People are sharing what to do when a tradesman’s in your house and it’s the most awkwardly British thing you’ll read this week
Picture the scene: you hire someone to come do a job in your house. They arrive ready to get stuck in – but what do you do while they’re working?
It’s the kind of social interaction that’s a particular nightmare for British people – as Twitter/X user @JohnDonoghue64 raised this week.
Does anyone else suffer from the uncomfortable Britishness of “what do I do whilst tradesmen are working in the house”?
Once I’ve made them a cup of tea, do I linger around, or go and sit in another room, or what?— John Donoghue (@JohnDonoghue64) July 3, 2024
John’s dog, however, has no such qualms.
My dog, Monty, however, has no such qualms, and prefers to linger… usually lying just where the workmen need to get to pic.twitter.com/ZarvlgXEDy
— John Donoghue (@JohnDonoghue64) July 5, 2024
People very much related to John’s experience and offered their own suggestions too…
1.
1. Once tea has been offered, the only British option you have is to walk between two rooms the builders aren’t working in, regularly placing your hands on your hips, and moving things around that you know full-well don’t need to be moved at all.
— Underscore Gav (@UnderscoreGav) July 3, 2024
2. When they do leave, say “thank you” as many times as you can possibly fit in, until the van drives off.
— Underscore Gav (@UnderscoreGav) July 3, 2024
2.
And being completely unable to use a mock working class accent when asking “wanna-nother cuppa mate?”
— The People (@WonPeople) July 3, 2024
3.
Hide.
— Leo (@FinancialLeo) July 4, 2024
4.
Yeah 100%. I end up lingering like a tit for ages, then realising my cue to leave was a few mins ago.
— Mal Simons (@malsimons) July 4, 2024
5.
I got a kitchen fitted a couple of years ago. I gave them the house keys and went to Greece for a week.
— V (@TrueImage66) July 4, 2024
6.
Our gas service engineer was hereb just this Monday and the conversation included Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, the Bible as literature, Elon Musk, Beria, tribalism, and a blocked jet in the cooker.
— Social:Farmers (@Social_Farmers) July 4, 2024
7.
Ha ha. Yep. I feel as if I’m getting in their way. I apologise for being in my own house.
— Gareth Williams. (@history99917180) July 3, 2024
8.
Make them tea once. Show them where the kettle is and let them get on with it. We had builders on and off for two years. They were fab. They used to make me cups of tea.
— Tanni Grey-Thompson (@Tanni_GT) July 3, 2024
9.
I had the decorator in and provided him with as many brews as he wanted accompanied by a full plate of biscuits each time, which he devoured. When he was gone, I discovered he had gone into my cupboard – no need – opened a pack of chocolate biscuits and helped himself to them too
— clarabeagle (@clarabeagle11) July 4, 2024
10.
I tried going into the other room last time and the tradesman followed me because he wanted to chat more. Even when I was on the phone he kept talking.
— Mary O’Hara (@maryohara1) July 3, 2024
11.
Tell the tradesfolk to “holler if you need anything,” then go sit in another room and occupy yourself on the computer, preferably googling about the house repair at stake. Check back in an hour to make yourself lunch or something, ask a question about the work, ask if they need…
— Angela Zimm (@angela_zimm) July 3, 2024