Whatever happened to real handymen?

[TwoForFlinching]

I'm a handy guy. Loved learning new skills coming of age. plus, when you'reyoung and want nice stuff, you have to take cheap stuff and make it nice. I got so tired of being everyone's handyman for pizza and beer, I won't touch anyone else's stuff for less than ridiculous "I don't want to mess with it" rates. Even at the office, want that picture hung? $5 a nail.

Wasn't always that way, but by the time a friend asks you to build a second dining room table for material costs, red flags fly.

 

[retrieverman]

Utube has made fixing a lot of things yourself more of an option, because there’s generally several videos on about any subject.
I’m not the most mechanically inclined, but I’ve been able to fix several things recently by watching utubes that I normally would’ve called someone to fix.

 

[BillM]

Things aren't made the same way. Appliances are more complicated and proprietary. Everything is more expensive. Every faucet and fixture is different. Society is more litigious. People expect too much for too little. The only handymen that can have a normal life are the ones that seem like they charge a lot. Its very difficult to be an expert of everything and also cheap.

Go to Appliancepartspros.com, with the model number of your appliance. They have parts diagrams, and DIY videos. I don't buy all my parts from them, but many. They're a bit more expensive than Amazon or ebay for parts, but I don't want them going out of business.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

Utube has made fixing a lot of things yourself more of an option, because there’s generally several videos on about any subject.
I’m not the most mechanically inclined, but I’ve been able to fix several things recently by watching utubes that I normally would’ve called someone to fix.

I'm what you'd call YouTube Certified, lol. Dealers wanted $2100 for knock sensors in an LS4, grew a little gumption and did it in the driveway one afternoon. Total cost, $84 for parts, $86 for tools. Learned a hard lesson with garbage O'reilly parts, redid it with factory parts from RockAuto for another $100. Same/same for plumbing, replacing a smart furnace valve, extended lectric panel, new circuits, building a shop, etc... Glad I'm alive to have bought a home during the golden age of YouTube.

 

[1shott]

This is a little bit of a rant. If you haven't had to hire out services then you probably won't get this, but here goes.

Whatever happened to handymen? Seriously, it feels like the whole concept of a good, reliable handyman is just disappearing. Back in the day, if something broke—whether it was a busted pipe, a leaking roof, or a broken fridge — there was always that one guy you could call who’d show up, fix it, and charge you a reasonable price. Now all they want to do is replace things instead of actually fixing them. A leaky faucet? Nah, don’t bother fixing it, just slap in a new one for $200. Broken dryer? Forget about replacing the heating element, just buy a brand-new one!

And don't even get me started on the whole charging for a phone call thing. What happened to the good old days when you could just call up a handyman and have him handle an issue including dealing with other professionals? Now it feels like you’re paying for the privilege of just asking a couple of questions and them making a call to some parts house or electrician. It's ridiculous. I’m not asking for a full-blown consultation or general contractor job done, just a little "fix this light switch" — can’t we still have that without getting charged for every second?

These handymen are all the so-called “experts” too now, who claim they know everything about plumbing, drywall, or electrical work, but can’t even handle the most absolute basic stuff. They’ll tell you they’re pros when it comes to electrical, but ask them to wire up a 3-way switch, and suddenly they’re scratching their heads and needing to call an electrician. Or they say they’ve got plumbing covered, but when it comes to snaking a drain or fixing a simple leak, they’re "drowning" or have to pull up a youtube video to solder a copper pipe (WTF???). No thanks. I need someone who actually knows what they’re doing.

The worst part? It’s all just a money grab. They're getting worse than those indian guys that call you asking for bitcoin deposits. You’d think in today’s world, where sustainability is the name of the game, people would be more into fixing things instead of throwing them away. But nope—handymen today seem more interested in getting you to buy a whole new appliance or replace your stair railing instead of just fixing what’s broken. I get it, businesses want to make money, but this constant nickeling and diming, throwing perfectly good items in the trash, is wasteful and just plain frustrating. Maybe I don’t want a new fridge, I just want the door fixed. Is that too much to ask?

And then, you get the to the pricing. You’ll get one estimate over the phone, but when the job’s done, the bill is $200-800 more because "it was harder" - yeah, it was harder to find a youtube video of my model! Suddenly, that “simple” job turned into an all-day affair, and you’re left with a bill that’s double what you expected. Good luck getting any clear breakdown of where the money went, either. They’ll just leave you scratching your head, wondering what the heck happened and rubbing salve on your rear that mysteriously developed new pains.

Then when the job’s done, you don’t hear from these guys again. Call them up for another job maybe, or because something is broken/leaking/frying the cat - no answer. Back in the day, if a handyman worked on something in your house they’d check in after a few days to make sure everything was holding up. Not anymore. Once they’ve packed up their tools and gotten their money it’s like they vanish into thin air.

The bottom line is that Handymen today are falling short. They have no passion for the repair anymore. Where are the tinkers? Where are the mechanical guys? Where are the ones that fell in love with taking a toaster apart when they were young and found that they had a knack for fixing things? Posers today are focused on selling you new stuff, charging for phone calls, and pretending to be experts when they can barely figure out how to start their vehicles to come to my house. It’s frustrating because we’re not asking for perfection, just someone who can fix basic household items the right way without all the extra nonsense. There’s definitely still a place for good, old-fashioned handymen who actually care about fixing stuff, but they seem harder and harder to find these days. Maybe it’s time for the industry to take a step back and remember what it’s really about—helping people out, and making lifelong customers.

I do most of my own work, but sometimes I'm not in town and things need doing. I can run a breaker box, wire a light, patch drywall, and install a sink and drain, replace a toilet. No problem. This is normal homeowner things to do. Why is it so hard to find other people that can do the same things? Have none of these people ever owned a home before?

Ok, end rant.

First, Great rant.

Second, theres a lot I could comment on, but I wont at the same time. the following is all from my personal experience as a consumer.


A lot of these so called "pros" have no clue as to what they are doing.

Check references as well as On Demand Court Records. Look for the person or persons you are going to hire, see if and how many times they have been sued, criminal history as well. Look at it like this, do you want a convicted rapist or habitual thief or drug user in your house?
Yes I know people can change and some do and are a success, but if theres a revolving door for the court system then personally I would look elsewhere,

Also how do they expect materials to be paid for, IMO if they are running a business, the customer should never have to cover materials for them, the "pro" or handyman should be successful enough to have a line of credit accessible to cover most of the small jobs this thread was started about. The customer should be presented with a quote and break down of costs and labor. Even a small job, like a leaking faucet.

Dont get me wrong here, there are some talented successful handymen out there who do some great work. You just have to weed out the bad ones. You the consumer have to do your homework.


I have hired several to do work on my house, from tile floors, bath/shower remodel, and even my roof. All of these came out great, the roofer worked with my insurance company, and knew what he was doing, insurance company knew of him as well, made the process easier.

Also be sure they have insurance to cover them if they get hurt, if they do not and get hurt while working on your house, they can file a claim against your homeowners insurance.

Youtube as mentioned by others is a wealth of knowledge these days, you would be surprised at how easy some of the repairs are. One of my brothers will text me or face time me asking how do I fix this, always fun to walk him thru things. First thing, take a breath, we got this.

Last comment is home ownership is great, until something breaks then its your phone that rings LOL.

 

[RickN]

Utube has made fixing a lot of things yourself more of an option, because there’s generally several videos on about any subject.
I’m not the most mechanically inclined, but I’ve been able to fix several things recently by watching utubes that I normally would’ve called someone to fix.

I am the reverse. I use to be pretty handy doing plumbing, electrical, little carpentry, drywall, appliance repair and a little bit of auto repair. Now I have to hire it done when I can or ask my friends for help when I have to.

Someone please explain to me how it is when you can not breathe if bent over, every freaking repair you need is below knee level or you have to bend over something to get to it.

 

[saddlebum]

I gave up my appliance repair business because the cost of doing business became too much. licensing , insurance , Government regulations etc. made it so that I had to charge more than people would to make a living. so I took a job teaching HVAC

 

[trekrok]

I think a lot of people expect a lot for very little. Like expert level skills, current insurance, carry materials etc and bill $20 hour. That ain't working. For $20 an hour you're going to get rust bucket truck, smell of budweiser and cigarettes and about a 50% show/ no-show.

A handyman that operates as a business and understands their numbers I'd think would be north of $100 hour at least. Probably more.

Anyone used one of the franchises like Ace or handyman connection? Curious what they charge.

I don't think I've ever hired one. I'm infected with diy tendencies.

 

[chuter]

I often wonder how people who have no mechanical aptitude can get by if they're not rich.
Seems like their house would get pretty run down in just a few years. I'm constantly fixing little stuff.
I think after a while you just start to ignore little broken things and they become normal, but when they first broke you can't stand it.

Our washing machine has been making a screeching noise at me for a while now and I've started browsing youtube for clues.

 

[okierider]

Things aren't made the same way. Appliances are more complicated and proprietary. Everything is more expensive. Every faucet and fixture is different. Society is more litigious. People expect too much for too little. The only handymen that can have a normal life are the ones that seem like they charge a lot. Its very difficult to be an expert of everything and also cheap.

Bang. Then there is dealing with people who try to renegotiate the agreed to price after the work is complete or float you a rubber check. Or try to tell me what I should be charging. I am not driving an hour to do a 15 minute job for $25. People want ability but also want it cheap. You want cheap.... Do it yourself. My time and ability/knowledge is valuable.