ᐅ Topping-Out Ceremony Planning – How Many Construction Workers Will Be Needed?

Hello, I am trying to plan our topping-out ceremony and a few questions have come up, maybe you can help me.
How many construction workers are usually present? Do they all come or only those who are on site at the time? Does the construction company take care of inviting the architect and others?

Is the topping-out wreath provided by the construction company, or do we need to arrange it ourselves? Our topping-out ceremony will probably be in April or May; will we need a space heater?
Are gifts typically given to the tradespeople? Does the client usually give a speech?
And what kind of food and drinks should be offered? I was thinking of two soups with bread, chips, etc., beer (bottles or draft?), spirits, sparkling wine or punch, water, soft drinks, etc. Should we provide coffee? What else should we consider? We plan to invite about 40 people plus the tradespeople, I hope there will be enough space.

Initial questions are individual. The topping-out wreath or wreath ceremony must be specified in the scope of work; otherwise, you will need to order and purchase it yourselves. Nowadays, craftsmen are not willing to sacrifice their personal time. However, fundamentally, the invitation from the client—that is, from you—is what counts.
The carpenters also need to be officially commissioned: for a small fee, they will deliver the traditional topping-out speech.
Coffee and tea are appropriate, especially at these temperatures and times.

But basically, it is your celebration, which you coordinate with the general contractor and architect.

Ours was like this. The tradespeople arrived around 8 p.m., more than are usually on site at that time. The boss came, the construction manager came, and the boss’s secretary as well. It was a lively celebration from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The company provided the topping out wreath. There was a speech by the carpenter and me. We drank Flensburger beer, schnapps, vodka, rum, cola, and juice, and ate plenty of goulash soup. No coffee. My wife and I invited everyone, but we coordinated the date with the company boss. It was great. I didn’t give any gifts to the tradespeople at the topping out ceremony, but I occasionally tipped them. The celebration was a big success. Since then, they enjoyed coming to our place and put in extra effort. Don’t be stingy. Go all out. Good brand-name beer, quality spirits, heating lamps, good food.

Norden schrieb:
Hello, I’m trying to plan our topping-out ceremony and a few questions have come up. Maybe you can help.

There is only one thing certain: it is very individual and can go one way or another.

In my experience, tradespeople usually don’t have time for topping-out ceremonies… and people don’t drink as much as they used to .

For us, it was like this:
- The developer arranged the roofer (1 person) and also the topping-out wreath (simply, without any prior agreement).
- Through the developer, we invited our new neighbors (we didn’t know them yet).
- We invited friends and family.
- We provided food (potato salad, sausages, sandwiches, cake) and drinks (coffee, tea, water, juice, beer, shandy, sparkling wine, schnapps).
- We got seating, tables, and standing tables.
- We asked the site manager about electricity (not a problem).

Besides our guests, 2-3 people from the developer, 1 roofer, and 2 bricklayers (from the neighboring site!) came along. I thought it was nice that at least two bricklayers got a beer from me.

I’m not a fan of gifts for this occasion. I’m sure nobody expected anything either.

The most important part: driving in the nail.

At first, it seemed that Bieber was right and everything had become very matter-of-fact—numbers, measurements, and so on. However, when I spoke with the people, starting with the three bricklayers, they expressed regret about so many traditions disappearing. For example, we had a Madonna made of bronze built into a cornerstone, which the bricklayer really liked. I then mentioned that we wanted to have a proper topping-out ceremony, if the craftsmen were open to it. Of course, they said, we’ll do it—finally a topping-out ceremony again. And so it began. I suspect this also has to do with pride and professional tradition. These are very old trades, and the people understand that—they don’t want to end up on the same level as delivery drivers, even though they hardly earn more. But they still feel that they are something different. And the traditions emphasize that. I thought celebrating the topping-out ceremony was a really good decision for our construction process. The wreath isn’t part of the building contract here; it’s simply a custom that the company owner provides it. It’s still hanging up in our attic. Karsten

Norden schrieb:


Our topping-out ceremony will probably be in April/May. Will a portable heater be necessary then?

As far as I remember, the windows were installed only after the roof structure was completed, so a portable heater would have limited effect.

Our topping-out ceremony was in mid-August, so it wasn’t an issue for us.