'All that for a pitcher of lemonade': 17 Handymen share wholesome tales of gracious clients whose kindness made them go above and beyond

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jan 13, 2024 6:00 PM EST

Doing physical labor is difficult. Anyone who's ever been foolish enough to think that they can remodel their own home from the ground up with their bare hands knows that there's a reason some people do this for a career. Not only do you need the skills and know-how to accomplish such a feat, but you need to be diligent and laborious in your work ethic to get it done right. 

So when conditions are tough out there for your handyman– in the blistering heat or the unforgiving cold –be grateful that it's not you up there, dangling 20ft in the air on a ladder. To show real appreciation to our boys with blue collars, some clients have gone above and beyond with gracious gifts and thoughtful acts of gratitude. Scroll onward to read the wholesome stories from the job site that encouraged these handymen to give their best effort to satisfy their favorite customers.

After this, read more about some of the worst customers ever– as told by retail survivors.

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  • 01
    r/LifeProTips. Posted by u/Anxious-Fudge- 19 hours ago LPT: feed your contractors Careers & Work If you have hired contractors at your house doing work, feed them. You don't have to break the bank...things like fresh baked muffins, popsicles on a hot day, etc.
    via u/Anxious-Fudge-
  • 02
    Trust me. I was a painter for 6 years, and I never forgot the clients that did stuff like this for us. Made us feel really appreciated and all warm and fuzzy inside. We definitely went above and beyond for those people.
    via u/Anxious-Fudge-
  • 03
    strywever 16 hr. ago We had a landscaping crew totally overhauling our 1/4-acre lot one excessively hot summer. I made the owner (a real ) increase their breaks, made sure there was plenty of water for them, and brought them popsicles every day.
    via u/strywever
  • 04
    Shortly after they finished the job, I got a knock at the door. There stood the landscaper with a giant ceramic planter pot that would look perfect next to the front door. "This is from the guys," he said. "I had nothing to do with it-I'm just the delivery man." It was one of the most touching gifts I've ever received.
    via u/strywever
  • 05
    Bituulzman 16 hr. ago I was making grilled cheese sandwiches for my kids when 2 dudes came to the door and offered to shovel the (very long) driveway from the snow. When we paid them, I offered them a grilled cheese sandwich too. Only one guy took me up on the offer, but he had these huge eyeballs like he couldn't believe it, and exclaimed, "You are the nicest lady!" I still live on that compliment years later.
    via u/Bituulzman
  • 06
    Sword Taster 18 hr. ago I'm English. The standard is to offer tea and then observe awkwardly and make polite chit chat
    via u/SwordTaster
  • 07
    kmo9e 17 hr. ago Lots of people thinking op means you have to provide full home cooked meals, that is not it at all. Years ago I used to work summers installing paver driveways/patios, absolutely brutal work in the heat. One week we were doing a very nice driveway from scratch at an average suburban home. These people were spending some real money on it so if they had the attitude that others here seem to have it would have been understandable, honestly.
    via u/kmo9e
  • 08
    They were mostly indifferent to us, they were nice and we saw them often because they both worked from home. Then one day it was very hot, one of those hot humid days where it hits you even before the sun comes up. We were sweating our ; off, what clothes we were still wearing were soaked through, we were dragging big time. Around 1pm the wife comes outside with a tray that had a tall glass pitcher of lemonade and a glass prefilled with ice for each of us. It was
    via u/kmo9e
  • 09
    glistening in the sun, beams of light refracting off the rolling condensation, it looked like an advertisement for lemonade. We literally chugged it, we descended on it like rabid raccoons. I almost felt bad because the lady was very 'Martha Stewart'-esque and we were definitely not savoring anything about what she put together for us.
    via u/kmo9e
  • 10
    We did SO much for those people that they did not pay for. They had dead spots in their grass so I had a truck from another crew drop off some extra sod from another job and we fixed their yard, their mailbox was all jacked up so we straightened it, they needed backfill for another project in their backyard so we dropped off a dump truck full of clean dirt we got from another jobsite. All for a pitcher of concentrated lemonade, probably $2 and 5 minutes of her time.
    via u/kmo9e
  • 11
    MerryEll 14 hr. ago This off topic a little, but touching on the kindness note. Last week, the UPS driver broke down when he was making a delivery. It was after dark and cold. He was in my driveway when I got home. I don't know how long he'd been there. I made him a cup of hot chocolate. When I handed it to him, you could see the appreciation on his face. Anyway, it made me feel pretty good and virtually no effort.
    via u/MerryEll
  • 12
    rplusj1 15 hr. ago Not from USA. We have de facto understanding that every single day we should offer the contractors tea, biscuits, sweets twice a day. Then I came to USA and was surprised to see it was not a thing. But then back in my country there is 0 tipping for everything, be it restaurant, cab driver anything. I assumed we appreciate the work by offering tea, snacks and Americans appreciate by tipping money.
    via u/rplusj1
  • 13
    Stryker2279 12 hr. ago I felt bad at one point when I had contractors out, all I had were hot pockets. I made 6, 2 for each guy, and the youngest saw the plate and practically shouted "bro, he got us hot pockets!" to the other guys. Seemed that they really liked that lol. That plus a pitcher of water and another of red Kool aid.
    via u/Stryker2279
  • 14
    PrestigeMaster · 13 hr. ago I brought a dozen donuts with me when I got my tires rotated last week and drove away with four tires for the price of three. Even better than that feeling was when I gave a homeless man a cheeseburger I had just got for myself. Feed everyone you encounter that you think could use it.
    via u/PrestigeMaster
  • 15
    Beowulf33232 14 hr. ago Friend of mine leaves an iced cooler with drinks and a sign for delivery people to take what they need when it gets warm out. He knows the mailman by name and hasn't had an Amazon delivery problem since he started doing that.
    via u/Beowulf33232
  • 16
    13igTyme 13 hr. ago We're moving and filled up a pod. We had a desk and dresser left over and decided we didn't want it. We donated it to hospice. Some guys came to pick it up and carry it down our stairs, which has a bend. After doing that in the Florida heat, I gave them a bunch of drinks. Honestly they did me a favor because it's too heavy for my wife and too awkward for me even just doing most of it.
    via u/13igTyme
  • 17
    deg0ey 15 hr. ago Had some dudes out last year installing ACs at my house and it involved them spending pretty much a full day in the attic in July when it was like 90+ outside. I just grabbed a 24 pack of bottled water a couple bags of ice and threw it in a cooler at the top of the stairs. Wasn't much I could do to help with the temperatures they were working in, but I could at least make sure they stayed hydrated and had a way to cool off if they needed a break
    via u/deg0ey
  • 18
    eiram87 12 hr. ago When I moved into my house I had a pool installed, we did it in spring and wouldn't you know it we had the hottest April on record that year. I filled a big salad bowl with ice and water, put waters, Gatorades, and washcloths in there. When I set the bowl on the deck and told them what it was you'd think I was Mother Mary.
    via u/eiram87
  • 19
    SeskaChaotica. 17 hr. ago Our house construction started in June 2021 and finished in October. The site is pretty remote, a half hour from town. On hot days we would have out a a cooler full of Gatorades, Arizona tea, and lemonades. We'd also sometimes bring whole watermelons and pineapples that we'd chop up on site and put on ice. That was always a hit. When it started to get chilly towards the end of our build, we had a coffee bar and brought donuts. On the final week we had a taco truck come
    via u/SeskaChaotica
  • 20
    LuluND 18 hr. ago We had a team cleaning our attic, disinfecting, putting new insulation, etc. It was a long, dirty process. They had to wear special suits. I brought them tacos, soda and churros. Set it up on my back patio. Saved them the hassle of going out to find food, let them recharge in peace.
    via u/LuluND
  • 21
    Anxious-Fudge- OP 18 hr. ago We have some guys here removing dangerous trees. It's winter here and cold. I baked them fresh muffins and brought them out to them. "They're warm!" They exclaimed with a big smile. I went back in the house and peeked out my window to see them all taking a break and eating the muffins. Love that stuff.
    via u/Anxious-Fudge-
  • 22
    SnippityPippity - 17 hr. ago Great LPT! I'm in HVAC and while it isn't mandatory to offer us food or water it does go a long way. Especially water when it's a hot day and we're working in their attic. I'll never understand why some people don't at least offer water. I'll add to this LPT; let the workers know where the bathroom is. It makes them feel more welcomed
    via u/SnippityPippity
  • 23
    "Feed your contractors"
    via u/canva

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