I cannot find a reliable handyman who does good work

[GON]

As I am soon to re-retire in the next nine months, and start a new career- my Wife suggested I consider being a handyman. I work in Asia, my Wife is in CONUS and struggles to find a handyman to show up to fix things at the house, and when they do show up they rarely fix the problem.

The issue I see if I was to be a handyman is that nobody would pay what I would charge. Prices have gone up, but sometimes I think we want to pay 1970s handyman prices.

I would charge (just a rough idea):

• $125 travel charge, regardless if I am next door
• $150 per hour
• minimum of one hour

So, a basic handyman service call to swap out a failed outlet would be a minimum of $275 labor charge. Are most people willing to pay this?

What one would expect at the above rates-- is the handyman would in fact show up, would not be juggling a bunch of $30 per hour jobs that he doesn't know what he is doing, etc.

Are you willing to pay $150 an hour in exchange for a rock-solid handyman that shows up as scheduled? Or $30 per hour for a handyman that doesn't show up?

I learned just after COVID, no body shops in the Seattle area wanted my business/ not my money. They had a system/ arrangement with insurance companies, no need to hassle with individual bill payers.

 

[Donald]

This is more of a rant than a question but where are you guys finding local handymen these days? I have some cabinets for a media center I need installed, slight drywall and electrical work. I set up dates with referred handymen by friends and neighbors and they don't show up or have other excuses. Does everybody have so much work these days?
I had a guy a few years back do some flooring. He was good and reliable but now is too old and isn't taking new work.

How are you guys finding handymen/ contractors?

Jack of all trades, master of none.

If the handyman was really a master of something, he would specialize in it and get paid double what a handy gets per hour.

 

[Aichiguy]

how much do you guys think a handy mans hourly rate should be ?

The guy I use, if I have to, charges $90/hr and is BUSY.

 

[dlundblad]

As I am soon to re-retire in the next nine months, and start a new career- my Wife suggested I consider being a handyman. I work in Asia, my Wife is in CONUS and struggles to find a handyman to show up to fix things at the house, and when they do show up they rarely fix the problem.

The issue I see if I was to be a handyman is that nobody would pay what I would charge. Prices have gone up, but sometimes I think we want to pay 1970s handyman prices.

I would charge (just a rough idea):

• $125 travel charge, regardless if I am next door
• $150 per hour
• minimum of one hour

So, a basic handyman service call to swap out a failed outlet would be a minimum of $275 labor charge. Are most people willing to pay this?

What one would expect at the above rates-- is the handyman would in fact show up, would not be juggling a bunch of $30 per hour jobs that he doesn't know what he is doing, etc.

Are you willing to pay $150 an hour in exchange for a rock-solid handyman that shows up as scheduled? Or $30 per hour for a handyman that doesn't show up?

I learned just after COVID, no body shops in the Seattle area wanted my business/ not my money. They had a system/ arrangement with insurance companies, no need to hassle with individual bill payers.

4 years ago, I started my electrician apprenticeship at a highly regarded residential shop that would have charged $75 to replace a bad recep. ($75-ish for the first hour plus material. Let’s say $10-ish after their markup.) They actually have a reputation of being too expensive and hardly do new homes.

Your numbers do seem high, but you’re in Washington too. Are you licensed/ insured to do electrical? I could see Seattle making that a punishable by death offense if one isn’t. (Joking)

 

[GON]

4 years ago, I started my electrician apprenticeship at a highly regarded residential shop that would have charged $75 to replace a bad recep. ($75-ish for the first hour plus material. Let’s say $10-ish after their markup.) They actually have a reputation of being too expensive and hardly do new homes.

Your numbers do seem high, but you’re in Washington too. Are you licensed/ insured to do electrical? I could see Seattle making that a punishable by death offense if one isn’t. (Joking)

I am actually in New Mexico (for sake of discussion- I am actually in Asia working at the moment). And I am in a lower income part of New Mexico. For record, I have zero plan to be a handyman- it was a suggestion from my Wife as she can't find a handyman that can actually fix anything, she tried to call a plumber and after numerous phone calls, none called her back. Later she tried to get a garage door technician, again no response.

No, I am not a licensed electrician. Over 30 years ago I received and completed electrician training. 40 years ago, I received and completed electronic engineering training. But I do know how to arrive on time, identify what is actually the problem, and what needs to be done to correct it.

Prior to departing for Asia, I started to paint the interior of our new to us home. As is my nature, I painted what was a very time-consuming part due to rough decorative tiles inlaid into the walls. The taping alone took me almost a week. Same issue with the inside of the exterior front door, etc. The taping/ prep was extremely labor intensive. I used Sherwin Williams best paint and justified it because of the intensive taping/ prep work required.

I wasn't able to finish all the rooms, and my Wife can't live with things not "dress right dress". She hired a painter, who charged her over $8,000 USD to finish the job, which was simply some bedrooms, and bathrooms. When I retuned home from Asia, I discovered the painter went used Sherwin Williams least expensive paint. He didn't mark a single paint can to which room the paint was used. He didn't seal any of the paint cans, so being in a desert environment any left over paint was solid. He didn't tape, and ended up painting a 1/2 inch into pvc window trip uneven (instead of spending ten minutes taping. He left almost all of the hardware off the required removal (never put it back on), and convinced my Wife that ceiling paint was required, just to use the same paint used on the walls as the ceilings.

The above painter example is what is becoming normal today. That is why, if I would become a handyman, I would charge a premium. I would have a statement of work, standards that would be met, a list of materials, etc.

As the OP mentioned in the beginning of this thread, it is a tough time to expect anyone to come to one's home and do a service to even a minimally accepted standard.

 

[JTK]

As I am soon to re-retire in the next nine months, and start a new career- my Wife suggested I consider being a handyman. I work in Asia, my Wife is in CONUS and struggles to find a handyman to show up to fix things at the house, and when they do show up they rarely fix the problem.

The issue I see if I was to be a handyman is that nobody would pay what I would charge. Prices have gone up, but sometimes I think we want to pay 1970s handyman prices.

I would charge (just a rough idea):

• $125 travel charge, regardless if I am next door
• $150 per hour
• minimum of one hour

So, a basic handyman service call to swap out a failed outlet would be a minimum of $275 labor charge. Are most people willing to pay this?....

Seems reasonable enough today.

I realize it's a different comparison, but people are willing to pay $15-20k for companies to re-do their tub surround in one day. Your pricing idea seems very reasonable.

 

[97prizm]

This is more of a rant than a question but where are you guys finding local handymen these days? I have some cabinets for a media center I need installed, slight drywall and electrical work. I set up dates with referred handymen by friends and neighbors and they don't show up or have other excuses. Does everybody have so much work these days?
I had a guy a few years back do some flooring. He was good and reliable but now is too old and isn't taking new work.

How are you guys finding handymen/ contractors?

A really good way is to visit your local supply house. They typically know who's good/been around, who's new or just so so. Earlier this summer my parents A/C just stopped working. I surmised that it was the capacitor which I learned about hvac units when working maintenance. I couldn't get ahold of the company with multiple phone calls. I finally went to the local hvac/plumbing supply place and found out they'd gone out of business. They were able to get us info of a local company that was great. The guy was reasonable and it ended up being a capacitor and minimal charge.

 

[CKN]

In my neighborhood-every parent wants their kid to grow up and speak Chinese and be a rocket scientist-even if they are not cut out for it. There they wonder why a Plumber or Electrician can roll up to their door for less than a $100.00

There is a real shortage of trades people NATIONALLY.

It took me 3 years to find someone to remodel my bathroom-because the job "wasn't' be enough for them".

 

[CarLuver]

As I am soon to re-retire in the next nine months, and start a new career- my Wife suggested I consider being a handyman. I work in Asia, my Wife is in CONUS and struggles to find a handyman to show up to fix things at the house, and when they do show up they rarely fix the problem.

The issue I see if I was to be a handyman is that nobody would pay what I would charge. Prices have gone up, but sometimes I think we want to pay 1970s handyman prices.

I would charge (just a rough idea):

• $125 travel charge, regardless if I am next door
• $150 per hour
• minimum of one hour

So, a basic handyman service call to swap out a failed outlet would be a minimum of $275 labor charge. Are most people willing to pay this?

What one would expect at the above rates-- is the handyman would in fact show up, would not be juggling a bunch of $30 per hour jobs that he doesn't know what he is doing, etc.

Are you willing to pay $150 an hour in exchange for a rock-solid handyman that shows up as scheduled? Or $30 per hour for a handyman that doesn't show up?

I learned just after COVID, no body shops in the Seattle area wanted my business/ not my money. They had a system/ arrangement with insurance companies, no need to hassle with individual bill payers.

if you are licensed and bonded , which many handyman services are , $150 is about the going price these days . At least in my area . an unlicensed handy man can command $75 to $100 per hour .

The smart guys don't charge by the hour , but by the job. more money than hourly .

 

[facility1]

if you are licensed and bonded , which many handyman services are , $150 is about the going price these days . At least in my area . an unlicensed handy man can command $75 to $100 per hour .

The smart guys don't charge by the hour , but by the job. more money than hourly .

Hey lets get rich off of other people's problems, like H*^%) ll I would pay that, if I was more able bodied I can GET $250.00 per hour plus $300.00 to show up on your doorstep. greed speaks for itself.................

 

[dbias]

Before I retired from my career as a firefighter at my city fire department I worked with several firefighters who did handyman work for our side jobs. We worked ten twenty four hour shifts a month and worked together on our days off.
We had three licensed electricians and several who only painted and many who pounded nails.
Once we started a project in any given neighborhood we always ended up getting at least three or four more jobs in the area from people walking up and asking for help or a relative of theirs and the cycle repeats in the relatives neighborhood.
I know guys on the department now that could do anything from building a new house down to pouring a new driveway but they too are getting thinner in the ranks as a lot of the younger guys are going to nursing school and making good money doing “contracts” like travel nursing.
Maybe swing by a fire station and see if there’s any one doing the same.