I have had a difficult time finding a handyman (or woman!) that is willing to work!
I am not asking for them to do difficult jobs. Several are simple jobs taking maybe an hours time each.
The first man I hired talked for 30 minutes after our discussion of my needs, asked a ton of questions and tried to add jobs onto my list that I wasn't in need of. We scheduled a work day. He came and began the work. He left after 40 minutes saying he didn't feel well. He came a week later taking another 30 minutes or so of chit chat and trying to add "more jobs". He worked for 30 minutes, billed me an hour (OMG!) and left again saying he had another appointment. I never called him back.
I decided to hire from a large company with hopes to get this work completed. (Door seal, hole in drywall, ceiling fan installments, tub grout replacement, etc...) When I called to make the appointment I was told they were scheduling a week out. They asked if I desired them to come out "ready to complete the work" I said "Absolutely, YES!"
When the handyman came he walked me through the needed repairs and told me it would take him 3 hours. Great! Then he handed me a list of supplies and asked that I go to Home Depot to buy them so he could complete the work the following week. WHAT???? I said "I was not planning on buying the supplies, that is why I hired you. I was also told you would come ready to complete the work." After some rude exchanges he left and again I never called for them to complete the work.
My question is: Is it normal for a handyman to expect you to have the supplies (door seal, ceiling fan, bathroom grout, etc..) I really don't know what I am doing when it comes to purchasing items like these. I don't mind paying someone who knows what supplies are needed for the jobs. When they come do they normally complete the work in one visit? What should I honestly expect?
What is the average hourly rate I can expect from a good handyman?
Anyone have a trustworthy handyman recommendation in Flower Mound area?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks everyone for your kind advice. I will be calling the recommended handymen and hopefully finding a gem of a handyman! I don't mind paying someone for their time to get the needed supplies. My husband and I are working professionals who really don't have the time as we work 70+ hours/weekly. I also totally understand the need for two visits so they can understand the work involved.
When I spoke to the large Corporation handyman service (spoken about in the above posting) I explained in detail what needed to be done, even down to the color of the ceiling fan. They gave me an estimate of the time it would take to complete the work and gave me the option of getting it all done on the first day since we had to schedule over a week out. I needed the work done that very day for our appointment with a home appraiser was that very afternoon. The miscommunication between the man they sent out and the office worker who promised me the time slot. are what caused the problem. He did not come prepared to work and told me he had just got off vacation and was "resting up".
I would love to be a handy-man for posts like this but I just don't have time. I will only add that if you want your hire to run to Home Depot for supplies, then that will be part of his hourly charge. Also, he may have been hestiant about spending his own money in advance. It's customary to pay 25% in advance to help contractors afford the cost of materials. You could by the ceiling fans in advance, that's probably your biggest expense.
I usually call Mr. Handyman, and they work all over DFW. They are almost always able to come out within a day or so and have always completed the work on the same visit. I always try to have all the supplies on hand for them to do the work, though. Technically, they would go buy the supplies, but their hourly rate continues while they shop. It saves a lot of money for me to provide the items needed. They do have little things like nails, nuts, bolts, etc and usually grout. Since I may not know exactly what is needed at Home Depot, I'll buy several versions of an item and return what isn't needed.
They are a bit pricey, but I like that their workers are bonded, insured, reliable and able to converse with me. I always save up a bunch of small jobs for them to do at once, as they charge one rate for the first hour and a lower rate for subsequent hours. Some of the things I've had them do: paint an exterior door, fix my fence, change canister lights in cathedral ceilings, hang pictures, hang shelves, assemble kids toys at Christmas (play kitchen, spring horse), assemble DIY furniture (crib, rocking chair, etc), grout tub, reset toilet, put up exterior Christmas lights (much less expensive than hiring a light company), install mailbox and post, fix storm doors, etc. In 4 years, I've never been dissatisfied with their work.
Steve Shiver is awesome! 1 ###-###-####
Most handymen won't know what is needed until they see the project. If they buy your stuff for you, they will expect to be reimbursed for the stuff as well as for the time spent to buy it. Most people balk at that. They want the handyman to shop for them for free. They don't mind paying for the supplies, but they don't want to be billed for the time it took to go buy them. So that is why some handy men will ask you to get the supplies. They will give you a list of what you need and you get it. It is very common. And many can't come "ready to work" until they see the work.
We have had the same handyman for around 10 years. He has done work on my grandparents house, my parents, and ours. He has done large and small jobs for us. He is always on time, cleans up after himself, and communicates really well.
I have referred many people to him from mamasource and I have gotten good feedback from several of them. I hope he is able to help you.
His name is Len Vinsko ###-###-####.
A.
We just had some work done on our house. We used Spectrum Home Services, and their guy Jeff does pretty much everything. They came out one day to look at what we wanted done, gave us a quote, then came back at scheduled time and finished in a timely manner. We had them repair some drywall, an exterior panel that had some old termite damage, an interior baseboard that also had some old termite damage, and paint our living areas.
We would use them again.
Spectrum Home Services
http://spectrumnt.com/
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