Here's a simple question

[Marnie]

When they build your barn or shed or whatever, do they pick up after themselves or just let everything lay in piles where ever it falls? Like the left over cut tin and cardboard, boards, etc. Please give some input if you can.

 

[Mona]

It is my belief that the work crew is responsible for cleaning up the site after themselves.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Generally they leave things laying around during construction or throw it in the general dirrection of a large pile; and if you are lucky they will haul most of it off at the end. when we were building, we lived on the site, and kept things tidied every day. We bought large contractor garbage bags and put trash cans inside the house. We were mainly the ones who used them, though, in the evening when we went to tidy up. Contractors are not tidy men. They are busy measuring and sawing and hammering, and don't even notice the debris, unless it's in their way. I think they very much appreciated that we tried to help keep the site tidied.

We bought a rolling magnet to run around the site with to pick up nails and metal debris. Sometimes they will contruct a wire fence to put things that blow, such as styrofoam, but they don't really care if it blows away.

My sister is doing a major renovation now. She rented a large rolloff. Her workers are carrying the debris out pretty well, but only because it is in their way in the house.

Their idea of cleaning up after themselves on a site is probably not the same as yours.

 

[Mona]

OK Marnie, I just asked my husband...he works for a contractor. He said *they*(his boss and fellow workers) like to keep things tidy and haul stuff off to the dump, but generally, it all boils down to what the owners want. Since they are paying big $$$ per hour to the workers, some will say to include clean-up in the quote, while others prefer not to pay for the high priced clean up, and opt to take care of it themselves, but it should be something that is discussed and settled on in the beginning.

 

[Seashells]

Over the years, we've had two custom homes built for us...and in each case, the sub contractor had a set fee included for cleanup.

 

[wwminis]

Hi Marine,

First off, I am a contractor of 30 years and we always clean up after ourselves!

We try to leave the property just as we found it with a nice building on it! I've built everything from homes to decks to barns! Just ask for referrals and check them out! Make a few phone calls to folks your contractor has worked for! Any good contractor would welcome these calls to previous customers!

Bill

 

[Feather]

It is part of the contract. Hint: 1) Are they dressed tidy? 2) Are their trucks, equipment neatly maintained 3)Are they careful with their tools

Don't know; visit a job they are currently doing (references)! Some owners want them to clean up & others would rather clean it up themselves.

Get it in writing incase you wind up in court, which you never think up front you will.

A lot of contractors, especially barn construction crews, avoid contracts like the flu. Again, previous people they have done recently are your best sources.

We have been lucky to get a crew that has never advertised & you wait wait your turn to get them; but they do use a contract. And we have used one that hates contracts, good work, but molasses was faster than them!

 

[Charley]

We had a garage built last year and there was a fee included for cleanup of the site. Everything was put into a pile and sat until they were done and then they removed it all at once. The only problem I had was with the fast food that the workers ate and left in the pile. I had to go out daily and remove it to the trash can as it attracted loose animals....raccoons and dogs. btw...my husband did go through the pile of lumber and remove the usable stuff as they do throw away anything already cut and not returnable to their suppliers. All the unused complete wood pieces, mostly 2X4's were set aside and the supplier picked those up after the garage was completed. We were very happy with their work and hubby's new garage. They built it and he finished it inside to include the electric (we had another electric contractor check and connect the electric and run the line underground to the garage) and then we stained and sealed the outside.

 

[Southern_Heart]

We had a contractor come out and put a big covered porch on the back of the house and when it was done they cleaned up everything so good you wouldn't have known that they were there. For the price you pay, they should pick up the mess.

Joyce

 

[wantminimore]

My boyfriend is a contractor and when he gives an estimate he puts in it that the job site will be cleaned up. Like another poster said, when he leaves the site you wouldn't know they were there. I've helped on a few jobs with the clean up and he is real picky about getting eveything and they use a magnet also to get any nails.

 

[lilstars]

my boyfriend and i are roofers-siders, he owns the buisness and he never leaves a job without cleaning up all estimates include dumsters and cleanup.... And we generally get every last nail or sliver of shingle!!!

 

[coopermini]

We have construction business and like most have said we clean up and when we leave we try to have everything picked up and cleaned up. And we also use a magnet to pick up nails. Once in a while we have a customer that up front says they will take care for all rubbish removal and clean up. Even then we take care to keep things as neat as possible. Years ago we had lots of customers that wanted scrap wood for fire wood and we always left that in a semi neat pile with no rubbish in it. There are a lot of "fly by night "contractors near us that half do the work they were supposed to and usually leave the site a mess. They make things look bad for all contractors.

Mark