The home repair and handyman trade

The focus of this article is to educate you, the consumer, as to what the Home Repair and Handyman business is, how to choose a good Handyman, what kind of work they are legally able to do.

There are everything from under-the-table (illegal) handymen all the way to professional home repair franchises.

Handymen come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. I have know many in my career as a general contractor. It is a very viable business model and done properly,it is a very upscale service that has a huge demand in the marketplace. Many Design-Build remodeling companies also have Handyman divisions. (I do)

To be a successful Handyman, a person needs to have exceptional people skills, be very organized and be able to multi-task multiple projects at the same time. If you can't do that, then you better find a new career because you'll never make any money.

There are many different reasons that someone gets involved in the home repair businesses. A few choose it specifically for the type of work it demands and some of the unique freedom it can deliver. It is especially attractive to a person who doesn't want to get stuck on a project for months on end, or get bogged down with the overhead the remodeling business requires.

I have a friend who has been a professional Handyman for twenty years. And another friend, is a retired aerospace engineer. You can't get much more techno-efficient than that. Regardless of their backgrounds, you can find a few really good Home Repair professionals out there. But, you have to screen through them to find the good ones.

HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD HANDYMAN

• Make sure he/she is licensed and bonded
• Make sure they are licensed and bonded for the work your hiring them for (i.e. General Contractor, Specialty Contractor, Plumber, Electrician, etc)
• Check the L&I; site to see if they have cases filed against them (Look up a contractor)
• Check their references
• Use you instincts; this person will have access to your home
• Give them a detailed checklist of items you want fixed and walk through it and get their feed back. You want to make sure they know what their doing.
• Get an estimate and be clear what they will charge for unforeseen issues and change orders (There usually are in home repair work) Make sure they have a basic contract. The written word clarifies how they do business and deal with change orders.
• Expect to pay good wages to a skilled Handyman, they are in business to make money.
• If they are experts at what they do, they will be quicker on the job and do the work right the first time, which will ultimate be the best value vs. the lowest price

TYPES OF CONTRACTORS

In the sate of Washington there are to types of basic contractor categories.

• Specialty Contractor
• General Contractor

Specialty Contractors can't have employees and they are not allowed to open walls and floors up to do structural repairs. You need a General Contractor's license to do that. Most legitimate Handymen are also General Contractors.

A home repair contractor pays double the Insurance and bond fees to be a General Contractor so they can do structural work. That also protects you, the customer. Please make sure you check this out before you hire someone to tear apart your house.

Handymen are not plumbers or electricians. You can wire and plumb your own house, but I as a contractor, can't do it. Plumbing and electrical work requires a licensed trades person.

A skilled Handyman typical also does light remodeling work. It's nice to find one who can both fix and build.

Chris

Cascadia Design Build
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