He Built a Shed Over a Week and Snacked on Leftovers; I Deducted It from His Pay, and He Started to Get Upset

I needed a garden shed on my plot, but I wasnt keen on hiring a big construction firm. I figured all I really required was a bloke who knew his way around a hammer and a ladder.

A neighbour pointed me at his mate, a seasoned housebuilder, who ought to be able to knock together a simple shed without fuss.

Lucky for me, the fellow was free. He didnt want the job at first, but I managed to sweettalk him into it.

He claimed he could have it done in a week, which suited me fine. He said hed swing by on Saturday to have a look, and the next day hed fetch all the timber, nails and the like.

We also talked about the need for extra hands. He mentioned hed need a helper straight away and that he knew plenty of chums who could pitch in.

The crucial point was that Id be working in the city all week, so I couldnt be onsite during the build. I handed him the keys and told him to finish by the following weekend.

Robert swore hed sort everything, insisting he was a topnotch tradesman. He asked for a fair fee for his services, which turned out to be rather steep, but I agreed.

By Saturday evening the shed was standing, exactly as Id imagined, and I had no complaints. Robert seemed pleased with his handiwork.

The only thing that irked me was that Robert had cleared out everything I had in the fridge: two kilos of pork fillet, a couple of dozen eggs, several cartons of milk, a jar of sauce and a bottle of wine. That sort of culinary pillage is simply unacceptable. It wasnt that I was sentimental about the food; it was just that nobody asked me whether they could help themselves. They just went straight for it.

I tallied up the cost of the vanished groceries and deducted the amount from his wages. It was nothing compared with his weekly pay, but it made a difference to me.

Robert didnt take kindly to that. He started arguing, insisting that builders are always fed on the job and that its standard practice. He added that there had been moments during the build when hed gone the extra mile, but that didnt change the final tally.

On the one hand I wanted to see his point. On the other, I was convinced Id honoured every term wed agreed on, and that any extra indulgence should have been mentioned upfront.