Handyman Hourly Rate
How much should I expect to pay for a handyman in Detroit, MI? I need someone who does drywall (ripping out and replacing), light electrical (light fittings etc.), painting, erecting a fence, etc.
Also, if anyone knows how to go about finding such a person (which paper to look in etc.) that would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Don't know about Detroit, but it's close to the same in Phoenix and Seattle. Decent handyman services run at least $20 to $25 per hour plus materials. Good ones can cost as much as $10 more per hour, and get up to twice as much done in the same amount of time. The best all work piece work. Which is always best for you. just make sure they are all bidding apples to apples, get references, and look at some of their past work when possible
I never pay handymen by the hour! In order to work on my projects one must bid on the scope of work being performed. That way I know my costs up front and they also know how much they will make at job's end. I have found out over the years that this is definitely the better approach. Less expensive usually than by the hour and also faster...because most handymen want to complete the job in order to get their payday. Hope this helps!
andrewb - I know a guy that might be able to help you. He hasn't worked for me, but we know a couple of people in common and I was told he does good work. I met him to look at a rehab job that fell through, and he seemed like a decent guy. Told me he charges $30 an hour. That's about all I know, but if your interested, PM me and I'll give you his #, and you can decide for yourself. Zach
Thanks for the replies. $30/hr seems high - seems more like what a GC would charge. Some of the work is unskilled - like pulling down an old garage and putting it in the dumpster. Don't want to have to pay $30/hr for that. Some is semi-skilled, like painting. There is a LOT of work to do on this property, a lot of little jobs. Should I try and get a crew of different skill levels together, or just farm it out to one guy and have done with it? (Aside from specialist stuff like plumbing and electrical of course).
First, I don't pay by the hour, I always get a quote for the job/jobs.
Seccond, it is important to get more than one quote and to always let your handyman know you are getting more than one quote. If you initially get quotes from one person that are consistently better than others you will be tempted to start asking that person for a quote and then say "That sounds fair to me" and give him the job. Thats when his prices will start to climb.
Third, if you ever catch him taking a shortcut or even hear of it from someone else, stop using him. The guy who puts the tile directly on the sheetrock(as many will if not watched) has a character flaw that will keep showing up. You want the guy who wants to be known as someone who does excellent work. The shortcut people always cost you more in money and grief in the long run.
Yes, paying by the job sounds good. I read somewhere that contractors charge anywhere from 20% to 50% more than a handyman for the same job. Is that the experience of people here?
Also, when it comes to paying for supplies, I don't want to advance money for supplies ahead of time. But, a handyman might not have the resources to buy much stuff up front either. The compromise I was thinking about is that they buy supplies, then when I see the supplies at the job site, plus the receipt, I reimburse them for it there and then. Labor would be paid at job's end. Does this sound reasonable?[ Edited by andrewb on Date 12/05/2003 ]
andrewb, the advice given by davmille is excellent and I think you should keep it in mind as you grow into this process, right now I don't even think you are at that level yet, but when you do keep his advice in mind because it is right on the money.
The major problem you are facing is that the type of person you are looking to hire is one of the hardest people to find.
You can find handymen under every rock you turn over, but finding one who can do the scope of work you are requiring and do most of it really well AND at a fair price is almost imposible to find without a personal referral from someone you know and trust.
The problem is these magic handymen that know how to fix everything, can do it without supervision 24/7 and can it cheaply end up being in great demand so one of the criteria has to change with them, they are no longer cheap, they become the goto guy and get a higher price because of it.
But there are tons of mediocre handymen that you can find everywhere who will do lots of stuff pretty good, a few things really well, and a few things like a blind 3rd grader.
If you have a local real estate club, join it and go to some of the meetings and get some referrals. You will meet people in your area using handymen from your area and will have first hand experience of their work/work ethic and prices.
If it was me, I would work right along side them in the house so you can see what they are doing and how the do it and see if this is just going to be the first and only time you use them, or you are impressed by their work.
Yes ... the problem of supervising them. Basically, I am short on time, since I have a full time job. The house we are doing is a half-hour away from where I work and live.
I don't want to have to supervise them. I looked at GCs, since they don't need a lot of supervision. But, I found out yesterday that the price they are going to charge is going to be around 40k to do it all up (and yes, I got multiple bids - the others are even higher). My budget was 20k. This will wipe out my profit.
So, I started thinking about handymen. Using a handyman might bring the price back into the ballpark. But, then I will have to pull permits, schedule inspections, arrange subcontractors, be on site a lot more, etc. etc. and I really can't afford to lose my job with being out all the time, down at the house.
I really don't know what to do at this point - push forward, or back out and look at another house (I don't own it yet, but am closing on it soon). Heeeeelllllppppp![ Edited by andrewb on Date 12/05/2003 ]
I have a handy man for $7.50 an hour and one for $15 an hour but I prefer fixed pricing for a job.
C-
Andrew, aren't you going to be in the same position on the next deal?
Sounds like you can find the deals but don't have the ability to rehab them yet.
Perfect for a joint venture with a contractor or in the very lease flipping the deals to a rehabber for a fee.