Are you planning a home improvement project that is above your skill level? Does your business interior need a major upgrade to keep up with competitors in your niche?
If yes, then you need to find local handyman services to give your project an edge.
Whether hiring a handyman to put furniture together in your home or install light fixtures in your business, finding a good local handyman starts by understanding what work you need to have done and what qualities to look for in a professional, so let’s get into it.
How to Hire Local Handyman Services
**Click to auto scroll by section
Things to Determine Before Hiring a Provider
Before you chase down quotes to find cheap local handyman services near you, research what you need done and come up with a budget you’re comfortable with.
Make a list of what you need to be done
Make a list of projects you need a handyman for and prioritize it by when it needs to be done. This way less important tasks don’t hinder the progress of more important ones.
You can save money by bundling many tasks in one day to get the most bang for your buck.
Also, write out questions pertaining to each project to ensure that you and your handyman or contractor are on the same page to avoid any costly surprises.
How much can you pay a handyman per hour?
Most handymen charge $40 – $100 per hour for their services but it often depends on the skill level of your local handymen. Get a bottom line of how much you’re willing to pay. The total cost of your service will depend on the specific skills, tools and materials required, but don’t forget to leave a little wiggle room in your budget for surprise complications.
Common Handyman Services
Not sure if tasks on your to-do list can be taken care of by a local handyman? Don’t worry. Here are some kinds of things handymen do to help you tackle any project, big or small.
Painting
Sometimes, all you need is a fresh coat of paint. A versatile painter can work both indoors and outdoors, as well as apply wallpaper when needed.
Fix leaks
From leaks in the basement to corroded pipes underneath insulation, a highly-skilled plumber can handle any type of project.
Furniture assembly
When you buy “read-to-assemble” furniture online, you can hire a handy furniture assembly expert to put it together for you. For how to pick a furniture assembler, check out this blog.
You should hire someone to assemble furniture items like:
- Couches & Furniture
- Murphy & Bunk Beds
- Desks & Filing Cabinets
- Dressers & Side Tables
- Exercise Gear
- Exercise Bikes
- Trampolines
- Treadmills
- Smokers & Grills
- Outdoor Playsets
- Basketball Goals
- Patio Furniture
Looking for handy furniture assembly? BOOK A PRO ❯
Laying carpet
With precision, a carpet laying professional can transform a room into the place where you entertain guests.
Repairing decks and fences
Creating an outdoor living space can increase the value of your home. At some point, you will need a licensed expert to do repair work on your deck and the fence surrounding it.
Garbage disposal repair
This household appliance frequently breaks, but handymen are happy to fix it for a fee. Some homeowners take their garbage disposal out entirely due to their inefficiency.
General home repairs
A good handyman should be able to fix just about anything or tell you professionally when something simply needs to be replaced. If you hire a handyman that charges by the hour, getting a bunch of small things fixed in one visit can be really good for the budget.
Some handyman rates are flat hourly rates and others change depending on the type of job, so make sure to ask how your quote is calculated to avoid surprise fees!
Get a good hauler for the best price! FIND A PRICE ❯
Qualities to Look for in a Handyman
From here you can start your search for the right local handyman service near you. Figuring out if you can trust a handyman can be tricky, but here are five important professional qualities to look for when hiring local handyman services.
1. Experience
You want a highly skilled trade professional to complete your project properly. Finding an experienced handyman means you can take advantage of reviewing many professional references and even get an idea of what your final result will look like.
2. Proper credentials
Verify that every handyman on your shortlist possesses the right credentials. For example, you don’t want your brand new bookshelf suddenly collapsing due to improper assembly.
Find a company like LoadUp that guarantees teams of insured, experienced and licensed professionals are handling your project.
3. Transparent payments
A huge red flag is when a trade professional wants payment for a vague price before the job is even done. Paying for work not yet completed puts you at a disadvantage as they can leave whenever and can complete it, however.
You want to find a handyman that hands you an itemized list of how much the material, labor, transportation, etc. cost so you don’t have a mysterious withdrawal from your bank account.
4. Dependable
Hire a verified expert who you can trust inside of your home or business. A good handyman meets deadlines and responds to your needs without brushing them off as an inconvenience.
5. Knows the professional limits
An honest handyman admits what they cannot do when it comes to your project.
For example, if you need to hire someone to assemble furniture but the handyman is not experienced at mounting televisions, you want to know about the limitation.
Contractor vs. Handyman
If you’re undertaking a home improvement project that’s larger than life, know some states require you to hire a licensed contractor instead of a handyman. But what’s the difference?
Handyman services are good for basic odd jobs in the house like fixing the sink or changing a light bulb, but work requiring specialized tasks like messing with the plumbing or electricity should be done by a trade professional with the expertise to keep your home up to code.
Some states like California require that any construction project that costs more than $500 must be done by a contractor who is licensed in that trade by the CSLB.
You might want to hire a contractor for jobs like:
- Plumbing projects
- HVAC installation or repairs
- Roofing installation or repairs
- Flooring installation
- Concrete and other masonry work
- Electrical installation and repair
How to Hire the Best Handyman for the Job
Now that you know what to look for, let’s talk about how to pick a handyman.
Lean on family and friends
Some old-school methods for knowing how to find a handyman remain relevant during the digital era. Ask friends and family members for a reference. Word of mouth advertising remains a highly effective way for contractors to attract new customers.
If you do not receive any help from friends and relatives, expand your network to include neighbors and professional colleagues. If you know a trade professional, ask for a lead on a bonded and licensed handyman.
Conduct research
Whether you need a plumber to fix a leak or a team of loaders to assemble furniture, you want to dig a little into the contractor’s background.
First, read the online reviews left by customers. Then, access the web page devoted to the contractor or company on the website run by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). An experienced handyman should have a large portfolio of recently completed projects.
Before you call them, determine what the average price is for a similar project in your area.
Interview every candidate
Never hire a trade professional just by reviewing a website and asking questions over the phone. You should conduct an in-person interview for every candidate on your shortlist.
The interview is when you determine how long each handyman has worked in the industry and can ask for references to then contact before you make a decision on hiring a handyman.
Some questions you may want to ask a potention handyman are:
- How long is the project going to take?
- How do you prefer to interact with customers?
- What is the initial estimate and why that price?
Agree on the details of the project
Before you sign a contract, both you and the trade professional working on your project must agree on the scope of the work. Unethical handymen like to pad bills with unnecessary work.
One of the benefits of working with LoadUp is we follow every line written into the contracts we sign with our valued clients.
Confirm professional credentials
Verify the credentials of the handyman you plan to hire. Some trade professionals embellish their credentials to secure work.
Make sure the handyman has the right amount of insurance. Without proper insurance, you might be on the financial hook for anything that goes wrong.
Determine cost and payment structure
The total cost of the entire project should be listed in the contract signed by you and the trade professional. Review the contract to ensure you will not get charged for any hidden fees.
Once again, never pay a contractor for an entire project until the trade professional has completed the project to your satisfaction.
Ways to Find a Handyman Service Near You
The Internet has made finding the right handyman for your project easy. Check out sites like HomeAdvisor or Angie’s List to find local handymen near you with verified reviews, licensing and background checks complete.
If you are looking specifically for a team of furniture assemblers, look no further than LoadUp to take some of the guesswork out of the equation. We can help you get connected with a local furniture assembly team through online scheduling that includes a transparent price.
Simply enter a zip code to find a vetted professional in your area. You can see the cities we service here and check out verified reviews here.
Get a guaranteed price online so that when your Loader arrives, you can kick back and relax while your insured and background-checked handyman assembles new furniture for you.
Ready to get furniture set up? BOOK A PRO ❯
Related Articles from the Trash Talk Blog:
