Doing one’s own home repairs is one of the proudest moments in owing a
house. The feeling of repairing or renovating a room or a fixture is
unmatched. However, there are some jobs that are beyond the scope of
your average weekend do-it-yourselfer. For example, electrical work and
some plumbing projects require a fair bit of knowledge to be completed
safely and correctly. For many of us the problem is not that we don’t
want to try to do the work, we do, it is that we don’t know how and
would like to learn.

Unfortunately, if one hires a contractor or professional plumber or
electrician it is usually the case that they do the work themselves and
certainly do not provide any sort of education in what they are doing.
Other times the issue is not a lack of knowledge but a lack of manpower.
We may know how to fix something but we are not able to do it on our
own. For these situations there is a type of service to call. A handyman
is able to come over and assist with any project or lend their
expertise in helping educate on how to correctly do something.

The great thing about hiring a handyman is that they are often a
jack-of-all-trades. They will have experience with construction,
painting, electrical work, and plumbing. Often a project requires a
little of each of these disciplines. For example, if one were to remodel
a bathroom they would need to know how to hang drywall, install light
fixtures and set up a toilet so that when you flush water doesn’t come
out of the showerhead. Hiring a carpenter, and an electrician and a
plumber would be expensive and time consuming. Two guys can do the job
over the course of a weekend it just requires the knowledge of all three
of these professionals. This is when it is time to call in a handyman.

A handyman often works in all sorts of home improvement fields.
Sometimes they will be most well versed in one discipline but almost
always have general knowledge of many aspects of remodeling. Also,
because they are not union workers they will not cost exorbitant amounts
of money to hire. The homeowner also saves money by not having to hire
multiple people and stretch the project out over a series of weeks.

The thing that most homeowners’ love about hiring a handyman is that
they are often willing to help educate and teach them how to do the
work. They will work with the homeowner and show them the proper way to
install a toilet. They will explain the finer points of light fixture
installation. They are happy to share their knowledge because they know
that if they show themselves to be assets they will get repeat business.
While a person may learn how to do something themselves they will
undoubtedly need an extra pair of hands from time to time. Also, the
work is almost never done. There is nearly always something to work on
and a homeowner can always use some help.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An Austin
handyman may be difficult to find. For reviews and other
information about reliable professionals, visit: http://www.angieslist.com/