Our guys work late (sometimes till 9 or 10PM). We'll bring in Pizza, do some brats on the grill, etc.

Gift cards to a sandwich shop - good idea - we'll try that out.

Yes those are great ideas. On our last remodel, we stocked a cooler every day with sodas, water and the like and the gesture was very much appreciated. Even though it shouldn't make a difference in quality, the workers will go the extra mile on things such as clean up but really it's just good spreading all of that positive karma around.

I occasionally would bake cookies but I love your idea of a gift certificate to a sandwich shop and will do that when we start this remodel in May.

Good luck!

I've baked cookies and taken them to Chinese for lunch. I've also offered to give them some of the stuff I've purchased at Costco in bulk - like a huge bag of apples. We can only eat so many apples, so I gave my GC half of them. One of the cabinet installers brings his big German Shepherd to work everyday (it stays in the truck and is very well-behaved). I bought a case of dog food at Costco and my dog didn't like it. I offered it to him, and he took it because his dog will eat anything. I was a little leary about doing the Costco thing and it wasn't planned - afraid that they'd think it was like...er.. charity. But they graciously accepted with thanks.
One of the best things I feel that you can give to the folks that work on your home, is good communication and frequent pats on the back for doing a good job.

I help with cleanup, put on their favorite radio station, go get lunch and provide water and snacks and a clean bathroom. I also make sure I'm home when they are here because I know their time is valuable and if they have to track me down with a question it is inefficient for them. I also have a space outside where they would like to eat because they didn't want to sit on my furniture all dusty and grimy...so I made an area with a table and chairs in the shade in the backyard.

good thoughts. thanks!

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Even though it shouldn't make a difference in quality, the workers will go the extra mile on things such as clean up but really it's just good spreading all of that positive karma around.

yup. totally agree.

We're not living in our home while we do a major addition, and it's been a frustrating experience so I don't feel terribly generous right now. But then again maybe i need to make a gesture like this once in a while and see if I can turn it around. I like the cooler and drinks idea, especially as it gets warmer and we get more workers on our project.

I treat my contractor like the thief that he is. We now have an attorney involved, got lucky and this attorney has sued him before with a different homeowner.
Seriously, I do treat all subs nicely. I often bring doughnuts, lunch (we own a popular restaurant) beer after roll-up etc. Of course I would have done this for contractor and did in the beginning but now....... all I have is giant crocodile tears.

Assuming the GC is the owner of his own business, it's not so much the GC that I take care of, but the workers. I always have a box of doughnuts available, cans of soda, sometimes even an urn with hot water for coffee - or, if I'm around - I make them brewed coffee (see my post on another thread about my amazing Saeco coffeenaker :-)).

My daughter did a major renovation a year or two ago, and gave the workers substantial cash tips ($50 - $200) when the job was finished - mostly because they deserved it - the workers themselves aren't making that much money, but also in case she should need some more work done down the road.

I'm always very aware that, day after day, these people are working to beautify homes that they themselves could never afford. Despite the fact that this kitchen is a very big deal for us, and I've been saving up for a few years, and no one really knows another person's financial situation, I can imagine how grand it seems to the workers. In these cases I try especially hard not to give off the impression of being a "rich b***h."

I started out treating them to coffee and snacks. In our case, being nice seems to have had the effect of encouraging them to take advantage. I got awfully tired of putting on the Ritz for the guys because they said they'd be showing up....and then didn't. I am all for being gracious and hospitable to people working in my home, but what I learned is that I was too nice, too encouraging, and too appreciative. With contractors since then, I'm friendly but reserved. I hold back from being my usual 'taking care of everyone' self. My contractors didn't do a good job, weren't on time, were 9 months over their deadline, and no amount of coffee and snacks were going to make them care more about their work or be any more capable or professional.

We offered drinks (coffee, sodas, water) but were politely told "no thanks, we bring our own."

Haven't tried donuts yet...

I offered to make fresh coffee, but they were all tea drinkers and liked bringing their own special brands in thermoses with them. I did put out snacks and soft drinks in the afternoons occasionally. I think the thing they appreciated most was our treating them with respect and as equals . . . not talking down to them, etc. That's what we always do with everyone, anyway, though. As we got to know each other better, they told me some stories of how rudely some of their clients had treated them. I can't imagine why some people do that! Greeting them every morning with a cheerful hello and asking about their weekends, evenings and asking their opinions, I think is thoughtful, too. Again, pretty normal, I think, for most of us here. Offering to take Before & After pics for them to use. Giving them a letter of recommendation to use, is always appreciated.

We had an experience like Judithn's a few years back. We bent over backwards to accommodate the builder who was working in our home. The job, that should have taken 5 weeks max (it was all indoors, so no weather issues..) ended up starting in March and ending in October. My BIL, who is in the construction business, told us we had simply been too generous with our time, perks, and payments on request. We wanted very much to be those "great people to work for" and were taken advantage of.

Since then we try to go by the Golden Rule, but not to make the workplace too much like a "spa" experience, so they'll be motivated to complete the work and move on in a timely way.

Even though my comment about our GC was a little harsh , we do really appreciate all our other subs as I stated. My husband used to be in construction and once said that the house he built for a women who always brought drinks, food, homemade cookies , etc. always stood out to him. He said no one did that and most homeowners treated them like 2nd class citizens. Personally, I can't imagine doing that to someone. Our subs are in our home and part of our lives. Yes someone else said it, they are building our beautiful homes and I want them to know I appreciate them.

Acountryfarm~ amen to that!
Another thing we did, that they commented on a number of times, was (right away) point out the nearest bathroom in our house and told them to please feel free to use it. I kept it clean and stocked with TP, Kleenex and liquid soap and lots of hand towels for them to use. Later, when I got to know them better, they told me that many clients make them to use the public toilet at the nearest store or gas station and refuse to let them use a bathroom in their own homes. That one shocked me a lot! These guys always left my bathroom very clean, to. I think I had the best GCs and subs in all of New Mexico. They were beyond great and I'd recommend them in a heartbeat.

We are building and can't be around much, maybe once a week to make sure everything is on track so we're not in a position to do coffee or donuts. But someone here said to ask opinions and listen to the people working for you. I couldn't agree more. I've never built a house and the plumbers, electricians, tilesetters and everyone working on my house does this for a living. Most of them know more about design and what works than the architect we paid big bucks.

The most amazing thing to me is how these hardworking people appreciate having someone listen to their opinion (even when we may make a different decision). It makes me think that a lot of clients treat them like dummies when they are thinking, feeling human beings who take a great deal of pride in their work. I'm trying to think of something great to do for them when this project is finished.

It's amazing that bathroom facilites aren't always provided. We designated a bathroom for workers - have to admit it wasn't always exactly spic-and-span, with the litterbox temporarily in there and with a drain problem with the sink for a while, but it was there.

We wanted to provide drinks and lunch occasionally but never knew when workers would be here, so that idea failed pretty quickly. If someone's working late and we're getting take-out, we always offer to pick something up for them. The irony is, with a kitchen I'd cook for these guys all the time. Without a kitchen, I just occasionally leave a box of cookies out. At Christmas, I left a holiday chocolate assortment for the GC to find, after we went out of town. Maybe I'll invite him and his girls to dinner after it's all done...

There was a thread last year about throwing a party after all the work is said and done, to which you invite workers, neighbors, and friends. I like that idea but am feeling so gun-shy about spending now. I also worry the neighbors would feel it's a sales pitch. (One of our issues was a poorly built roof, looks like many of the houses on our street have the same issue, and I know our GC would love to fix them all. Would be a good idea, actually, as the city inspector commented we'd caught the problem just in time.)

We are out of state during the build, but when we are there we buy lunch everyday. They actually provide me with the soda that I drink!! They know I am coming and go out of their way to make sure when I walk in I have my soda. I only have 2 or 3 guys that have done 90% of the house.
When I am there, I will bring in baked goods. But since I am not there most of the time, the most I can do is let them know how much I appreciate the great job that they are doing. Oh and a very generous christmas bonus
I have also taken alot of pictures and since this is my builders first highter end house I am making a photo book of the different aspects of the house, so he can use it for prospective clients.

Edlakin, you really set a circle of thinking of others and that's awesome. You got everyone thinking about what they've done or could do for others. This was fun to read through. You've all done some really great things. I'm a painter and I always appreciate being appreciated. Even more than food or money is just the compliments that people give that make me really light up when I'm done. I do want too mention that it's really nice too when the owners don't hang around and watch, but we can never say that to them and if they asked we'd always say it's fine to watch (cause it's there home, but secretly we always prefer owners not sticking around...there's often other construction workers around and my Dad is one, so I can say it with certainty).

We only really had 2 guys work on the house and my Dad and DH worked full time as well. The 2 hired guys brought their lunch everyday or went home for lunch and my Dad and DH ate whatever I planned for them. Then on Fridays I would provide lunch for everyone. maybe pizza, maybe something I cooked. If I had time I often sent some brownies or cookies to the house too and DH shared them with the workers.