Once, coming back from my university, I found an old chap washing his car with so much fondness and care that I had to stop and congratulate him on maintaining his car in such a great shape. It was really well-maintained Audi and the owner seemed like a person who could do most of the small house gigs on his own.
However, some of us just don’t like doing that stuff on our own. Perhaps it’s a lack of time, expertise, or motivation to do some of the more menial tasks, such as cleaning the wash basin drain. That’s reality and many actively seek external support for these jobs around the house.
So, if you’re looking for window insulations, carpentry work, painting, and more, what you’ll need is a handyman. To find one, most resort to Google to find a good handyman in the area.
However, not all good handyman services are listed on online yellow pages or on gumtree. Word of mouth is the best approach to finding a good handyman in your local area. So, ask your neighbors and friends first.
Having said that, let’s discuss how you can avoid their heavy fees and save on a service which many of us need from time to time.
1. Look for Groupon Deals
Probably your biggest cost saver on handyman services and finding a good local handyman is Groupon. Groupon regularly lists good handyman deals, offering discounts as high as 70%. What is good about these deals is they also offer recommendations and word of mouth about the quality of services offered by local handymen.
And here is a secret tip: you can further save a buck if you make a deal with your local handyman to leave him a good positive review online.
2. Know exactly what you want
One of the biggest cost drainers when it comes to hiring a good local handyman is not knowing exactly what modification work is required. Many people have just a vague idea of what they exactly want and end up signing up for extra services that they don’t really need.
Remember, a handyman is a salesman first and he will try his best to sign you up for other services also.
Always discuss with your partner or parents what bare minimum they want. If it is window replacement, keep it to window replacement only. Don’t go for extras like pasting nice-looking wallpapers on your windows or buying an extra set of window blinds.
Knowing exactly what you want can save you a lot of money.
3. Ask what you can do yourself
When making a deal with handyman, ask him if he will reduce his fee if you prepare or do some work before he arrives. Similarly, ask if he will reduce his fee if you do the debris removal yourself.
If your handyman is charging you an hourly rate, doing some work before and after the job can reduce his time and you can save some money also.
4. Group the repairs
Patience is probably one of the best personal traits we develop as we age. Delayed gratification and the ability to not rush into things is what separates a mature individual from someone who is less apt with self-control.
Thus, if your home requires a few small repairs and replacements, wait till you need multiple fixes before calling up the handyman.
Going for single handyman jobs can cost you more money, but you can save a lot if you group your repairing requirements and negotiate a whole deal with handyman rather than calling him each time you need to replace a switch in your home.
5. Don’t go for big
Don’t get into the emotional mantra of more is better. If bathroom can be fixed by just fixing the shower and bathtub, limit yourself to that much work.
Big is not always better, so focus on essentials and you can save few bucks on handyman services or even completely avoid hiring a contractor.
Handyman services are essential during retirement as comfortable living requires one to live with peace of mind. Small and repeated gigs can be pain for older individuals, but you can avoid paying more for handyman services if you follow the above tips.
If you have personal experience with dealing with handymen, please share your views and tips in comments section.
Featured photo credit: teikjoon via flic.kr
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