I have Filipino fiends doing a new build, and I have been trying to explain roof shouts! Having not ever done a new build, I am not sure of how this happens, or what's involved or offered up. They do not drink alcohol, so any suggestions appreciated. I thought some traditional food would be the way to go. Thanks in advance.
hilt_dwane,
Mar 11, 4:41am
Bbq, ginger beer etc. seems these days roof shouts are not mandatory but the expense would be covered by the homeowner. We provided both alcohol and ginger beer ( building company boss was teetotal) and the barbecue. It went over very well and my understanding is that the workers are more inclined to go that extra mile on the job (call it bribery if you wish! ) Probably money well spent
hammer23,
Mar 11, 4:57am
You got it summed up in one
kiwiscrapper1,
Mar 11, 5:09am
I dont think it as common as it used to be, each contractor did his thing and left! The 'builder' only spent 17 days on our house, when we did say we would shout everyone it was too hard to co-ordinate as they were never available at the same time.
jill117,
Mar 11, 8:03pm
It is becoming less common, and with the drink driving laws many people just give the builder a box of beer to take home.
happymullen,
Mar 12, 1:08am
Thanks for the responses. I hadn't thought about all the different tradies being there, just the roofers, silly me! I guess with the way subdivision houses are managed and built it will be hard to sort it. Maybe I will just tell them not to worry about it too much. Thanks
stevo2,
Mar 12, 2:06am
x1
As a builder myself, I invited many of the various tradies that worked on my house plus I put an invitation in the letterbox of all residents of my street (about 20) and had a great response. That way We got to meet all of the neighbours and had a great evening with the BBQ and a few beers. Cheers Stevo
survivalkiwi,
Mar 12, 2:41am
I am a builder and find that when we build for the group house companies they are few and far between. But when we build custom they are still there. They are becoming a thing of the past. I have just started building my own house and know that I am steering down the barrel at a big night so have the home brew barrels brewing away. I will make sure that the next day the boys will be so hung over that they will say they are never coming back to my place for a drink again,
golfdiver,
Mar 12, 12:51pm
Did you say roof shout OP? These days they are pretty rare and I don't encourage my clients to offer up booze for the reasons above. However in the case of a new build we get the odd invite at the end of the job. Normally less than half the subbies turn up. Another idea is if you are really pleased with the service is to provide a written reference to the company. These are worth more than a few beers and cost you less.
anne1955,
Mar 12, 10:32pm
Not like it wa sadly :) Been on trips up ski fields in snow mobiles and then all paid dinners at a very expensive pub. But think now days it a good Barbie and a heap to drink including soft drinks ;) Is about all that's done and as I think someone said more at the end than just when the roof goes on. Personal I guess.
tezw1,
Mar 14, 12:53am
I've found they are pretty rare these days too. Best recent one was when we finished building a bar/restaurant. I had to give the construction manager a lift home about 11pm as he was too far gone to drive.
tintop,
Mar 14, 3:30am
Excellent :)
lydia.m.,
Mar 14, 4:41pm
I think the fact the OP is talking about friends building for him, it becomes a little less like a 'roof shout ' but a BBQ thank you, non alcholic drinks and food would be a nice thank you to the workers :)
with the ever increasing number of contract building and big companies whacking up kitsets, the tradition of the roof shout had ebbed away, once upon a time you'd see the same builders/subbies onsite for months and have almost daily contact while the home owner and builder managed the build. now it's all project managers and company reps . end of an era
brenda007,
Mar 15, 2:40pm
We phoned the foreman on site prior to each visit to our new home build to ascertain how many tradies were on site so we could bring along morning tea for them all. After we had done it for the third time we got a very nasty email from the building company telling us we were not allowed on site in future as we were "disrupting and holding up the workers" and causing delays! We were told it was also an OSH matter as we were on the site to take progressive photos of the build for our album (first time we had a house built) and could cause an accident or be involved in an accident. We were never on site for more than 10 minutes, never arrived without first checking with foreman if it was ok to travel the 95kms to visit, never entered site until foreman was aware we had arrived. Building company owner advised in same email that it was best if we stayed away and they would take photographs and if we felt we "needed" to "shout" the workers we should either send money or drop off "beer" to their office and they would arrange it. Needless to say, we did not send money or drop off beer to their office. Since moving in we have spoken to the builders on either side of our house, who were also building at the time our home was under construction, and they said the building company manager was a nasty piece of work and they had witnessed and heard some very emotive arguments between some of the tradies/subbies during the time our house was under construction, including the electrician and plumber telling them where to stuff their job! It was very upsetting as we were very grateful to the tradies for their hard work and working conditions were quite awful mid winter when it was freezing cold and wet so we were happy to provide some hot morning food and beverages.
stevo2,
Mar 15, 3:04pm
Sounds like the manager was horrible. Our clients are always encouraged to come and visit our sites. That way any changes they may want to make are caught early on in the proceedings and costs involved will be minimal. We had one client that organised morning tea to be delivered to us every 2nd tuesday and shouted beers every friday. We just finished a renovation where the client lived in the house and moved from room to room as we renovated, they were horribly disappointed if we couldnt stop for a beer and nibbles every night after work. The Kiwi roof shout is alive and well for normal "custom" builders but not really anymore for the "Group Housing" teams
juliewn,
Mar 16, 5:01am
I invited builders and all our subbies to our house-warming, which was held well prior to moving in, while at the stage of the exterior cladding and roof on and internal framing done - we had the party at that stage while my son was home from Vancouver. Worked well - big pile of gib with a tarp over became the buffet table, lights through the house, from leads run over from our sleepout, made fabulous shapes from all the framing - the kids loved finding them all and climbing in the frames. It was lovely to have the Tradies here to celebrate with us. including sharing in the cake I made that was the same shape and colours of the still to be finished house.
deanna14,
Mar 3, 3:05am
x1
When we built (and our roof was on) with a Company, who now sponsor Ch Ch's Addington Centre, we asked the guys what they wanted, which was pizzas and fizz. It was a good time, to jell with them and relax.
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