Ask the Home Remodeling Specialists…

Home Improvement Contractors Have to Go to the Bathroom Too…

We don’t like to talk about it, but everyone needs to go to the bathroom at some time. But, what happens when you have workmen working on your house?

No… you don’t need to hang toilet paper from your trees if you have workmen at your house.

There are many horror stories such as “workmen have been using my yard as their toilet! I just caught one urinating and told him my yard is not a ‘toilet’.” In another case, I heard about workers asking if they could go behind the garage to go to the bathroom. I can only imagine what else they might be doing in the yard.

Rules and Regulations

These workmen should not be using your yard, garage wall, or anything else other than a toilet!  According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Toilet facilities shall be provided and maintained in a sanitary condition during construction. An adequate number of facilities must be provided for the number of employees at the construction site according to the following

1 to 20 workers- 1 toilet
21 to 200 workers- 1 for each 40 workers
over 200 workers= 1 for each 50 work

The toilet facility can be yours or one provided by your contractor.

Your Bathroom or a Port-A-Potty?

Do you want the workmen to use your facility or a port-a-potty provided by the contractor?  Of course that is a personal preference.

You have hired a contractor that you trust. Perhaps you can extend this trust to using your bathroom.  But, not everyone is comfortable having strangers use their bathrooms nor do they want to clean up after them.

Leading Edge Homes, Inc. doesn’t want to put your privacy at risk and never wants a customer to feel obligated to allow workmen to use their bathroom. Employees and subcontractors are instructed to use a port-a-potty that is delivered to the job site.

If possible, Leading Edge Homes, Inc. builds a temporary shroud around the port-a-potty in an attempt to make it less unsightly for your neighbors.

Before you hire a contractor you might want to ask what are their employees instructed to do in the event that they need to use the bathroom.  Furthermore, if the job will take more than a week, does the contractor provide a port-a-potty? If he is unwilling to spend about $100 a month for your safety and privacy, what other corners will he cut?