Builders (and other workmen)

We are going to France this weekend. It isn't particularly glamorous. We are going to 'meet' the builder to see the progress on the house (which I suspect will be quite minimal) and basically to provide the needed prompt to get the building started. He is trying to tempt us with romantic notions of 'laying the first stone' but I am not falling for it! I will try and get some pictures this time!

I suspect that builders and workmen are the same everywhere. I ordered a new back gate from a local timber merchant. He came here and I showed him where the old gate was and we went through what I wanted. Last week he came round to put up the wooden posts to hold the gate. I was at work but when I returned the gate posts were a good six feet away from where we agreed. When I called him and asked him why he said he had just put them where he would have liked them to go! Unbelievable! As my neighbour said, I should pay him what I would like to pay!