Reassure me, please re: work in my home

[mrs.spunky]

DH and I are having some trim installed in our living room, dining room and basement tomorrow and Friday, possibly Monday. DH WFH on Thursdays so he will be home to let the crew in tomorrow, but he is concerned about theft on Friday if we are not there. Neither of us can take off on Friday. DH wants to reschedule til next month when he has a week off, which I think is crazy.
FWIW, this company has 1 complaint with the BBB that was resolved and gets an A on Angie's List. I think if their employees/contractors regularly stole from customers' homes, they would not be in business or there would be more complaints.
Not to mention I was told we didn't have to be home on the 2nd day, we just needed to leave a key. I mean, how else do people that work outside the home do it? It is crazy to think that any time we have work done that is ongoing we will need to be there every day, right?

[ijack]

We left our solar installers alone with a key to our house for an entire week

[lys]

Put valuables in a safe place and only hire insured workers.
We have had workers in our home alone multiple times with no problems.

[Deleted]

I have a hard time not getting offended by this.

[takeonyou]

Make sure they have been in business a long time and are currently insured. Put away anything that can be broken or is irreplaceable. But really, chances are that no one will steal from you. It would be pretty obvious who did it and most people aren't that dumb.

Dh has been working as a contractor since he was 15 and only ONCE did someone accuse them of stealing. Dh was 19 and he was accused of stealing a Rolex. Dh didn't do it (obvs) and decided to go to court for it since he could have lost his scholarship over something like that. It was a quick case since as soon as it went to court, dh's lawyer uncovered that the man had accused 2 other local companies/contractors of stealing his Rolex -- which he wore into court that day.

[mrs.spunky]

Nov 14, 2012 10:03:51 GMT -5 lys said:

Put valuables in a safe place and only hire insured workers.
We have had workers in our home alone multiple times with no problems.

They are a very reputable company and I have double-checked the licenses/insurance info on their website. That isn't the problem. My problem is that I think DH is being crazy and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't the crazy one with my blasé attitude.

[takeonyou]

Nov 14, 2012 10:07:14 GMT -5 @sirsleepsalot said:

I have a hard time not getting offended by this.

I am offended by this too. Dh owns a painting business and it really hurts his feelings when people treat him this way. Also, offering every contractor a beer is rude. Dh gets PISSED when people try to tip him in beer.

[mrs.spunky]

Noted re: the beer.

Apparently there is a backstory with my ILs and a contractor they hired when DH was a kid, one of which I was unaware until today.

[pamela]

I don't see why people are offended by this. Fact is some people will steal. Be it a contractor, maid, a realtor, or people coming to see a house that's on the market. She's not saying "He's mexican so I think he might steal from me." Heck, people on here freak out over their own mother or MIL being in their house alone because they might riffle through some things.

OP, I understand why you're nervous. Put valuables out of sight if you can. And if you can, pop in over lunch time to see how it's going. Otherwise, just try not to worry. This is how a lot of work has to get done. Our contractor for our bathroom remodel had keys to our house for 2 weeks and had to go through our bedroom to get to the work area. I was nervous, but it turned out okay (from a theft perspective, not happy about the actual tile work). I didn't know all his subs, I just had to trust the GC that the people he hired were ok.

[noodleoo]

I feel the same way. It is silly to be offended by this. I would not trust any stranger I don't know alone in my home. That's just common sense.

We just had painters in the house. Luckily DH was WFH the first day. We got to know the guys working, the company owner was there, and they also had very good reviews online. So the next day we left them alone. It was mostly that after he spent the day with them, he trusted them and felt more comfortable leaving them alone. They were also insured and we checked our valuables (jewelry, etc) after they left.

ETA: H bought them lunch the first day. Is that the same as buying beer? He just wanted to be nice, never thought it might offend someone.

[Deleted]

Nov 14, 2012 10:27:01 GMT -5 pamela said:

I don't see why people are offended by this. Fact is some people will steal. Be it a contractor, maid, a realtor, or people coming to see a house that's on the market. She's not saying "He's mexican so I think he might steal from me." Heck, people on here freak out over their own mother or MIL being in their house alone because they might riffle through some things.

OP, I understand why you're nervous. Put valuables out of sight if you can. And if you can, pop in over lunch time to see how it's going. Otherwise, just try not to worry. This is how a lot of work has to get done. Our contractor for our bathroom remodel had keys to our house for 2 weeks and had to go through our bedroom to get to the work area. I was nervous, but it turned out okay (from a theft perspective, not happy about the actual tile work). I didn't know all his subs, I just had to trust the GC that the people he hired were ok.

DH was a residential remodeller for 15 years. Try being treated like a criminal for 15 years for no reason and see if you get offended by it.

[Deleted]

Nov 14, 2012 10:12:16 GMT -5 takeonyou said:

Nov 14, 2012 10:07:14 GMT -5 @sirsleepsalot said:

I have a hard time not getting offended by this.

I am offended by this too. Dh owns a painting business and it really hurts his feelings when people treat him this way. Also, offering every contractor a beer is rude. Dh gets PISSED when people try to tip him in beer.

Absolutely.

[EmilieMadison]

Nov 14, 2012 10:38:40 GMT -5 @sirsleepsalot said:

DH was a residential remodeller for 15 years. Try being treated like a criminal for 15 years for no reason and see if you get offended by it.

Well, it's not for NO REASON. It's because contractors are strangers; people the homeowners dont know. And was he really treated like a criminal, or like a stranger?

One can trust a contractor to do the job and believe them to be an honest person and *still* not be comfortable with having a stranger alone in their house with a key. For me, it's not about thinking the person is a criminal, but that they are a stranger and I have no idea what kind of person they are.

Hell, I have FAMILY members that I dont necessarily want to have a key to my house and I know they're not criminals nor would they steal from me.

[Wines Not Whines]

It's offensive to be cautious about leaving a complete stranger into your house unattended? Really?

[7costanza]

I don't see why people are offended by this either. It's strangers in your house all day while you are away - I think it's perfectly normal to be worried. Disclaimer: my wedding ring and some other jewelry was stolen by a construction worker several years ago (which was all put away in a closed closet). Our neighbors had cash stolen, and another had some food missing. This was during a condo complex wide construction project.

We are having our bathroom remodeled in the next couple months, and we are planning to be there the entire time. I am lucky that I have the option of working from home though.

[pamela]

Nov 14, 2012 10:38:40 GMT -5 @sirsleepsalot said:

Nov 14, 2012 10:27:01 GMT -5 pamela said:

I don't see why people are offended by this. Fact is some people will steal. Be it a contractor, maid, a realtor, or people coming to see a house that's on the market. She's not saying "He's mexican so I think he might steal from me." Heck, people on here freak out over their own mother or MIL being in their house alone because they might riffle through some things.

OP, I understand why you're nervous. Put valuables out of sight if you can. And if you can, pop in over lunch time to see how it's going. Otherwise, just try not to worry. This is how a lot of work has to get done. Our contractor for our bathroom remodel had keys to our house for 2 weeks and had to go through our bedroom to get to the work area. I was nervous, but it turned out okay (from a theft perspective, not happy about the actual tile work). I didn't know all his subs, I just had to trust the GC that the people he hired were ok.

DH was a residential remodeller for 15 years. Try being treated like a criminal for 15 years for no reason and see if you get offended by it.

Being wary of strangers =/= treating like a criminal.

[Deleted]

I think being cautious/nervous about having strangers in your house alone all day with a key is totally different from treating a contractor like a criminal. Treating them like a criminal would be following them around all day long and never letting them be by themselves at all. Taking precautions and not being cavalier about the whole thing is just common sense. Unfortunately there are some dishonest people in every industry, including this one, that ruin it for the vast majority of people who are honest.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about it, OP. We had our engineered hardwoods torn out and replaced a few weeks ago and had to leave the contractors alone in the house all day for 3 days. We did not leave a key because one of their team was always at the house, but there was no way I or my 2 year old DD could stick around with all of the dust, noise, and fumes. The only really valuable, easy to steal thing we own is my engagement ring so I just put it on and didn't worry. I feel like if something were to go missing, it would be pretty obvious what happened and 99.9% of contractors are honest and trustworthy. I will say I would not have been comfortable leaving a key so if you can find a way around that, I would.

[morningmania]

I am sorry that you feel that contractors are treated like criminals.
I don't think that this post is offensive at all. Do you really expect people to just trust everyone that they hire automatically, no questions asked? I think that is unreasonable.

Those that are offended - Do you leave your car unlocked no matter where you park? What about your front door? How dare you not trust everyone all the time.

[takeonyou]

But there is a difference with how people treat contractors vs. how people treat realtors. It's just how it is.

Dh gets offended being treated as "less than" by some clients. Being followed room to room while you work and having the homeowner stop by to check on you (not your work) can get you down after a while. Dh is a honest guy. He is college educated and has his own nice stuff and nice home. He doesn't steal or have any need to steal.

The fact is most people look down on contractors. They think they are in their line of work because they are too dumb to do anything else. A lot of people assume that all contractors are big drinkers (hence the beer thing) and tell dh not to drink on the job. After 17 years of being treated that way, FOR NO REASON, it can start to get old. So he takes offense to being treated that way. Treating anyone as a suspicious person just because of their job is wrong.

Yeah, they are strangers -- which is why you make sure insurance is up to date and check reviews. Like PP said, this kind of thing can happen with anyone in your hoe=me, not just contractors. So keep your valuables put away anyway.

[So_Fetch]

Nov 14, 2012 11:00:28 GMT -5 takeonyou said:

But there is a difference with how people treat contractors vs. how people treat realtors. It's just how it is.

Dh gets offended being treated as "less than" by some clients. Being followed room to room while you work and having the homeowner stop by to check on you (not your work) can get you down after a while. Dh is a honest guy. He is college educated and has his own nice stuff and nice home. He doesn't steal or have any need to steal.

The fact is most people look down on contractors. They think they are in their line of work because they are too dumb to do anything else. A lot of people assume that all contractors are big drinkers (hence the beer thing) and tell dh not to drink on the job. After 17 years of being treated that way, FOR NO REASON, it can start to get old. So he takes offense to being treated that way. Treating anyone as a suspicious person just because of their job is wrong.

Yeah, they are strangers -- which is why you make sure insurance is up to date and check reviews. Like PP said, this kind of thing can happen with anyone in your hoe=me, not just contractors. So keep your valuables put away anyway.

This doesn't sound like an "all contractors feel this way" argument. It sounds like your husband may have low self-esteem to read so much into other people's actions.

[countthestars]

People drop in on contractors during the day to make sure everything is going smoothly, there are no questions, and that there will be no rework later. I do. I also check in with the people I manage a few times a day for the same reasons. No one wants to complete a day's work and then find out that the instructions were misunderstood and it will need to be redone.

People also drop in on their daycare. I don't think everyone feels that their child is being mistreated, but it would be silly to not be sure just because you didn't want to offend someone, right?

This is silly.

[pamela]

BTW, offering beer is not because they assume contractors are big drinkers. It's more likely because most contractors are men, most men like beer. And most men are not offended by being offered beer. Unless they are trying to pay him in beer instead of cash, the beer is an extra.

[rubytue]

Just to add another side. H is a contractor (electrician). He doesn't like ppl working on our house when no one is home. That said, he can't stand ppl watching him work, but he totally understands and does not get offended when ppl want to be home.

It took him 6 months to be ok with the cleaning ppl working when I'm not home.

[countthestars]

Nov 14, 2012 11:46:25 GMT -5 pamela said:

BTW, offering beer is not because they assume contractors are big drinkers. It's more likely because most contractors are men, most men like beer. And most men are not offended by being offered beer. Unless they are trying to pay him in beer instead of cash, the beer is an extra.

:Y:
I offer my little cousin pizza when he comes over to rake. Because I assume that 16 year old boys like pizza. We offer our contractors water and gatorade during the day and beer after work.

[noodleoo]

Nov 14, 2012 11:00:28 GMT -5 takeonyou said:

But there is a difference with how people treat contractors vs. how people treat realtors. It's just how it is.

Dh gets offended being treated as "less than" by some clients. Being followed room to room while you work and having the homeowner stop by to check on you (not your work) can get you down after a while. Dh is a honest guy. He is college educated and has his own nice stuff and nice home. He doesn't steal or have any need to steal.

The fact is most people look down on contractors. They think they are in their line of work because they are too dumb to do anything else. A lot of people assume that all contractors are big drinkers (hence the beer thing) and tell dh not to drink on the job. After 17 years of being treated that way, FOR NO REASON, it can start to get old. So he takes offense to being treated that way. Treating anyone as a suspicious person just because of their job is wrong.

Yeah, they are strangers -- which is why you make sure insurance is up to date and check reviews. Like PP said, this kind of thing can happen with anyone in your hoe=me, not just contractors. So keep your valuables put away anyway.

Trust is earned, it is not a given. I'm sure once people get to know your H, they will trust him. But the first time a new contractor is in our house, you better believe we will be home. We don't know him from Joe Schmoe on the street. And having common sense, there's no way I'd give a random stranger off the street a key to my house, so I'm not doing the same with a contractor I've only met once. Even if I met the business owner before, i don't know his crew either. And dealing with insurance if something should go missing is a pain in the ass, and if something like a wedding ring was stolen, that is pretty irreplaceable. I think you need to accept that people will mitigate the risk by staying home or checking on a contractor. It is worth it to avoid issues down the road. If he's offended by that, he needs to grow a thicker skin. It comes with the territory when he chose a career where he is working in other people's homes. You cannot blame a homeowner for being cautious.

Also, just because he's honest doesn't mean everyone in his field is. There are too many examples of valuables being stolen, he can't deny that it happens, which is why people are extra cautious.

[Deleted]

Nov 14, 2012 11:46:25 GMT -5 pamela said:

BTW, offering beer is not because they assume contractors are big drinkers. It's more likely because most contractors are men, most men like beer. And most men are not offended by being offered beer. Unless they are trying to pay him in beer instead of cash, the beer is an extra.

Yeah, I have to say, I have offered beer and it has NEVER crossed my mind that a contractor may interpret the offer as an assumption on my part that he is a big drinker because he's a contractor.

Whenever I have someone in my home for any reason I always offer a drink--usually coffee, water, or tea. A couple of times I have been in my kitchen and said something like "Can I get you a drink? We have water and coffee, tea, (opening fridge) Coke, or even a beer if you'd like." One guy took me up on the beer at the end of the job. That was the only time, but it was a sweaty outdoor job and he thanked me like 12 times for it.

If this is offensive, I give up at trying to not be offensive.

[livinitup]

I've never thought of contractors as anything but highly skilled professionals. Dumb? Never. Your husband has self esteem issues. Big time.

And I'm offended you assume I am a snob because I don't have contracting skills and need to hire people like your husband.

[obladi]

WTF at being offended by being offered a beer. That is really absurd. People do that to be nice. I think your husband is in the wrong line of work if he is this easily offended. And I have never assumed a contractor is dumb. The contractors I know are far from it and make good money.

[isabel]

Nov 14, 2012 11:59:51 GMT -5 livinitup said:

I've never thought of contractors as anything but highly skilled professionals. Dumb? Never. Your husband has self esteem issues. Big time.

And I'm offended you assume I am a snob because I don't have contracting skills and need to hire people like your husband.

The bolded part big time. I know several contractors and all of them are very smart, well educated people. Doesn't change the fact that I'm not going to let some stranger hang out in my house all day without checking in or having met them first.

OP, as others have said, I wouldn't get too concerned about it. Put all your small valuables/cash away in a safe place and check it when you get home. If it's missing, you'll have some recourse given that they seem to be a pretty reputable company. But, chances are more likely that you'll have no issues and come home to a nicely completed job.

[heyrebekah]

Is it offensive to offer a beer if I am, myself, drinking a beer at the moment and ask if they want one too, or anything else to drink?

I can't imagine anyone worrying that assuming you drink beer = assuming you are low class, blue collar, whatever... I mean, clearly, if I keep beer in my house I don't think anything is wrong with it and don't look down on people who drink beer.