Skip to Main Content
chevron-right
chevron-left
chevron-down
chevron-up
chevron-circle-up
chevron-circle-right
chevron-circle-down
chevron-circle-left
Facebook Logo
Twitter Logo
Linkedin Logo
Youtube Logo
Instagram Logo
Google Plus Logo
Vimeo Logo
Issuu Logo
Right arrow
Left arrow
Location
Search
Phone Icon
Services
Home Care
Senior Care
Home Nursing Services
At Home Therapies
Respite Care
Home Care FAQ
Hospice
Bereavement & Grief
Hospice & Alzheimers
Hospice Costs
Hospice Pet Therapy
Special Care Programs
Your Care Team
Specialized Home Care
Patient-Centered Dementia Care
Arthritis
Congestive Heart Failure
Huntington’s Disease
Hypertension / Blood Pressure
Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes
COPD
Joint Replacement
Mental Health and Depression
Home Care Support for Multiple Sclerosis
Palliative Care
Paraplegia and Quadriplegia
Parkinson's Disease
Pediatric Care
Traumatic Brain Injury
Ventilator Care
Wound Care
Veterans Care
Staffing
Staffing FAQ
COVID-19 Vaccination Staffing
Careers
About Us
COVID-19 Update
Our Standard of Care
Our History
Franchise Leader
Executive Team
Caring Brands International
Press Releases
Honoring Veterans
Historic Milestones
Contact Us
Education Center
Aging in Place
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Health Aide
8 Dietary Tips for Improving Senior Heart Health
Talking About Substance Abuse as a Caregiver
How to Take Care of Aging Hair
4 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality for Seniors
Designing Outdoor Living Areas for Seniors
Getting A Grip: How and Where to Install Bathroom Grab Bars
Keeping Active: Tips for Senior Gardening
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Calculating the Cost
Certified Senior Advisors
Consumer Health Care Education
Advisor Care Giving Guide
Care in a Residential Facility
Check Your Home Care IQ
Elder Care Communities
Consumer Alert
Medicare and Home Care
Senior Care Resources
Senior Care Scams
Consumer Rights
Signs That Care At Home is Needed
Long Term Care
Fall Prevention
Mobility in Seniors
Falls FAQ's
Home Safety Checklist
Home Safety Tips
Hidden Hazards
Medications and Fall Risk
Reduce the Risk of Falling
Risk of Falling
Visiting the Doctor and Discussing Falls
What to Do If Someone Falls
Family Caregiving
Elder Care Videos
Hiring Your Own Caregivers
Family Care Giving Facts
Information for Seniors
Long Distance Caregiving
Starting the Conversation
The Stress of Family Caregiving
Taking Care Of Yourself as a Family Caregiver
Home Care Technology
Hospice Fact or Myth
In-Home Caregivers
Senior Health
Exercise and Older Adults
Senior Nutrition
Taking Medications
Tips for Lowering Blood Pressure
Seniors and Zika Virus
Savvy Senior
Stories From Home
Transitioning from a Facility
Independent Living Assessment
Blog
Facebook
Linkedin
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
Home
>
Education Center
>
October 2016
>
How to Find and Hire a Good Handyman or Contractor
How to Find and Hire a Good Handyman or Contractor
Posted: 10/27/2016 9:35 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Dear Savvy Senior,
What’s the best way to find a good handyman or tradesman to do some work around the house? I’ve have had some bad luck lately with unprofessional workers who do shoddy work and charge too much.
Frustrated Senior
Dear Frustrated,
Hiring a good home repair handyman can be a bit of a crapshoot. How do you find someone who will return your calls, show up on time, do the job right and finish it, all at a fair price? Here are some tips that can help.
Who to Call
While it may seem obvious, whom you call on for help will depend on what you need done. If, for example, you have a small home repair or improvement project that doesn’t require a lot of technical expertise, a handyman may be all you need. But if you have a job that involves electricity, plumbing, or heating or cooling systems, you’re better off going with a licensed tradesman. Bigger jobs like home renovations or remodeling may require a general contractor.
Whatever type of work you need, the best way to find it is through referrals from people you trust. If your friends or family don’t have any recommendations turn to professionals in the field like local hardware or home improvement stores, or even real estate agents.
The Internet can also help. Websites like
HomeAdvisor.com
can put you in touch with prescreened, customer-rated service professionals in your area for free. Or try
AngiesList.com
, a membership service that will connect you with contractors and service companies with various types of expertise for free. They provide ratings and reviews of local professionals who’ve done work for other members in your area, plus details about the type of work they’ve done, prices, professionalism and timeliness. They also offer an upgraded silver or gold membership for $25 or $100 per year, which offers discounts, a magazine, complaint resolutions and more.
Another option for finding handyman services is through a local or national service company like
MrHandyman.com
,
HouseDoctors.com
or
HandymanConnection.com
. You’ll probably pay more going through a company than you would with an independent handyman, but service companies typically promise professional workers who are screened, licensed, bonded and insured.
To find local handyman services in your community check your yellow pages or go to any Internet search engine and type in “handyman” plus your city and state.
Things to Know
Once you’ve located a few candidates, your next step is to get written estimates that list the materials, costs and details of the project. It’s a good idea to get at least three estimates from different sources to be sure you’re getting a fair deal.
Before hiring someone, check out his or her work history with your state consumer protection agency (go to
usa.gov/state-consumer
for a list) and the Better Business Bureau (
bbb.org/council
). You can also search the Web using the company or individual’s name and such words as “reviews” and “complaints.”
You also need to find out if your candidates have an approved contractor or tradesman license. Using an unlicensed worker in a state that requires a license is dangerous – you’ll have little legal recourse if the job goes bad. (To see which states license contractors, visit
contractors-license.org
.)
Contractorcheck.com
is another good resource for researching local contractors.
Also, ask to see their proof of insurance, which covers any damages they may cause while working on your home, and ask for several references from past jobs and check them.