Looking for a Handyman?

Published on December 1, 2023 By: Dan Kern – Owner Ace Handyman Services Fox Valley

If you spend any time on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin or Nextdoor you no doubt have seen posts recently from men and women that are offering their services for hire. This morning I saw one such post from someone that works a seasonal landscape job and is currently furloughed until Spring. He is offering his skills to anyone who is looking to get work done around the house.  I saw another one the other day from a laborer / carpenter that has seen their work hours significantly reduced and they are looking to find extra work over the next few months. He said that he does basements, bathrooms and kitchen remodels too.

Homeowners must exercise caution before hiring someone off of social media, that are now available for work, or looking to supplement their income during the winter months

I applaud these men and women for their drive to stay busy and not just wait until their industries activity ramps back up again. It is no secret for many trades, there are slow seasons that reduce the amount of available work hours for many. Companies must scale back their workforce until the demand for their services returns or the weather allows. It can be hard for these workers to find backup work or to just stay active. It is the nature of the industry, where contractors will maintain their highest quality / tenured employees and furlough the others until “next season”.

Of course, you could argue that I am biased. You are right. I am. I own an Ace Handyman Services office. I employ multi-skilled craftsmen with many years of experience, and we have served all of Kane County and Southern McHenry Counties for the last three and a half years.  Seeing seasonal individuals hang their “shingles” as handymen for hire certainly impacts my business.

Here are considerations all homeowners should always make before they hire any handyman; seasonal, independent or as part of a service, to do work around their homes:

1. Is the handyman or service insured and bonded?

• Ask those you hire for a certificate of insurance.
• If they hesitate or refuse to provide to you, they don’t have any.
• If the worker gets hurt on your property, or damages something in an accident, many insurance companies will not cover you. The insurance companies expect that you will hire only those who are insured to work around your house. Check with your agent if you are unsure of their exclusions.  

2. Does the handyman have any references, reviews for the work they have done, or have they been vetted in any way?

• Does the handyman or service have a website or a social site where you can see the work that they have done?
• Can you view past jobs or examples of their work?
• Can you see customer reviews, both good and bad?

3. Is the handyman or service easy to get a hold of?

• How long did it take for them to return your call or email?
• Are they willing to schedule an exact day and time for the work to be done?
• When you ask for information or more detail, are they quick to provide?

4. What payment terms are they asking for?

• Are they requesting a deposit up front, or worse the complete cost of the job upfront?
• What are the forms of payment they are willing to accept?

5. Will they provide a written contract, statement of work, or a work order?

• Is the written form clear, does it spell out performance expectations and payment terms?
• Does the form clearly show a path for customers to express any concerns or dissatisfaction?

6. Will the handyman you hire be there 6 months in the future if you have any issues with their work?

• If they go back to their “regular” jobs, will they come back to fix issues with their work?
• Do they offer any sort of warranty on the work they provide?

I understand that there are probably a few people who are going to read this and react that they don’t need any of the above as the work they need to have done is small, simple or insignificant. Are you sure?

I probably will also raise the ire of these seasonal handymen. That is ok!

Homeowners need to be clear on expectations and the capabilities of those they hire to work around their families, homes and treasures.

I also understand that for many homeowners, price is a very important consideration. There are many truisms out there:

• “You get what you pay for!”
• “High Quality does not come Cheap!”
• “Quality work isn’t cheap, and cheap is rarely quality!”

The posts from the “seasonal” handymen I saw on social media I reference above had comments in them asking about pricing. None were willing to share their pricing on social media. One simply stated that, “it depends, call him”. The other said that sometimes it is hourly and other times it is a single price, it depends on how complicated the job.

Homeowners need to be cautious and make sure to get whatever the agreed price is, clearly written out along with performance expectations.

As I mentioned, I own an Ace Handyman Service here in the Illinois Fox Valley. We are part of the Ace Hardware Family of companies. My craftsmen are multi-skilled with many years of experience doing this type of work.

The Ace Handyman Services Fox Valley TEAM is:

• Insured, Bonded and Background Checked.
• We have a website and social media sites that clearly state the kind of work we do, as well as customer reviews of our work.
• We have office staff that answer the phones Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm.
• We are clear on our pricing and the customer is provided with our terms and conditions before the job and at completion of jobs.
• We provide our customers with Statements of Work, which spell out specifics of materials, cost, and performance expectations for jobs that are larger in size.
• We are a professional Handyman Service and offer the year-round availability to our communities. We also back all of the work we do with a 1-Year Warranty.

I am extremely proud of the work that my Ace Handyman Services Fox Valley TEAM does to bring helpful to our customers homes and businesses. The TEAM is laser focused on delivering a delightful experience from the initial phone call, through the completion of the job, to follow up calls prior to the expiration of the 1-year warranty period. I believe that the 1,000 plus 5-Star Reviews our customers have given us over the last three years speaks volumes about the quality of the work and the experience they have received.

Do “seasonal” handymen impact my business? Yes.

Are we more expensive than the “seasonal” and independent handymen out there? Perhaps.

We have all heard and read the horror stories of contractors taking customer’s money upfront and then disappearing. It breaks my heart to see any contractor take advantage of a customer. It happens all too often.

At Ace Handyman Services Fox Valley, we only rarely ask for a deposit, specifically for custom ordered or bulk materials. Otherwise, we collect payment in agreed to performance milestones or at the completion of the jobs.

We have received calls from customers that have been taken advantage of by other contractors. We have gone out and completed or fixed jobs that another handyman had abandoned. We cannot help the customer recoup their money. We can and do help them realize the job outcomes they are looking for.

When we look at the true cost comparison, is it worth the risk to go with the low(er) cost handyman or service?

The low(er) cost “seasonal” and independent handymen out there absolutely impact my business. I get it. I also know, they help us demonstrate the real value Ace Handyman Services brings our customers each day and on every job.

Here are a couple of reviews we received in the last couple of days from our customers:

Check out all of our other reviews on our website at:

https://www.acehandymanservices.com/offices/fox-valley

Give Ace Handyman Services Fox Valley a call at: 847-930-5053 the next time you need an installation done of product you purchased at a big box store.

Ace Handyman Services Fox Valley. We bring helpful to your home!