tell him what you think, thank him again, if you want to give him a tip 100.00 dollar bill is ok although he is the owner. you know the relationship you now have with him. have the check in an envelope and hand it to him.

I have recently finished a kitchen install. the owner gave me 75.00 dollars and we went round and round. he jambed it in my pocket. I thanked him. I had to go back because the one piece of crown was the wrong color. went back and finished. they wanted to give me another 50.00. I said no. I said I will take a dollar for the bridge though. we all had a good laugh.

clients in the future you bet . makes me want to go out of my way for them. not because of the tip but the appreciation they have.

Write them a testimonial that they can put on their website and agree to act as a reference or them for future potential customers. Allow pictures of the transformation to be used on Houzz and their website. If he doesn't have a Houzz pro profile, help him set one up with your pictures and review. All of those things say way more than any monetary tip ever does.

Even so, a small gift card is never unappreciated. But, think more of the GC's employees and subs when you do think of a reward. Being a GC is like the salon owner where you get you hair done. You traditionally don't tip the salon owner, just the stylists and shampooers. It's the fact that he hires great employees and subs that makes him look good. Think of how to say thank you to those guys in the trenches too, making the GC look good. Even a hand written card with their name on it goes a long way there.

I would ask first before submitting any review or pictures on a contractor's behalf, and especially before "helping" him set up a profile on a website.

Tips and a thank you note are always nice. I'm sure he will appreciate it!

Tips are always appreciated, especially as an employee and when your boss knows you earned them. I still accept them graciously on larger jobs.

Joseph? you take tips on top of those $750/day lowes referral projects? you sly devil you, bumps you up to an $800 day..

Im hugging you thru my computer.

Thanks everyone! I paid the contractor last night and included a thank you card with a tip inside. It was just the one guy working at my house so I only dealt with him.

That's not something you tip in my opinion. I did tip twice but I regretted doing it to the grass guy (it was a NIGHTMARE). Anyway, I would set the last day for an invite for pizza and beer/soda or something and have a small party at dinner time. Just don't let them drink too much so they can't drive of course! I just offer coffee/water and the odd cookie batch etc when they work here... they appreciate that. That and a big thanks.

quote" That's not something you tip in my opinion."

and why not??????

@ sue, No pizza parties at my house lol (that does sound like a nightmare but thoughtful too). I instead included a restaurant gift card for my contractor.

Anytime people work at my house I offer drinks. Almost always someone takes one too. When I had my roof redone it was super hot. I went out and bought Gatorades and water and put them outside for the guys. They were all gone within two days.

Oh I did get donuts one morning and offered the contractor a couple :)

And a tip for our younger contractors: You're finishing up, especially something that is subjective, such as the appearance of something, and a homeowner approaches with two beers in his hand. He cracks the first one open and hands it to you.

I don't care if you hate beer and I don't care if it's against company policy, you're gonna drink that beer. It means he's satisfied and you're done. This is bonding time. The only reason you pick up another tool is to put it in the truck. The next thing he's going to hand you is a check.

If he tries to hand you another, insist on a lemonade instead; he'll understand. Good time to talk about those pictures hanging on the wall while you finish. Take your time.

After my kitchen remodel, I brought donuts and cookies for the guys who worked in the shop - the ones who built my cabinets, but I never saw. I had snacks for the installers every day.

Our electrician was fantastic to work with, and I have recommended him to several people. I always remind them to tell him Ann sent them. This is a pretty small city, so word of mouth is important.

"quote" That's not something you tip in my opinion."

and why not?????"

Why? <STRIKE> Why do people need to be </STRIKE> Why should people be tipped to do their jobs? Or, worse yet, to do a good job?

I would be kind of offended to be tipped, unless I was waiting tables, where it is part of the salary. All these people with their hands out, just for doing their jobs. Something is wrong with their work ethic or something. As my neighbor likes to say, people today would never make it in the Army.

p.s. I would give praise and recommendations or reviews - more business. I only consider paying more if they do something extraordinary, extra or something was more difficult than expected and they did not charge extra. If someone did a great job and I thought their boss was paying them peanuts, I also might pay the worker extra.

Timely post.

I wondered if I should tip my contractor. I feel that he has gone beyond all expectations,. He installed my digital light switch during a quote. I had quality issues with a previous construction contractor, he helped me understand what was code and best building practices. I was able to have a conversation with the contractor that was fact based and constructive for problem solving, When the previous contractor and I decided on and signed a mutual walk-away, he developed a plan to resolve framing issues and complete the job while staying on budget and within reasonable quality.

On one hand I felt he didn't need to be tipped, but he did me a solid. I want to show my appreciation and not appear to be "a girl". I'll give him a $75 visa gift card.

Personally, I agree with snookums2. Praise, recommendations or reviews should be incentive enough. They (hopefully) make a living wage unlike waiters/waitresses.
I try to treat tradespeople the same way I'd treat 'white collared' workers. Nobody would ever consider tipping their accountant.

Because that's their job. They have it built in profit and oftentimes, you are even using their showrooms where even more profit is built in where you could've gotten the stuff for half the price if you'd of shopped around....

Also, we are a tip happy society. People want to praise their kids for achieving things normal to every day tasks! Also, you got tip jars on counters where someone takes something and throws it in a bag? It's ridiculous. Now waitressing is different because they don't get a regular minimum wage most times. Or delivery people who use their own cars and get wear on them etc. Stuff like that I bend over backwards. Or if someone went out of their way (one of my contractors went out of his way to find brick that matched my 55 year old house). That's tip worthy because he drove and spent extra time to find it.

But for someone just doing their job? In that case, why not tip the school janitor? Does anyone do that? No they don't. Or the trash collectors? Nope. How about cops, firemen who actually save people? Do you tip your plumber when they unclog your drain? How about the cable guy? Why just the contractor and not all the trades it subcontracts too? Really we should tip our teachers when the kids actually learn something (they're underpaid and there's a lot of bad teachers out there... why not reward the good ones!). There's like 20 guys working on your house... you got 100 dollar bills for those guys? How about the secretary, designer, architect, or the lumber yard people? Most likely, the main contractor keeps the tip. Some might disperse it out but undoubtedly, unless it's a HUGE tip, it'd be equivalent to a couple bucks per worker. Might equal a lunch at best. Far better to offer them lunch. JMHO. That way I know they guys who worked out in the sun got something out of it that I did myself to show my personal appreciation.

Oh and a girl/design section at Lowes where I got kitchen cabinets went out of her way to get me extras/save me money, working with time schedules so I could get several discounts at once, then got the cabinet people to work with me on glass doors and sat with me three times to make sure I was getting it perfect .... SHE deserved a tip. I tried to tip and they would not let me! So instead I wrote an email to the company praising her and telling them they needed to reward her somehow if I couldn't.

I'm sure my contractor will do a great job. But no tipping as there'll be like 20 people involved... but I'll make their experience with me great if they do a great job.

hehe. Don't you got me started! LOL