Hi everyone,
our shell builder has been busy, and the topping-out ceremony is the day after tomorrow!
We have everything prepared so far, all good. During the planning phase, I also did some online research and occasionally came across the mention of:
Gifts (envelopes with money) for the tradespeople?
At first glance, I find that a bit excessive and had never heard of it before. Have you ever done something like handing out money envelopes? Don’t get me wrong, but when I complete a successful project at work, I only receive my salary and maybe a thank-you on a lucky day.
Of course, the guys are invited, and there’s meat and beer ready!
Rituals and customs vary a lot by region; we are building near Nuremberg, in Franconia.
Best regards
our shell builder has been busy, and the topping-out ceremony is the day after tomorrow!
We have everything prepared so far, all good. During the planning phase, I also did some online research and occasionally came across the mention of:
Gifts (envelopes with money) for the tradespeople?
At first glance, I find that a bit excessive and had never heard of it before. Have you ever done something like handing out money envelopes? Don’t get me wrong, but when I complete a successful project at work, I only receive my salary and maybe a thank-you on a lucky day.
Of course, the guys are invited, and there’s meat and beer ready!
Rituals and customs vary a lot by region; we are building near Nuremberg, in Franconia.
Best regards
@BeHaElJa
When I used to visit construction sites, my impression of topping-out ceremonies was that they were more of a ritual or something you had to do out of obligation.
After all, it’s free time for the tradespeople, which is not compensated when they attend. People would sit, drink, and pat each other on the back... just a formality... nothing personal.
However, when the homeowner occasionally stopped by with homemade cake and a pot of coffee, you knew your work was appreciated, and yes, that felt personal. I can still remember the smell of fresh apple cake that the homeowner had baked.
When I used to visit construction sites, my impression of topping-out ceremonies was that they were more of a ritual or something you had to do out of obligation.
After all, it’s free time for the tradespeople, which is not compensated when they attend. People would sit, drink, and pat each other on the back... just a formality... nothing personal.
However, when the homeowner occasionally stopped by with homemade cake and a pot of coffee, you knew your work was appreciated, and yes, that felt personal. I can still remember the smell of fresh apple cake that the homeowner had baked.
We didn’t have a topping-out ceremony. I would have liked to, but our builder said that hardly any of his team would come because they have too many construction sites, and if they attended every topping-out ceremony, they would hardly be home. Instead, we gave our tradespeople a small tip and a local specialty from our town. I think both would be too much. Either a topping-out ceremony OR a tip/gift.
We had our topping-out ceremony over the weekend, and it was a complete success. However, the preparations gradually became bigger and more elaborate, but that was fine.
We invited all the contractors involved, and except for one person, they all came. We also invited some friends and family, as well as the neighboring residents nearby. For those neighbors with whom we already had good contact, we spoke to them personally beforehand. For most others, we simply dropped an invitation letter. Of course, there was no RSVP, as it’s unreasonable to expect people who don’t know us yet to call and confirm attendance. So, we didn’t ask for any response and didn’t include a phone number on the invitation.
Almost all neighbors showed up, and the house was really crowded. Over the afternoon and evening, the living room was well filled with more than 50 people. There were two kinds of beer, sausages and grilled meat, various salads, coffee and cake, beer garden benches and standing tables, two refrigerators, and three electric coolers running at full capacity... and in between, a nice traditional topping-out speech.
We’re glad we did it this way and officially introduced ourselves instead of waiting until we move in, which might be in March 2017.
It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it. Much nicer than handing out tips and not getting to know the neighbors.
We invited all the contractors involved, and except for one person, they all came. We also invited some friends and family, as well as the neighboring residents nearby. For those neighbors with whom we already had good contact, we spoke to them personally beforehand. For most others, we simply dropped an invitation letter. Of course, there was no RSVP, as it’s unreasonable to expect people who don’t know us yet to call and confirm attendance. So, we didn’t ask for any response and didn’t include a phone number on the invitation.
Almost all neighbors showed up, and the house was really crowded. Over the afternoon and evening, the living room was well filled with more than 50 people. There were two kinds of beer, sausages and grilled meat, various salads, coffee and cake, beer garden benches and standing tables, two refrigerators, and three electric coolers running at full capacity... and in between, a nice traditional topping-out speech.
We’re glad we did it this way and officially introduced ourselves instead of waiting until we move in, which might be in March 2017.
It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it. Much nicer than handing out tips and not getting to know the neighbors.
S
Sebastian7922 Aug 2016 11:17Well done – it was the same for us, and our neighbors even helped during the construction. Strangers beforehand became better acquaintances and friends…