If you are planning on undertaking significant renovation work to your property, then you will need to think about a number of practicalities that will need to be factored in to the overall costs. Because you are going to have workmen in your home, you will need to think about how you are going to provide them with the necessary toilet and water facilities.
You may not be able to allow them to use your own toilet facilities within the home, for example if you are renovating your bathroom, so you could consider toilet hire instead. This will obviously cost you additional money on top of the construction work being undertaken so you should shop around before you hand over any money, and ask your contractor before hand whether they have their own. Some who are used to working on larger sites may already have their own portable toilet, and some will be able to provide one for you at an additional cost. Make sure that you ask for a breakdown of costs in your estimate so that you can be sure you are getting the right price.
Although you are not legally obliged to do so, it is also considered good practice to provide the contractors working on your home with water and access to electrical points for non-work related facilities such as kettles. If you cannot give them access to your kitchen and you have a garage, then it might be a good idea to leave it open and give them unlimited access to that – this will give them somewhere to store their possessions in order to keep them dry, and somewhere to shelter on their breaks.
By providing these facilities you are sending out the message that you are comfortable with their presence and that, in turn, will help you establish a good working relationship. Many contractors comment that by denying them access to bathrooms or not furnishing them with the basics, they are made to feel inferior or like they aren’t trusted these simple measures therefore, can go a long way towards alleviating these problems.
