Handyman, Why Not? (1)

Date: 2011.08.19 | Category: House & Home, Tight Budget, Tips & Trick | Tags: budget,contractor,hendyman,house,saving,training

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Why not consider the handyman (who can be of either sex) for small jobs that the contractors won’t tackle? I don’t mean that you should hire a handyman to service your heating and cooling system, of course, because the work could violate the warranty. Most handymen don’t have the necessary technical training.

Handymen will rake leaves, paint one wall of a room, install a light switch, or build a bookcase. Some will install gutters or drywall, hook up a stereo, or load a dumpster. And they’ll all hang pictures, so you won’t need to call them later to fill the extra holes you’ve made in the living room wall.

The 1940s movie version had the handyman showing up at the kitchen door, hoping to make enough money to get by on, and then disappearing once he had. Times have changed. It’s all business these days, with display ads in the local shopper, panel trucks with name and telephone number on the sides, signs in front yards, and answering machines.

As with contractors in good economic times, most handymen don’t have a moment to spare. Why? Because there are lots of little jobs for which the typical homeowner has neither the time nor the expertise. Though the little jobs might seem big to the harried homeowner, to a contractor with a dozen or so employees and huge overhead, they aren’t worth the trouble, but for rates ranging from $25 to $50 an hour, they are worth the handyman’s time.