Handyman – Questions to Ask Before Hiring

What is Your Expertise?

Depending on the job, you may need to find a handyman that has a lot of experience with certain jobs. Ask about specific types of jobs that he or she has worked on frequently. Some people in this profession are experts when it comes to home remodeling, kitchen repairs, painting, or plumbing. You can also give him a brief outline of the help that you need and see if there are any problems.

You may have to make a few phone calls to find the right handyman, but it is worth the trouble. Set up a meeting to go over the project in more detail and get an initial estimate. Depending on the amount of time that you have and what you want done, you may need to meet with more than one person to ensure you have the right man for the job.

How Much Will It Cost?

Before meeting with anyone, you want to have some idea of what the materials are going to cost for the project. You can take a trip to a few stores and look around or used the phone or Internet. Either way, you want to know what this project is going to cost before adding in the labor.

At the first meeting and after assessing the situation, you want to find out how much the labor is going to cost. Don't expect a concrete number this early in the process. The handyman may need to look into materials and double check the amount of time that some of the work will take. However, they should be able to give you a ball park figure. Hopefully, a more solid estimate would come in the next few days. Also, if anything unexpected happens, remember that the cost may increase.

How Long Will It Take?

Some projects are more inconvenient than others to you and your family. One of the most important questions is how long it will take for your home to get back to normal. While there is always a chance that something unexpected could come up, you want to have some idea of how long it is going to take. During the first meeting, ask the handyman about how long he thinks the job will take. You can also ask if there are any problems that he thinks may come up. Sometimes, providing a time line for a customer is not an exact science, but you don't want to think the work is going to go on indefinitely.