What do you pay a handyman




















Unfortunately, the limits are not clearly laid out. And this is where I must wind down my answer because I could, literally, go on for pages. Is anyone exempt from the requirement to be licensed? But that can be my long-winded analysis for another time.

Hello Mr. After getting laid off of my professional job I have decided to start my own handyman Buisness and I thank you for this we sight. I have been in Buisness for about 3 weeks and all my jobs have turned out really well for the customer. I have managed to stay busy and at the same time most of my customers are of the older and retired people.

I pride myself in helping others. You see my wife came up with the idea of being a handyman because of all the experience I have gain throughout my working career. But, I have made a few mistakes along the way on pricing and it has really cost me at times.

I now charge a flat rate of It is the jobs that I underestimate that gives my service away at a lower than I can afford. For example, recently I had a job to install 5 canister lights in a living area and also change out 46 recepticals and both separate jobs in the same house I ran into unforeseen problems that happen while replacing things that added more time and money for materials.

My question is it fair to say that as a customer they should incure the extra cost or is it me the handyman that should absorb the extra cost for underestimating the jobs? Which is fair to both me and the customer? If there is anything outside of X, Y, and Z, that I need to do in order to finish the job, it could be extra. Short answer is the customer should pay for any and all work and materials done outside of mistakes made by you.

Or, quote high enough to compensate for that. Do I tell them up front to buy them or give me the money or what exactly??? If you are quoting the job, you need to include the materials plus markup in your quote. If you are charging hourly you will simply bill them for the materials once the job is completed.

I was wondering if anybody here charges a higher hourly rate for commercial work. Any advice? I do charge more for commercial building work. Dan, I love your website and discussion forum! Thank you so much. The gray area is all the things in the middle.

Good communication is the key. I can hang pictures, sturdy mounts, make sure everything is sunk into a stud. I can shim anything on feet, patch walls, build shelving units. I think I am a real handy man. Most of you are general contractors. Handyman can fix a squeaky door or make it flush again, but you need a real GC to put a door in properly. On some projects, I am basically good enough to tell you to hire a real plumber, electrician, or carpenter. I am way better than the average hobbyist but I am not a professional at any of the elements of construction, maintenance, or whatever.

I also fix computers or declare them dead. I charge 20 bucks for a consultation and the first hour, 30 after that. It is a part time thing that also exists so people quit asking me to do these same things for free.

It is one thing for family and close friends, but then everyone wants the same hung curtains, flush shelves, at the same price of nothing.. I have been bouncing from one dead end job to another mostly in the warehouse industry. One of my family members recently approached me about doing some work for her around her house. She says that if I do a good job that she will recommend me to her friends.

Then she wants me to build a gate about 6 feet across under the deck to where the ac units for the house are. After the wood work is complete she wants me to pressure wash and paint the whole thing. There are also a couple of staircases attached.

I was planning on this taking two days. One day to do the wood work and pressure wash, let it dry over night and then paint it the next day. She will supply all materials. Any questions? Whenever you are relying on somebody else to market your business for you they basically have you by the balls.

Also, that job will probably take you twice as long as you expect. I hope it helps. It varies depending on where you source the materials, whether or not you get a special price, and many other things. To the guy talking about extending a deck and building a gate.

It takes knowledge usually attained by building decks, to alter one and extend it out. It also takes knowledge and experience to build a gate that functions correctly and is built to last. Also, are you going to prime it before you paint? Are you using the right paint for decks? These are very important questions.

Good luck. Hi , I have been working on houses since The crash pushed me out on my own in I have had customers balk at this.

I explain the reason i find this reasonable is, I am a professional in my field, I bring my experience and tools,materials to the job. If you take your car to the shop, you most likely will not personally meet ther person doing the work on your vehicle. Most people will not see their work. After thirty years of working on houses, I am finally making proper money. Customers who do not like my price are more than welcome to hire someone else.

Trust is Number 1 for my clients. Some are snowbirds and want the work done while they are in warmer climates. Thanks for sharing this. Always good to hear when somebody else has validated this same strategy in another part of the country. I am a GC in California with 30yrs in the business. My rates have always exceed everyone by far. I was borderline arrogant.

Never had a problem getting paid. Truth os most of my customers called me to just have me thwir to do something so they could vent. Handymen are far more than the guy who repairs things around the house.

I will never forget a customer calling me when their friend was killed, also when their child had to have heart surgery. They called for prayer because they knew I love the Lord and it showed in every thing I did. God Bless those called to this wonderful profession, may the Lord bless you as he has and is doing me. I was honored to win the Entrepreneur of the Year in B, when did you start as a handyman, did you have experience in other work like it?

I am trying to start a small handyman business over the summer before I go back to school for engineering in the winter. I guess what to do durning lean months , or worrying about the wrong things. Hey Thomas can you give me some advice on how to go about getting started at getting my own business going? Does that mean I should quit and try to make it on my own with handyman services? If you can justify charging more by offering a higher quality of service or specializing in a more profitable service, then starting your own business is a good option.

Dan, I have been in business for a few years now. I have acquired a decent size customer base. I have many out of town customers with vacation homes here locally as well as property management companies I do work for. I find that I set my bar too low in setting an hourly rate initially and would like to introduce a new pricing schedule to my current customers prior to it taking effect at the beginning of next year.

Would you have any advice on how much of a price increase is acceptable, percentage wise, at any one time and what is a good gauge for setting new rate increases in reference to time frame in the future?

Also I have been searching for a way to stand out in my community by offering a unique service such as package deals, creative billing strategies that bring in monthly revenue and offer through the year ongoing maintenance and upkeep or offer some type of cutting edge product or service that is not currently available in my area. Would you have any good reference links for brainstorming such ideas. I would jump to wherever you plan to stay long term.

Will you lose customers? Yes, you will. When you raise your rates, you are also defining your customers more specifically so naturally some people will drop off. I have worked in facility maintenance for a couple years now. Its a common occurence that someone asks me if I do any side work.

Recently, a lady asked me to come paint three rooms of her house but I turned her down simply because I do not know what to charge other than my normal hourly rate. Any suggestions? All good questions and answers, but when it comes down to it get the client to sign a contract, including materials and labour then you dont have to put up with annoying people holding you back.

If its a bigger contract than you thought then workout a payment plan to be payed as the job proceeds. I did independent tree work in Houston.

I would go on to a block and prune a tree for nearly nothing. The neighbors would see the job I did and want me to do theirs. This system actually worked great. One guy hired me and decided he would take the day off work to make sure I did it right, 18 years of experience by the way. I told him you took the day off for nothing, call another tree service and left.

Cutting and hauling debris was free. My reason for that is that I would get done back on the ground and they would point up to some twig that I missed and want me to go back up the tree.

This way you can concentrate on small projects that keep you moving to the next customer at a reasonable rate of wait time.

When people need a handyman, they need you sooner rather than latter. Not to mention that your only making it harder for yourself by getting into a project bigger than you intended, as they always seem to become before your actually done with it.

If you are able to hire out your work at less than the hourly rate of which your time is worth, then you hire it out. Hi dear, thank you for sharing your very valuable information. I hope it helps price. Hi, A great blog you got here.

What if only Intrested in working 3days aweek for a total of about 12 hours or so a week. Dan Thanks for the article! You are so right. If we are not charging according to your formula we will go out of business or into debt to stay a float and then eventually sink.

I believe doing jobs we are fast and efficient at instead of trying to be a jack of all trades is one of the keys. I loss count of the jobs where I totally underestimated the number of work hours, not to mention travel time and setup and store runs and reducing the hourly rate in half or near to it.

That sucks! Perry my husband has been in the construction industry for 35 years and he is very respectful, very knowledgeable on every trade, can and has done every trade except HVAC, trustworthy, takes pride in his work, I mean he still surprises the hell out of me with the knowledge and skills he has. I just started helping him a year ago. I do everything except the actual labor. Nothing is working. Do you have any advice for us?

Assuming that the gas or electric hookups are already in place, the job will take between one and two-and-a-half hours. Expect the higher end of the price range if the washer and dryer set needs to be moved to the basement, water supply hoses or dryer vent pipe needs to be purchased, or an exterior vent hole needs to be drilled.

A straightforward removal of an old faucet and installation of a new one already purchased might take 60 to 90 minutes to complete. The higher estimates would apply to jobs that require additional labor to install shut-off valves or replace the P-trap. While the cost of materials is low, this job can be labor-intensive depending on the type of and condition of the existing caulk.

After all, before a handyman can even load a caulk gun, he needs to take care of the old, crumbling caulk lines, which often involves completely removing the old sealant, cleaning up any soap scum and mildew, and preparing the surface for new caulk. Here, too, prices vary significantly depending on the extent of the damage. This could take a couple of days, as drying time is required between coats of mud, sanding, and touch-up paint. Covering floors and furniture with drop cloths, cleaning the walls, repairing cracks, taping around windows and doors, priming, painting baseboards and other trim, and cutting in along the ceiling all take time.

For starters, instead of spending a few hours searching for specialists for every paint, caulk, or drywall project that arises, with just one round of research, you can find a worker skilled in a variety of services. A licensed and insured handyman often charges more to cover their increased expenses than an unlicensed one. A handyman is either independent or works for a corporate franchise, such as Mr.

Handyman or Handyman Connection. A self-employed handyman typically has more affordable hourly rates, while corporate handymen are vetted, licensed, and insured by the company. Some Mr. Handyman is fully insured takes credit card payments. Plus, they offer a "done right guarantee. A handyman typically has flexible terms to either accept payment on an hourly basis or as a flat-rate per project after completing the job. A handyman doesn't expect a tip.

A handyman, also known as a handyperson or handywoman, is a skilled person or jack-of-all-trades at a wide range of home repairs and maintenance services.

Handyman tasks include trade skills, small jobs, odd jobs, side work, and repair work, both interior and exterior. The following jobs typically require a permit and are best performed by a licensed contractor:. A handyman takes care of your to-do list, odd jobs, and saves you time and money. Look for a handyman that you can develop a trusting relationship with over time. How much does a handyman charge? Get free estimates. How much will your handyman cost?

Updated on July 20, Reviewd by Tom Grupa and 5 expert handyman services on HomeGuide. Compare prices from handymen near you. View Pros. Table of contents [hide] [show]. Find the right handyman for your project. Find a top-rated handyman near you.

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