Home Repairs: Handyman/Super Work
If my friends cannot help me in this matter, then I turn to Google for help, at the request of “Handyman in your city(or near me)” in the TOP there’re always good directories. I pay attention to reviews and “live” photos.
Guest User | 5 years and 3 months ago
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lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 4 months ago
Curious to hear anyone’s take on this:
When you have run into smaller issues in your home (door won’t shut right, hanging up a mirror/art, holes in a wall, etc.) and want to call in a Handyman/Super, where are you getting your desired party from? Is it mostly word of mouth referrals, online Google Searches, apps like Task Rabbit or something else? Furthermore, what the main factors you look for in a positive experience with a Handyman/Super that will make you continue their use in the future?
hkapstein | 5 years and 4 months ago
I invested in tools, but that’s not for everyone. One good way to find guys is to talk to the work crew when you’re doing a reno. Often the workers are happy to make a few bucks on these odd jobs. I have found people for odd jobs on craigslist and local bulletin boards at cafes etc, but also neighbor referrals. One person may be thrilled with a particular handyman while others hate him. The idea of paying someone to hang a picture seems crazy to me but I can definitely see someone not wanting to spend the time.
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 4 months ago
Would it be different if the work was more “complicated” to perform? In other words, putting small odd jobs in the hands of someone you do not really know is not terribly risky but what about somethig like replacing tiles?
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 4 months ago
Would it be different if the work was more “complicated” to perform? In other words, putting small odd jobs in the hands of someone you do not really know is not terribly risky but what about somethig like replacing tiles?
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 4 months ago
And I had someone hang a picture for me recently! Sometimes it is all about time invested versus time you need to have!
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 4 months ago
And I had someone hang a picture for me recently! Sometimes it is all about time invested versus time you need to have!
hkapstein | 5 years and 4 months ago
Stuff like tiling and dry wall hanging I do like to outsource, because it’s so tedious and the labor rate pretty low, but it is hit or miss with these guys. If someone is gonna do tile, I’d ask if they can show me a picture of a tile job they did. Actually I’m often surprised that pro plumbers don’t have someone in their phone who can repair tile. It would a great help when bathroom plumbing access is needed if one could quote in the tile repair, assuming matching tile is available. Probably you could mark it up even because no one wants to deal with that, especially when the tile backer needs to be replaced, which it usually would. It could save the homeowner a bunch of time.
Guest User | 5 years and 4 months ago
When you need someone with knowledge, skill, and experience for household repairs and maintenance – interior or exterior, painting, drywall repair, hang a door, remodeling, minor plumbing or electrical work, household carpentry, sheet-rock, pressure washing, fence repair, gutter cleaning, or any of the other home improvement projects on your “to do” list, it’s time to call Lee Warren.
hkapstein | 5 years and 4 months ago
Who’s Lee Warren?
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 4 months ago
I thought that was an inside joke from before my time so I let it slide.
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 4 months ago
I thought that was an inside joke from before my time so I let it slide.
cate | 5 years and 4 months ago
I get recs on here from people I know in real life (so not Lee Warren lol), as well as from friends and neighbors. Many years ago when I lived in Queens I phoned up an actual bonafide handyman service and they were tremendous — they were very skilled. (Not cheap either but I was happy to pay.) In my experience, you typically need people who are very skilled at the particular thing you are doing (carpentry, vermin exclusion, painting, patching, skim coating) — even if it is a small job. Very little is actually a job for a “handyman” if that makes sense.
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 4 months ago
I feel like word of mouth is the biggest lead for handyman work for sure; with apps now though I feel like that could change.
My main point here is when and how people decide something crosses from the need for a “handyman” to a “professional”
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 4 months ago
I feel like word of mouth is the biggest lead for handyman work for sure; with apps now though I feel like that could change.
My main point here is when and how people decide something crosses from the need for a “handyman” to a “professional”
hkapstein | 5 years and 4 months ago
I think it’s when the stop work order gets posted.
cate | 5 years and 3 months ago
lol.
stevecym | 5 years and 3 months ago
You have to find someone who has had a lot of exposure working for someone trained. i worked in buildings previously and there we had to learn to do a variety of things, sometimes under trained people and we got sent to classes. the other thing is, you have to find someone who is doing this because they want to do it as opposed to someone who is doing this because they think it is easy (or cannot find a job and in this economy that should be a red flag). you have to find someone interested. they have to be able to talk and ask question and to learn all these things they have to be curious. it is something that began a long time ago, not 3 years ago and in the beginning, it continued well past 5 o’clock. you eat, sleep, drink it.
as cate said, she found someone but it was pricey. there are services listed using the word “handyman” in say google. i see vans around like this. the problem chris points out is, when does it cross from handyman to professional? my guess is, people will use the price charged as determiner as to whether someone is a han dyman or a pro (a pro carries insurance).
here is the problem with this: to find someone qualified to do all these things correctly, he or she is going to have to be in his 30’s and with that age comes responsibility. he is going to have to have a massive investment in tools, more tools than any specialist carries, and if he or she has a family or home, they are going to have to carry liability insurance and if they have family, they might have to carry medical. if they have a helper, they will by law have to carry worker’s comp (i know, the free market capitalists reading this do not like hearing about these kinds of worker protections). what does all this mean? that person has just become a professional because they have to charge $80 an hour or more.
the only person who can do this for less and do it good, is someone doing it part time. say a union worker or building person in the city. they do it on the side for cash and because their retirement and benefits are taken care of elsewhere. when i worked for someone in the ’90’s, i did this kind of work for $25 an hour. no way could i even do that for $50 now that i have a house and this is my sole employ.
I will finish with this: to chris’s question, the city states that anyone performing any home improvement or repair work in excess of $250 (excluding painting) must be licensed. so perhaps that is where the cut off lies, according to the city. but none of us want to hear what the city thinks.
Guest User | 5 years and 3 months ago
I usually ask my friends. Most likely, someone has already encountered similar problems. The second option is to ask people from the network: forums, social networks …. I can just search in Google + read reviews. Again, how expensive will the repair be. If It simply fix the door handle, I won’t particularly go deep in search of a handyman
mozeeatupu | 5 years and 3 months ago
I used the nextdoor site last time I needed a handyman. It’s all local people in the neighborhood and their recommendations are worthwhile.