How about a nice Duramax Diesel? need any work done?

:-)

Bake a plate of cookies or a cake in your new kitchen and drop it off as dessert with a GC to a local restaurant that offers delivery.

Yeah, I'm thinking something you made in your wonderful new kitchen would be perfect. Tho I did buy my GC the niftiest little extendable magnet for reaching fallen things. Yeah, everyone has one of those but this one has a tiny light on the end so you can see as well as reach at a distance. They were 3 for $20 so he's got one, I've got one and there's another one for when the first one gets lost.

But, definitely something you made in the kitchen. God knows you've already paid him enough and getting the bennie of the real point of what he did will probably seem very genuine and person-to-person. And maybe print out some of the "before" and "after" pix so he can see what he did and use it as an endorsement for some future client. I know my GC and I were looking at my "befores", "durings" and "nows" just the other day and neither of us could believe the transformation. I know they do it all the time but if I can live in a kitchen (I do!) for 10 years and not remember how far we've come, I bet your GC will be pleasantly surprised too. So print selected ones out and put them in a little notebook or album with a note of thanks.

We had a blast with our contractor and crew so we threw a party. We invited our contractor and a lot of the subs and spouses. The party was a huge success! We had so many of the subs tell us that they never get to see the finished homes and that we were the first customers to ever invite them to a party!!

Like julie - we're planning on a party after the holidays and having all the subs (those of my GC and those that I hired) as well as all my lead guys from my GC over. My dear friend in MN is a contractor so I called him and asked what was the nicest thing a client had ever done for him...he said hand's down that when they get invited over to enjoy their new space that that's the best gift ever. I did give one of my lead guys an Amex Gift Cert and ordered him to take his wife out to dinner since he spent more time here than he did at home over the last 5 mos and I was sure she wasn't always pleased about it!

I'm another one who threw a party for the GC, the crew, the subs, and all the significant others. The whole-house remodel took 16 months, and I stayed in the house the whole time, so the workers and I became well acquainted. As others have mentioned, everyone really enjoyed seeing the finished product. Since I was happy with the job they did (although of course there were the inevitable hiccups...), I had fun too.

---Margaret

finallyca - OH I LOVE IT - can't believe I didn't think of it! I've kept a running "website" on Shutterfly for my contractor and I do photobooks for family all the time so (smacking her forehead with her hand), I can't believe it never occurred to me to do it in this situation! Great suggestion...

excuse me if this sounds cold but.... i have paid my contractors so much money that they should be giving me a gift lol.... :)

I agree that food, parties and recognition are the best ideas. If you do feel the need to give cash to special workers, however, give them gift cards for gas. They are all so concerned about having to drive so much, it really lights up their faces!

Most professionals who make a good wage, in my experience, don't expect little tips. It's more the minimum wage types who appreciate it.

I wonder what DH should give me for GC-ing our project?lol

The only people I gave gift certificates to (food items) were the countertop installers and the cabinet maker. Rest of the workers (subs) got lunch and drinks (sodas, water, coffee) every day.

I had the tilers who were here quite a long time as our bathrooms were a total gut and the same company did some of the carpentry work for carpenters they subbed to do the job. I was kind of the GC.

Since I have access to a lot of roses and inexpensive vases that I have bought en masse and just little bud vases, I sent them home each day (they lived nearby) with a bud or a bouquet of roses to take home. Occasionally when I baked, I shared cookies and cake.

At the end we gave them a pizza and beer party. Since it was near Christmas, I gave each one a bottle of Kendall Jackson to go.

This is the question DH and I have been thinking about for the last week or so! We'd pretty much decided on a thank you party for our GC, all our subs, KD and significant others. My GC told me today that we'd be totally finished the week after Thanksgiving, so I'm thinking that I might make it an early Christmas party with my homemade posole, tamales and desserts (one of our casual parties out here that everybody likes). I really like the idea of before & after pics along with a letter of recommendation, too. I think we'll do both. Thanks for the great ideas!

The photo book, with special words of thanks. Will go further for them than a party - or do both and present it at a party!

I started dating mine! ;)

I love what Amrirose did, but considering pretty much everyone is married (including me!), I don't think that would result in happy people. :-)

Thanks all for the great ideas! We've talked about having a party for them all, but we just haven't been organized enough yet. I think we should just get our act in gear and set a date after the holidays and do it! The book is a great idea too, but considering this group has done better photo documentation of the project than we have and has a great website, I don't know how much we would add. That's a great thing to keep in mind for future projects though.

You guys rock!

PS Bill V, we still have 2 1960s bathrooms that need help (one aqua and one pink), so come on down and visit! :-)

Yesterday we gave something to our GC that he said was REALLY appreciated....a CD full of pictures of our kitchen under construction....from the "before", through all the steps, to the finished product. We had done that for him when he finished the family room. GC's can use photos as reference tools, idea banks (I even gave him all the pictures of the insides of my cabinets, etc), etc. Of course we told him if he needs to list references he is welcome to list us.

BTW, though our kitchen was finished in mid-September, two things happened yesterday. The GC had a small, non-contract job to install our new front door :-). While he was there, he also added something I decided on way in the end of our kitchen job ... got my sink tip-out tray! It's SO nice to get that strawberry basket full of scrubbies and disposal tools, off the top of my counter!

DonnaR/CA

What?? Shouldn't every woman toss their dh aside for a reliable GC boyfriend? Think of all the home improvements you could get accomplished!
Seriously - I'm single, and so is he. It's all good.
I love the Shutterfly book idea, and am uploading pics for a nice Thank You/Merry Christmas/Marry me you sexy beast gift.
You're all invited to the wedding :)

I'm with Lisa....It was anything but Bliss, cost a fortune, and the punch list is a mile high with really ignorant things like the Hot/cold Nozzles are backwards, etc..ETC! Too bad for me,,,I wish I was having a party!

Thank you??? They'll be lucky if I don't post an expose on Angie's List.

I think my GC is now part of the family. He's done so much for us in the past 3 yrs! I'm thinking of finding him a wife! He's handsome, in his mid 30's and has a head full of wonderful renovation ideas (he's also my unofficial decorator)! He's also sweet and thoughtful. He's spending the weekend in our home so he can help me move back in to my first floor since my DH is out of commission with a double hernia repair. He knows I need to get ready for the holidays with my in-laws coming and without my DH to help with the heavy stuff so... he's offering to help all weekend. He also has an eye for detail and no time for the ladies.... my gift to him is interviewing a potential wife! Anyone in central NC, single and in their 30's? Have I got a guy for you!

My previous GC will be lucky not to be cursed by the time this is all over. He bit off more than he could chew and just kept chewing until I shoved them out the door. So the bottles of vintage port I'd planned on giving them will stay in the cellar. Now the new guy, I really like him and I think he's going to make this work....and if he does, we'll do the party as we had planned to do for the others, but the guest list will be entirely different LOL except for the electricians who are the only bodies still remaining on the original build. Other than a lovely party, and probably a bottle of whatever suits their fancy, we'll plan on leaving it at that. They also get their name in lights since we're still on call for magazine shoots (if we finish before the magazines go under LOL)

I'm with lisa226 if the checks don't bounce and I don't have to hound customers to get that final payment, it's all good.

If given the choice between pictures/letter of recommendation or party/tip, my DH would MUCH prefer the letter. Having a list of a dozen or so previous clients who have already told him they don't mind if strangers call or come over to look at his work saves him (well, me really) a lot of time. He probably wouldn't attend the party - the last thing he wants to do on his off time is schmooze with his crew or clients. He likes, and is grateful, to them but a Christmas staff party and maybe a summer staff picnic is a stretch for him LOL.

I love Donna's idea of before, in progress and after pix. Good to show potential customers the attention to detail, and that he doesn't leave a mess at the end of each day!

Sounds like a lot of you were doing remodels. We're building a new house. Haven't broken ground yet. We're not party types ourselves and our GC is very into being a professional builder--officer in local builder's assns, etc. So I think he would prefer the letter/pictures approach.

How do I tailor that for a total house build where there's no "before" pictures to take?

We gave a $50 bonus with a card and note to each of the guys who were the "heart" of the crew, and a weekend in a gorgeous B&B for the GC and his wife.

I love the Picture book and letter idea!

pinktoes, the *after* photo will be even more impressive if the *before* pic is a plot of land. I've never built a house from scratch - but I imagine you could then take a photo after foundation, after framing, etc. with a final, awesome photo after the landscaping is in and the welcome mat and potted geraniums are on the front porch!

I do like the letter and pic idea. Anyone willing to share the text of their letter (names deleted for privacy)??

I'd be interested in some ideas for wording the letter of recommendation also.

We referred our GC to two other families who needed their services. Our GC told us that is the BEST gift anyone could give them. Not only does that give them a huge compliment, who would refer someone who didn't do a great job?, but it also makes them more money by keeping them working. Word of mouth is the best advertisement!!! Ya know the saying..."we told two friends, and they told two friends...and so on and so on"

I would consider doing the picture book at the end, though this is "just" a kitchen remodel (total gut in the kitchen though). Our job is not close to being done, but these guys have been SO GREAT and it is Tgiving next week, so I went to Harry & David and had them make up baskets, one for each, with a turkey, a ham, a dessert and a dip. I figure these guys like meat. :)

Since these particular guys won't be here next week (they leave for drywall, mudding and paint and come back to install cabs, etc) I gave them their gifts today and they seemed truly surprised and appreciative.

I wanted to let them know that we are thankful for their hard work, dependability and honesty at this time of Thanksgiving. Hopefully this will give them an incentive to keep being nice to us too! LOL!

you guys are so funny......really though....here in the northeast...i paid a fortune for this whole house remodel... a gift at the end>>>??? how about a check that doenst bounce...or better yet...pay the guys in $$$CASH,,, they will love you.... they will appreciate that more then a bottle of wine or a party they problay wont want to attend.... just my thoughts though..maybe im not as nice as the rest of you girls... :)