There’s no denying the concept of a handyman is an extremely useful one. Say you’re a busy parent with a full-time job. You may not have the time or the inclination to carry out some of those annoying little jobs that mount up around the home. A dripping tap, a shabby hallway or even a lawn that needs mowing…sometimes, you need a helping hand. But when do you need to fork out for an expensive company, paying through the nose for their time, and when would a handyman offer you a far better deal?
Do I Need A Handyman Or Someone More Specialist?
A handyman, according to the dictionary, is a person who carries out odd jobs. It’s someone who has competence in a variety of basic skills around the home and garden and can carry repair or maintenance tasks out on an ad hoc or permanent basis. Not many of us can afford to keep a handyman on the staff full-time, however! So when those irritating repair jobs are beginning to mount up, we may start looking for people who can address them. However, most medium-sized companies specialise in only one area of work. We don’t want to go to the trouble of sourcing multiple local companies for quotes and sorting through large numbers of estimates. The end result could be selecting one professional to work on the plumbing; another to address the plastering; and yet a third to do a spot of joinery. It would be ideal if we could find one decent handyman to do it all. Obviously, there are some scenarios where we do have to consult the specialists. If you need your whole house rewiring or an extension building, you need pest control, you require certain certificates or permissions to guarantee the work should you ever come to sell, for instance. But certainly, for the smaller stuff, at the lower end of the scale, the right handyman with expertise can often handle a variety of projects from gutter cleaning to joinery and basic plumbing. And, you may well find that this will save you both time and money.
From Plumbers To Plasterers, Handymen Do It All
If you know your other half’s strengths do not lie in DIY, and you need a wall plastering, why not find a handyman to do it for you? If you’re no expert with a drill, joiners could put those shelves up for you in no time. Perhaps there’s a slow leak under your sink: don’t risk getting charged the earth for a plumber’s emergency call-out fee. Someone with experience in all these areas could almost certainly tackle those tasks for you and save you money too. But don’t get caught out: some less scrupulous individuals may not admit they don’t know what they’re doing. Your trading standards office could probably tell you some tales about customers who’ve been massively overcharged for what should have been a simple job.
Luckily, these horror stories only happen in very few cases. But to be sure of what you’re getting, and ask for a couple of itemised quotes beforehand. Ask whether you will pay a flat rate or you will be charged by the hour. Take up references where you can from previous clients – there’s no better way to find the best person for the job than by word of mouth recommendation from a happy customer. And finally, ask if you can supply your own materials if you think this will help you save money on the job overall.
