Yes! Did you point out to the workers which bathrooms they were free to use? Not saying this is an excuse, but some people can be clueless.

Maybe the hall bathroom was used by one worker as the other had to go as well. He/she quickly slipped into your MB. This is me giving them the benefit of the doubt.

You would think that it is obvious not to go into a bedroom to use it's bathroom instead of a hall one would be a no brainer.

As long as nothing was taken from your bedroom, I would talk to the foreman and explain that in the future, you would appreciate that the workers use only X bathroom as needed.

I have had lots of handymen etc to the house. It is my experience that they go off site to take care of business.

Big no-no. If you have any opiate medications in your MBA, check to see if some are missing. (Happened to me once when I'd recovered from hip surgery and still had some pain meds in my MBA.)

Though I would never expect that workers tending to inside projects go offsite to find facilities, I'd not want them in my private bath/bedroom. Especially if there is adequate restrooms elsewhere in the house.

If there's no choice about bathrooms, I would sure remove anything tempting.

Ugh. Its so much nicer when they ask. Totally get it, feels like a violation as you didn't invite them into that part of the house -- we had one guy who must have used MBath (think for water) but there ended up being a wet towel, etc. and it just would have seemed so much more honest/upfront if they'd asked first.

I agree with rhizo. While they're working for me they're welcome in my home. Just take precautions(lock the master bedroom door...or put up a do-not-enter sign).

"THE" Sharon Osborne told a story about a guest in her home stealing a little collectible of a rabbit riding a bicycle(so small it fit in your hand). They later gave it to her as a gift, hers was missing. So it's not just construction workers you have to watch. I'm sure her "friend" was well off.

I would feel the same way and think Eld says it best, they just don't think do they? When we had work done, I told them they were welcome to use the bathroom as needed but asked the GC to restrict access to the powder room on the first floor even though we have a guest bath upstairs too. I really appreciated that my request was honored.

I should add though that it was weird when after they'd been working for a couple weeks, they started using the microwave to warm up their lunches. I didn't care, it was just odd feeling. In the end, I think by being kind and making them feel comfortable, they paid more attention to detail and the projects they did were beautiful when done.

We are about to undergo an addition to our home. This is an eyeopener! We won't be onsite 24/7 as we do have to work.

I think we will be installing a lock on our bedroom door that requires a key to open.

It was wrong. I am pretty open with my home and my Master Bath has two entrances, one from the hall and one from the BR but everyone "else" pretty much uses the Full Bath off the entrance or the full bath down another hall. I would be bugged by a worker (rather than a guest) using the MB. My house is your house when you are here...but my Master Bedroom is for my husband and I.....everyone, even our adult kids who live with us have our own space.....It is our house and I wouldn't go into their rooms without them knowing, so I think you are rightfully upset. I'd be tempted to put up some blue tape across all the doors they aren't working in!

lukkirish, I absolutely agree with you. I kept a coffee pot going, baked goods, and coolers for them to put their ice and cold drinks in.

I also put my good towels away and supplied a few packages of folded paper towels that they didn't have to worry about.

pudgeder

We are about to undergo an addition to our home. This is an eyeopener! We won't be onsite 24/7 as we do have to work.

I think we will be installing a lock on our bedroom door that requires a key to open.

******

You can also rent a Port-a-John.

We had our roof redone last summer. The contractor and his two employees are relatives of my husband. It was hot like crazy the two days they worked here, yet not one of them asked to use our washroom or even came inside to refill their water bottles. They drove to a gas station and used that washroom and bought more water. I would never EVER go into someones bedroom without permission. Ever. I was raised to never go into someones private space. Was it wrong of them to do that? Yes.

If you did not specifically tell the workers what facilities to use, how the hell would they know? Sorry, you should let any workers in your house know when they first show up to work. You tell overnight guests whihc room is theirs to use, right? Tell your workers what facilities to use,

Last week, we had our ducts cleaned. Two guys came to do the job and I walked them through the house to show them the intake vents and outlets. One guy came up to ask me if I wanted them to clean the dryer hose (for an additional fee), I went with him down to the laundry room, and I noticed the other guy coming out of the downstairs bathroom, obviously having helped himself to use it.

I sort of thought, "hmm". They were only going to be in the house about 2 hours, so it just seemed odd that he'd just help himself.

I don't know, it just bothered me.

sushipup1

If you did not specifically tell the workers what facilities to use, how the hell would they know? Sorry, you should let any workers in your house know when they first show up to work. You tell overnight guests whihc room is theirs to use, right? Tell your workers what facilities to use,

******

Unless the master is the only bath, I would NEVER help myself to someone's inner sanctum like that. Not cool. I don't need anyone telling me that I should use a guest or other bath, vs. the master.

Totally agree that it was unacceptable for them to be in your bed/bath area!

We had our roof replaced about 5 years ago. None of the laborers spoke English, except for the supervisor. He told us straight out when we were home to leave the garage door down, blinds and doors closed. He told us they'd work for 3 or 4 hours, then go to lunch, and then back for 3 (or more) hours. (They took breaks as needed.) At no time would they need access to the house for potty breaks.

mimipadv -- I guess a porta-potty is an option. While I'm not keen on workers using my bathroom, I'm even less keen on them having access to the bedroom (where the RX's are..... etc. )

I am not being snobby, I just don't want to have to clean up after men I don't even know. And let's face it, most men aren't conscientious when it comes to leaving a clean bathroom environment. Yep. A porta-potty might be in order.

I'll definitely put this on the list to ask the contractor.

The contractor should address the restroom issue with you ahead of time. When we had our deck and patio redone, we either had to allow access inside to use our bathroom (guest), or rent a potty.

Looking back, getting the porta potty was money very, very well spent.

Even if workers will use a spare bathroom, you still have to clean up after them, which yucks me out.

The access to valuables would bother me more than anything. Rxs, jewelry, small artworks or knick-knacks. All easily pocketed and unless you have cameras set up, impossible to prove. No one ever asks us, tho. We live in the woods. Guys seem fine with that. ;)

I allow the use of my powder room and the guest bathroom. Since the litter box is in the powder room, I usually suggest the guest bedroom. No valuables are kept in these areas. I wouldn't want someone in my master bed/bath. The other two bathrooms belong to the kids and no telling what you'd step on trying to get there.

so, if you all go to someone's house you have to go, you must say excuse me and go to your car and drive to a bathroom somewhere to use? I can't believe you all, really can't, what is the huge deal. I was a nanny that worked in the house and I used whatever bathroom where ever we happened to be in the house and sometimes we might be in the master bathroom, no big deal.

We always let a worker use whatever washroom or anyone that had to go. We can't see it a big deal, guess if you need work done, you better pay and order a porter potty for them to use, unreal you all are.

Or as someone said you can use the downstairs if you need to go at all and provide with maybe old towels if its a messy job and you do'nt want grease on your towels and old bar of soap too and remove the good stuff if that is what you are concerned.

Or put locks on everything and so only you and family can do into rooms and bathrooms,etc. and no one else can.

Our recent project was a shower installation in the downstairs Powder Room, so I allowed the workers to use the upstairs guest bath at the end of the hall. I kept the Master door shut, and nobody used that bathroom. I would have been very upset if they had, and I did have to give them the "Please put the lid down" speech. They all did.

You didn't specify, they used what they found.

"Inner sanctum" is a bit much, don't you think?. You limit your options if you feel that way about workers in your house. Your privacy returns when they leave but the space is by necessity shared to some extent when workers are present.

Telling workers to "put the lid down" for the toilet they're using at your direction is also a bit much. You can be sure you became a story for their friends and family after that, and not a respectful one.

Snidely, bad rap on Suzi. She had every right to ask them to put the seat down. Putting things back as you find them is just common courtesy. And I can't imagine anyone caring about workmen telling disrespectful stories about a homeowner, other than to avoid ever hiring them if you find out they talk trash about their customers.

I always check windows to make sure nothing has been left unlocked when workmen go home. While I give a general benefit of the doubt that most all are honorable, trustworthy men, robberies—and worse—have happened at the hands of a few rotten apples.

Yes, put a porta potty out for them. But where will they wash their hands?These comments have made me sick. It is up to the owner to provide humane conditions for the workers when they first come in. Many of you act like your job is more honorable than theirs. Teach your children well.

I'm a firm believer that people have to take a little responsibility for themselves. When you don't specify where to go or if they're even allowed, you certainly can't expect them to automatically go to a different floor when the need arises. With the possible exception of the psychic friends network. That's what could be out of line. I don't know if your master bath is on the second floor or not, by your very limited info, assumably it is. If it's a big thing to you, then you really need to take the initiative and say something up front. Can't use the if you don't know I'm not gonna tell you as an excuse and then complain about it after the fact. Plus, REALLY now, you "...found evidence..."??? Again another time where someone makes comments looking for blind support and outrage and won't give detail about it on which to base an opinion. I have to say, that's one of my pet peeves but that's beside the point. I'm not going to venture a guess whether it's DNA or the toilet paper wasn't in the same position since without knowing what this condemning "evidence" is it could have happened or it's even possible it didn't happen, in which case the outrage would be moot anyway.

I've found that treating workers right generally gets better work. When people do right by me, I'm often willing to give a little more than required and I believe most people are the same. It's not an issue they might "tell stories" about you behind your back, it's about the quality of the work. Sometimes it's not affected, sometimes it is. When I had my roof done it was a warm humid day. The roof was black and in the direct sunlight. Even though they started early to avoid some of the heat I put out a cooler filled with drinks for the workers and some snacks. I provided lawn chairs for them to use on their breaks. The only one who spoke English thanked me but they didn't partake in any of it. They sat on the lawn in the shade when they took their break, they left for a little while, presumably as a bathroom break and went back to work. I imagine they were probably advised by supervisors that there are a lot of people who like to make accusations against workers so don't use or touch anything, which is very good advice.

And for anyone who wants to hypothesize that men are so much worse in a restroom than women have obviously never had to clean public restrooms! I'd rather clean the pig barn than have to clean a women's restroom again. Even if the barn was filled with female pigs! I'm no Felix Ungar by any means but the women's restrooms really sickened me. (Would you like some details???) And people I've talked to whose job history involved restroom cleaning seem to always agree with me.

So to recap it seems:

#1 a worker in and out in an hour or two should not NEED to use homeowner facilities.

#2 When workers are in your home for day(s) they should either come with a porta potty or be directed which if any facilities/amenities you are comfortable with them using.

#3 When in doubt, lock things up!!

#4 Your feelings are yours, no need for validation of them.

#5 No harm done this time, use this experience as a lesson for next time. Communication is key in these situations. Not everyone lives by the same 'rules'. Make your expectations known, if you need them respected. Many people live by the code; "It is easier to apologize than ask permission". If that doesn't work for you, again communicate!!

I'm kind of shocked that people would rent porta pottys instead of letting people use the bathroom. Porta potty's don't usually have sinks and are full of germs. I would much rather people use my clean bathroom with plenty of soap instead of a porta potty if they are going to be touching things and walking in my house.

*******

LOL!

I'm disabused of the notion that most workers wash their hands, having witnessed enough coming out of my bathroom and never hearing the sink run. Don't get me started about pee around the toilet.

When we rented the port-a-pot, the job was an outside one, and although allowing the workers to use our downstairs bathroom would have been minimally invasive, I didn't want to risk it with dogs in the house.

SnidelyWhiplash

You didn't specify, they used what they found.

"Inner sanctum" is a bit much, don't you think?

******

Not in the least. Not for the master and en suite, when there is a guest bath available.

Simple respect for someone's home. I know my place is not in someone's BEDROOM.

And for anyone who wants to hypothesize that men are so much worse in a restroom than women have obviously never had to clean public restrooms!

*****

I agree in PUBlC bathrooms, not in homes. I've never had a woman leave the seat up or pee on my floor. Never.

I have had men do this and not wash their hands. Yuck.

I think mimipadv has got it -- why wouldn't that just get discussed -- do you want us to rent a portajohn (and bill you) or are there other facilities to use? It IS a lot of clean up in a home -- most average guests are not tracking construction debris, bits of wood, plasters, dust, etc. etc. and I've also NEVER heard the sink run (and we have a hands free faucet).

"you certainly can't expect them to automatically go to a different floor when the need arises"

Again, powder room on first floor, hall bath on second floor. it was more out of the way to use the master bath, which requires going through my bedroom and dressing room first.

"Plus, REALLY now, you "...found evidence..."???"

Yes. The bathroom doors I left closed were opened, and my bathroom was filled with small things (tables, desk chair, and other items I stashed in there so they would be out of the workers' way) that had been pushed aside to clear a path to the water closet.

I too am really shocked about the port a potty suggestion. It's pretty petty and well, kind of snobbish actually. We renovated alot in our home and over the course of several years have had tons of workers here. None, not even one has ever left a mess in the restroom that was unacceptable or nasty to clean up after. Now I can't really say the same for a few guests who have had an extended stay here, but hey, no judgement there either. I would much rather someone, no matter who it is, enter our home feeling welcome, then for them to leave feeling like they weren't.

When it comes to medications, my husband has cancer, so we lock his "stash" in a safe for obvious reasons, but it's also not unreasonable to put things in a specific room, shut the door and leave it at that. Closed doors send the silent message that that's a private area and that closed door is typically respected by most people, right?

Just to clarify, I preferred the workers use the powder room because a previous owner converted the smallest 4th bedroom into a bathroom, laundry room combined; the powder room was a better option.

As to the porta potty issue, I always expect workers need access to a bathroom, with one exception: a massive renovation/addition I did on my old house that lasted over 2 months, where I had a crew of usually six guys on site every day. In that house, using the toilets would have meant tracking dust and mud through the house, as that house had no handy little guest bath just inside a door. And the porta potty was something the GC did on his own initiative, without a word spoken by me.

When we had our kitchen redone by our contractor and his assistant, they were working inside and it was just 1 or 2 them, they used our guest bathroom. We had to work around keeping the dogs our of their way, but it worked out fine.

5-7 workers tracking in mud, coming and going, opening doors etc. was a no-go when we had our outside work done.

They had the ability to wash up with any of our hoses, and were otherwise treated with respect, kindness, offers of drink and pizza from time to time.

I think it's totally different if the GC brings a porta potty himself.

Has anyone's GC brought his own porta potty to a house which has available bathrooms? My experience was that if the homeowner wouldn't allow workers inside to use the facilities, they had to pay for the potty rental.

I would absolutely expect a worker to ask if he could use a bathroom in my house, and I would never expect him to use my master bath, especially without asking first. "Do you mind if I use the facilities?" is easy to say.

A few years ago we had a crew frame in an addition. The contractor let me know ahead of time that the workers were not allowed to use our bathrooms, or enter any area not part of the construction site. He'd had a crew member who'd been convicted of stealing from a homeowner's safe. I would have allowed the workers to use our hall bath, and as a matter of fact I did--one day when only one crew member was here, he asked to use the bathroom. I said, "Sure, let me see if it's decent." I made a point of closing the squeaky door to my bedroom, and then sat in the LR, listening for the bathroom door to open.

The guy was in there for a half an hour--I watched the clock, because I was aware that he'd spent most of the morning sitting in his truck, using his cell phone, and if the contractor had asked, I was going to let him know just how long the guy actually spent working. A few weeks after our job was finished, I heard the worker was fired for drug use. I know he was looking through the cabinets when he used our bathroom, but all he would have found was Epsom salts and the kids' ringworm medicine. I had a gut feeling, and I do not apologize for paying attention to it.

Anyone working *inside* my house is shown the powder room off the back hall. I hide any easily portable valuables and medications before they arrive. I'm alert to anyone 'wandering' from the job site. Anyone working outside is on his own. Should he *ask*, he'd be directed to the back door and the powder room, and he'd be told to remove muddy shoes. (They usually volunteer that.)

People doing paid work in my home are not guests. It's been my experience that confusing those roles makes everyone uncomfortable. Of course I am polite, but workers are not there as guests. I have great respect for skilled workers!