Last Updated on April 5, 2012 by Mike

How To Choose The Best Handyman

The decision to choose the best handyman is so important, because the work they are doing can have long-lasting effects on our happiness.

It is real easy to do the first step. When learning how to choose the best handyman, all you need to do is gather up to five contractors from the phone book or newspaper, or even those recommended by neighbors or family and friends. Get the contact information from each of these and call them. Give them the details on your project and ask them each to provide you with an estimate on the job. Let them know your contact information so that they can reach you with that estimate when they are ready.

If they don’t answer back or schedule a visit with you within two days of your first contact with them, then cross them off your list. Also, cross any handyman off your list who won’t do a free visit to inspect for an estimate, but insists instead that you pay them just to provide you with a bid.

The next step involves finding out from each of the handymen who place bids with your for your project to provide proof of both licensure with the state and insurability, and to give it to you in writing. This is the hardest thing for a lot of people to ask, but it is so important that you take this step and do it. Picture what would happen if one of those contractor’s workers took a spill off a ladder as they do the work on your project, and this leads to severe injuries to both the worker and your project. You would only shudder to think what this would mean if your handyman didn’t have the right licensing or insurance.

Next you will make a comparison on all the estimates that you’ve gotten from your handymen contacts, that you should have gotten into your hands over the ten days from your initial request. You will decide on who to choose by comparing their cost, how complete they were in describing back to you the work you want done, and how well you feel they understand exactly what you want to accomplish.

After you’ve let the chosen handyman know that they’ve won your contract, get a list of references that you can contact of people they have worked with over the last year that you can contact to discuss their satisfaction with the work of this handyman.

After you project gets started, keep talking with the handyman and his crew every day by going by the project to look closely at the materials they have chosen to work with as well as the work they have done. Don’t be intimidated about doing this and about asking them any questions that you have. Make sure they keep you informed as to the progress of your project and especially when they hope to have it done.

Lastly, you should spell out each term and condition on what you expect them to perform, along with any payment arrangements, so that there is a clear picture of what each party expects from the project. Make sure there is a contingency plan in place should there be any instance of going over budget, or what needs to take place should the handyman go over the original estimate of the bid given to you. Don’t make the final payment, which should equal around 40% of the complete project bid, until all the work is done, and you have had time to examine all the work completely so that you are satisfied that your expectations have been met.

The steps to creating what you see for your project, to choosing the right handyman, submitting for bid requests and going through to selecting the right one, right up to watching over the entire project to the end is not a simple thing to do, but by following these steps, you can be assured that the final results of your project will mean years of satisfactory enjoyment. The best thing is that you will have developed a resource that you can count on, so that you can be the one to refer a good handyman to your friends and family when they come to ask.

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