Etiquette re landscapers taking their lunch break on my front lawn

[Anonymous]

We have a nice maple tree in front of our house. My husband built a bench there (close to the street and under the tree). Our neighbors have no trees and their contractors often sit there. Do we care? Heck no. We are thrilled that people are using it in the heat. We also have people who are walking rest there.

Be humane to other human beings. Someday you might be glad for a shady spot to rest in this journey of life. Be kind. OP, you should model this for your children.

[Anonymous]

This blows my mind. I actually make my contractors lunch (sandwiches or frozen pizza) and cold drinks and take it to them. No need for everyone to do this, but questioning their presence on your lawn?!?

I am an American (born here) but I have lived in many places around the world, and this kind of attitude seems uniquely American to me, in the worst way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would offer them the patio table, a fan, and some bottles of water. I'm not reading through the whole thread, but I'm pretty damn sure that's the consensus.

+1. Yeah.

[Anonymous]

I bet this is my neighbor Janet who doesn't allow her cleaners to park in her driveway or in front of her house. They must lug their gear up her long driveway after parking across the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to see a quick poll of the room as to how many people here serve contractors lemonade. As to being a monster, geez... I called it a minor irritation. Considering all the things that people are capable of, and have done in recent news, perhaps your perspective needs adjustment. It's not like I don't think they deserve a break. I just never volunteered my front lawn as their personal breakroom.

"it's ok if I'm a crappy person because other people are crappier" this is your argument?

[Anonymous]

OP, just build workers quarters in a different part of your yard. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people may be unfairly denigrating op based on her poorly worded title/potentially misinterpreting the situation.

When OP references her “landscapers” in the title I think many (myself included) envisage a team of workers working on a massive property for at least multiple hours per day. If this is in fact the case then absolutely she’s a monster for begrudging them taking a lunch break to relax out of the hot sun for 30-60 minutes during the shift.

From the actual post, however it sounds like op actually has a weekly lawn mowing service, (which we have and at least in our case consists of ~15 minutes of service/week) and the employees are regularly hanging out on OPs property either before starting or after completing the work.

If the latter is the case and the lawn service is showing up to complete a quick 15-30 minute job but routinely taking an extra 30-60 minutes before or after to hang out to eat lunch and rest on her property I would also be annoyed and seek another service.

why?

Because having strangers hanging out in our small yard area is disruptive/noisy, especially as we have young kids. As neither my husband nor I are keen to mow the lawn ourselves, a 15-20 minute disturbance is worth the chore saved. If the length of the disturbance was regularly tripled to 45-75 minutes because the crew opted to take a break in our yard that was 2-4x as long as the actual service they provided we would probably rethink the pro/con calculus.

"Disturbance"

lol

Not sure what is funny about that. We have a small yard and not great windows/sound proofing so when our weekly lawn mowers come it’s hard to get work done/have kids nap, etc during that period or it can interrupt briefly interrupt outdoor play.

It’s a minor inconvenience for the 15-20 minutes the mowing takes, but if the 15 minutes of noise/disruption for actual services provided routinely stretched to an hour + because the workers were subsequently hanging on our property for a lunch break l I’d rethink the service.

Similarly if I hired someone to come clean my home for 1-2 hours/week and upon completion she decided to hang out to take a break in my living room for another 2-4 hours after completion while I was working from home I would find another option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people may be unfairly denigrating op based on her poorly worded title/potentially misinterpreting the situation.

When OP references her “landscapers” in the title I think many (myself included) envisage a team of workers working on a massive property for at least multiple hours per day. If this is in fact the case then absolutely she’s a monster for begrudging them taking a lunch break to relax out of the hot sun for 30-60 minutes during the shift.

From the actual post, however it sounds like op actually has a weekly lawn mowing service, (which we have and at least in our case consists of ~15 minutes of service/week) and the employees are regularly hanging out on OPs property either before starting or after completing the work.

If the latter is the case and the lawn service is showing up to complete a quick 15-30 minute job but routinely taking an extra 30-60 minutes before or after to hang out to eat lunch and rest on her property I would also be annoyed and seek another service.

why?

Because having strangers hanging out in our small yard area is disruptive/noisy, especially as we have young kids. As neither my husband nor I are keen to mow the lawn ourselves, a 15-20 minute disturbance is worth the chore saved. If the length of the disturbance was regularly tripled to 45-75 minutes because the crew opted to take a break in our yard that was 2-4x as long as the actual service they provided we would probably rethink the pro/con calculus.

"Disturbance"

lol

Not sure what is funny about that. We have a small yard and not great windows/sound proofing so when our weekly lawn mowers come it’s hard to get work done/have kids nap, etc during that period or it can interrupt briefly interrupt outdoor play.

It’s a minor inconvenience for the 15-20 minutes the mowing takes, but if the 15 minutes of noise/disruption for actual services provided routinely stretched to an hour + because the workers were subsequently hanging on our property for a lunch break l I’d rethink the service.

Similarly if I hired someone to come clean my home for 1-2 hours/week and upon completion she decided to hang out to take a break in my living room for another 2-4 hours after completion while I was working from home I would find another option.

NP. You equate people sitting under a tree in your yard to having them in your living room? You equate the noise of people having lunch to the noise of mowers/blowers? SMH

Something is wrong with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to see a quick poll of the room as to how many people here serve contractors lemonade. As to being a monster, geez... I called it a minor irritation. Considering all the things that people are capable of, and have done in recent news, perhaps your perspective needs adjustment. It's not like I don't think they deserve a break. I just never volunteered my front lawn as their personal breakroom.

I don't get this comment. I am not known as an overly giving person, but I always keep a small collection of drinks in my fridge for contractors and such. It's hot, and they work hard. I always thought that was pretty normal...?

+1 I've even been known to offer cold water to salesmen and Mormons knocking on my door. It's kind to offer it especially when it's so hot.

[Anonymous]

Omg OP, go crawl in a hole and bury yourself. You are a terrible person.

[Anonymous]

Please be kind and allow them to have their lunch on your lawn. I am surprised that you would be opposed to this.

[Anonymous]

NP. The gardening crew (not landscapers) sound like keepers. I'd be fine with them taking a lunch break under my tree if they cleaned up after themselves. It must be lovely to sit under your tree in the spring.

[Anonymous]

Let’s meet up at OP’s cherry blossom tree to see what all the hype is about.

[Anonymous]

Send these guys to my house. They can eat at the patio table under the umbrella.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to see a quick poll of the room as to how many people here serve contractors lemonade. As to being a monster, geez... I called it a minor irritation. Considering all the things that people are capable of, and have done in recent news, perhaps your perspective needs adjustment. It's not like I don't think they deserve a break. I just never volunteered my front lawn as their personal breakroom.

Are you offering another break room?