap? sure that it isn't the overflow? should be able to fix it without moving the bath (the bath would have had to have been poitioned before plumbing was done origivally.... but it will be awkward..... i have just renewed bath taps..... oh joy of joys in a confined/restricted space. :roll:

 

[Nemesis]

Yes - two of us trying to plumb in tap on the back of a large bath rather than the side... interesting.

I was younger and more flexible then, and fitted gaps more easily too.

However, the plumber said it was impossible to do (as with the bidet, which he simply left unplumbed...) Craftsmen? BAH!!!

 

[thiambal]

I have found the following strategy to work well with tradesman.

1) Do some research before hand so you know what you are talking about
2) Explain to tradesman that you are willing to pay a fair price for a good job
3) Explain further that you do expect a good job and that in the past tradesmen have left without any payment because their work has not been up to scratch.
4) Nicely suggest that if they do not think that can do a good job they needn't bother submitting a quote.

If all said in a reasonable manner we have found that

1) Everyone says they can do the best job we have veer seen
2) Less than 50% submit a quote
3) 50% of those that do submit a quote price themselves way out of the market.

Sometime it takes us a long time to find the right tradesman, once we do we often have to wait for some time before they are free to take up the work. However, since we emploed this strategy we have found that we have had tradesmen who are second to none, who we would recommend to anyone and some of whom we now count as friends.

Oh, and they get furnished with endless supplied of tea, coffee biscuits and cakes when they work for us!

 

[plumbers mate]

That should be printed out and pinned up in every home so that when work is required there is a handy check list to quote from.

Thank you for a really helpful set of tactics.

 

[skier-hughes]

Oh, and they get furnished with endless supplied of tea, coffee biscuits and cakes when they work for us!

Our electricians came the morning after a BBQ and we cooked breakfast on it so they had bacon and sausage sandwiches with their tea, as did the postman who arrived just at the right time!!!!

Graham

 

[Becka]

yep, quickfit (I think) pipes to the hot tap.. the problem stems (i suspect) from him putting the taps in the wrong place initially (they're set behind rather than into the side of the bath) and I suspect either he was careless cos he was miffed I made him redo it or that some damage was done in the relocation to the correct place.. my plan is to read up in the correct method, get a whole set of replacement bits and find a couple of strong blokes to move the bath as its impossible to get more than a finger or two too it as is so no chance of a really thorough job.