Nowadays, is not that easy to find a handyman, and especially one that is multi-talented because there are many contractors on the market, but only a few handyman that can truly solve different problems around the house by doing a fast and quality job.
There are two types of handyman available today: the first one is the basic handyman that does this for a hobby, and is rather a guy that can complete a few tasks in and around the house, and there is the true handyman that has a multitude of professional skills and can solve more complex problems.
You’ll find plenty of these in your location, and they are always one call away. For instance, if you’re in Virginia, looking for a professional team such as handyman Manassas VA will come in handy. And it is the same for other places.
Depending on the problem that you want to solve, you can hire the handyman or the guy that does this for a hobby.
Hiring a Basic Handyman
The basic handyman is the guy who doesn’t have much skill, and will charge you a smaller amount of money for jobs like: cleaning out the gutters, painting a few things (not major repaints), fixing a few cracks in the wall, hanging a photo frame, changing a light bulb, putting up some blinds or curtains, etc.
A woman knows that these simple tasks should be done by the man in the house (by the husband), but in most cases, the wife needs to hire a handyman to be sure that somebody will finally do the job.
For simple tasks in and around the house, this is the local handyman that you will hire despite the fact that he doesn’t have much experience, and can solve only limited tasks (usually they don’t have insurance).
Hiring a Professional Handyman
This is a person that has multiple licenses, multiple certificates, multiple professional skill sets, its own van to carry materials, its own tools, insurance, etc.
Let’s say that you want to install a front door, who will you call? the carpenter, a door installer or a handyman?
Well, the door installer certainly knows how to install a door, but if the house is not new and there are some cracks in the wall (maybe a brick is missing or is cracked) or the door jamb needs to be replaced, or anything else that delays the installation of the door until the completion of the work, you don’t want to be charged extra for the job.
So what you do? You call a handyman because only this guy will do both jobs (fixing the wall or the door jamb) and installing the front door for a decent amount of money.
A professional handyman can do almost any job in and around the house with the exception of a few tasks such as: tiling (you need a professional tiler to do the job properly), roof plumbing (make sure that you hire a roof plumber for major repairs of the roof), electrical stuff (always hire a licensed electrician for electrical installations in the house), major concrete work, etc.
If you like to do things around the house by yourself, you have to read the handyman guide to learn everything about this awesome and very useful job.
Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring a Handyman
If you haven’t done this before (hiring a handyman), you have to know what are the mistakes that you need to avoid when hiring a handyman.
This way you will never throw your money out the window, because you will always hire the handyman that can get the job done.
1. You Forget to Ask Around
A handyman is known after the quality and the complexity of the tasks that he can take care of, so before anything, try to ask your neighbours, friends, other family members, or anyone else because I’m sure that they have already hired a handyman before so they can ease your task in finding the right person for the job.
So, ask them what handyman they’ve enjoyed using before to do different tasks in and around their house because this way you can get in touch with him to do your own projects.
2. Having Low Expectations
It is true that sometimes we just don’t know that to expect when hiring a handyman, especially when you can’t find a professional one and you can only find a basic handyman.
For simple tasks in and around the house, even a basic handyman can get the job done if we talk about a handyman that does this job from passion.
Always have realistic expectations (never have too high expectations) when hiring your first handyman because as I mentioned before, if the man managed to do a good job for the others, will do the same for you.
3. You Always Get What You’ve Paid For
Never be the person that has no respect for a handyman because you consider him more like an amateur.
The price should always say something about the quality and complexity of the job done by a handyman.
So, if you go very low in terms of price, don’t expect to get much in exchange.
However, if you want something more serious, you should pay more, and maybe you will be pleased with the job done by your handyman.
4. Never Be Afraid To Ask Questions
When you decide to call the handyman be sure that you know what you want from him, and you are also ready to ask a few questions.
If you are a shy person, or you simply forget what you want to ask, you can write down on a paper what you want him to do, so you will call him you will be able to tell what you want from him and what are your expectations regarding the project.
Ask the handyman when he can start the work, talk about the materials you want him to use for the project, ask if you need to pay for the parts, etc.
If you will look very interested about your project, the handyman hired will understand that he needs to do a very good job.
5. Hire the Right Handyman for the Job
Don’t forget that you are hiring a handyman because they can do a lot of useful work in the house or outside, but never hire a handyman for a work that the law says that should be done only by licenced professionals.
