Handyman Service - Should You Use One For Your Home Repairs?

Sep 16
07:06

2010

Andrew Stratton

Andrew Stratton

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A handyman service can be your home’s new best friend, but a repair professional that is unskilled or dishonest can turn the process into a nightmare. When is it best to call for help, and when is do-it-yourself a viable option?

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Hiring a handyman service is something that is likely to be necessary for virtually every homeowner,Handyman Service - Should You Use One For Your Home Repairs?  Articles yet very few give the idea any thought until an emergency arises. Each year, incorrectly performed repairs and do-it-yourself home projects gone awry cost American homeowners millions of dollars, money that might have been better spent in hiring a handyman service to deal with the problem or make the improvement. These repair professionals tend to have years of experience, education, and the practical know-how that many people lack, no matter how many trips to the home and garden store a person has accumulated in his lifetime. Choosing to go the professional route saves time, frustration, and even money. 

Undoubtedly, money is the foremost reason that keeps people from hiring a handyman service and instead attempting to handle the repair on their own. Most homeowners have the impression that the majority of the cost incurred in hiring a professional repair company is the cost of labor, and simply purchasing the necessary supplies will help keep the bill down significantly. While this is true in some instances, like if a repair person may bill you for the hour of his time it took to fix your 15-minute emergency, in other cases, the cost of the supplies needed to make repairs is much more than the average homeowner anticipates. In addition, while a handyman service will arrive on site with all the necessary tools for the job, do-it-yourself projects require purchasing tools and equipment not always sitting around in the garage or the basement. 

Another reason that homeowners are hesitant to hire a professional repairman is the idea of security. In today’s society, distrust and skepticism are commonplace, and the old idea of simply calling a repair person seen on TV or in the phone book is no longer a suitable idea. Even in safer, more trusting times, choosing a handyman service without much information required calling all around town and asking for estimates, only to find that the results varied greatly. Fortunately, one of the major advantages of our plugged-in world is that information is readily available on the Internet, providing those who may be interested in hiring a professional with plenty of reviews and background information. It’s also a huge tool for research, allowing anyone to get a rough idea of what repairs may be needed to the home, and what sort of estimate is reasonable. This proliferation of information makes it safer, less expensive, and more logical to hire a repair person, instead of trying to become Mr. Fix-It on your own.