Home maintenance

How to find a good handyman

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You want to find a handyman you can trust who will return your calls and will show up when he says he will.

You want to find a handyman who is local who you can call on in an emergency. 

You want to talk with the person who is going to do the work, a handyman who is polite and professional.

You want a handyman who is licenced and insured.

You don’t want to be paying top dollar and they send you a $20 handyman.

So where do you start to find a good handyman?

Start by talking to your neighbours and friends.

Do a Google search for your area …… “handyman Ancaster”

Do a Bing search for your area……………”handyman Ancaster”

Write down the names of some of the handymen that you find.

Go to Google Maps and search to see if they are local

Check their reviews on Google maps (Google Places)

Search Google and Bing to find out what you can about them

Check their web site

Check their Linkedin profile

Check their Facebook page

Check their Google + page

Check Homestars.com and read their reviews

Check Yelp listing

Check Yellow pages

Check You Tube

If you have done your research it will almost feel like you know the person before you pick up the phone.

Now that you have done your homework you can make an informed decision about the handyman you want to call.

Remember your home is a major investment and you don’t want to hire the cheapest person that will take forever to get the jobs done and do a poor job.

Everyone wants to know how much it will cost but you are looking for a good handyman not the cheapest handyman. Your first question should not be how much do you charge. That first question gives the message that you are price shopping and are looking for someone cheap and you have not done your homework.

The cheapest way to hire a handyman is to pay by the hour. It takes time to give quotes and time costs money. If someone is giving you a fixed price they are including enough extra hours to get the jobs done or they are going to underbid and will be going to charge you extra when they run out of time.

One of the things you should discuss is how he charges for material. Some mark up material 30% to 50% to cover their cost and others sell you the material at cost and charge you for their time shopping. A trip to the store and back can take an hour.

If you have a fixed budget prioritize your list and tell him to do as much as he can for that amount. Then he can come back when you can afford to get more done. You are not paying for time he is not working and if he runs into unforeseen problems they can be discussed and a decision can be reached about how to handle it.  Remember it is your house, it is your problems he is just trying to fix it and wants to do it right.

Send the handyman a list of the jobs and pictures so that he can come with the material necessary or supply the material for him. If the handyman has to leave the job to pick up material the clock is ticking.

I hope you find this helpful. If you have any questions leave a comment.

Handyman Services

9 Quick Home Maintenance Tips

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Home maintenance is not restricted to repairs. In fact, certain tasks–when performed regularly–may actually prevent things from breaking in the first place. But when things do go wrong (and it’s inevitable that they do), we have some backup plans that you can try before you grab the phone to call for pro. Appliances and plumbing are the most frequent offenders, but they also often can be the simplest to care for. From the gutters to the living room carpet, there’s a reliable method for keeping every part of your home clean, safe, and well maintained.
MUST-DO MAINTENANCE:
The quickest fix is to not have the problem in the first place. Here’s a checklist of items every homeowner should get to regularly.

1. Test your garage door opener monthly to ensure that it reverses when it hits an obstruction or when its sensor beam is interrupted.
2. Vacuum the clothes dryer’s exhaust duct at least once a year. If the duct is plastic, replace it (it’s a fire hazard). Rigid sheet-metal ducting is best.
3. Replace furnace filters quarterly, or as recommended by the furnace manufacturer.
4. Test all GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets monthly. Press the test button and use a voltage tester to make sure the power goes off.
5. Clean leaves and debris from the condenser of a central air conditioner seasonally.
6. Once a year, vacuum the refrigerator coils underneath the appliance.
7. Have the fireplace chimney inspected and cleaned annually.
8. Inspect window and door caulking and weather stripping yearly.
9. Replace the batteries in smoke detectors yearly. And remember, even recent hard-wired smoke detectors have backup batteries that must be replaced. If you have never checked yours, do so.