Unfortunately, “Handyman” has come to mean any non-full time employee who performs short term building or maintenance tasks at a property. The connotation is that this person a male, uneducated, poorly skilled person willing to do dirty, tedious or physical tasks for little money.
However, in the modern gig economy, many home owners and business insist on the highest quality craftsmanship over a broad range of building services, $1,000,000 liability insurance, a criminal background check and a warranty period for labor and materials.
In order to meet the market’s demand, a modern handyman (or handywoman) must have multiple years experience in a variety of skilled trades and thousands of dollars of specialty tools to successfully complete a home project. Plus, a reliable method of transporting the worker, tools and materials to every address. The State of North Carolina insists on collecting the sales tax for the services provided and an accurate account of all sales.
The reality is that many persons who offer “handyman” services at or near the federal minimum wage do not have the resources to provide a professional service.
Here is guide for when to hire a handyman service vs a domestic helper:
Does the task require special skills or tools? If yes, hire a handyman.
Does the task require new electrical, plumbing or HVAC equipment? Hire a licensed professional, not a handyman. A handyman can replace a bad switch, or ceiling fan, unclog pipes, replace sinks toilets or vanities as long as no new infrastructure is required.
Do you want yard debris raked and bagged up? Your grass cut with your mower? Your couch or table moved to the other side of the room? If it can be explained in 2 minutes or learned in less than day, hire your neighbor’s teenager or an unskilled domestic laborer.
Remember, When a handyman quotes you an hourly rate, the liability insurance, the truck or van payment, 7% sales tax, Federal and Social Security tax and the 14% self employment tax, are all included in that number.