Bad idea to use handy man vs. licensed contractor?

[Drew Denham]

Pros and cons ?

[William Sumnicht]

I've had extremely poor and exceptional service, from handymen and contractors alike.

For me, the decision making process starts with the job at hand. Is it managing the complete rehab? Don't hire the handyman. If you're the project manager, and it's a job within the rehab: Is it a job that requires highly skilled labor? Does it include liability to the investor or the worker? How quickly does it need to be completed?

Next, it's nice to know the strengths and limitations of the worker. Not just in what trades they're capable, but their personality type. Where does their attention to detail fall? How right do they do the job? How complete do they leave a job? Are they committed to your job, or are they there late and half the time? How much of a surprise will they deal with before requiring a change order? How willing are they to come back and fix a mistake that they made? Will they try to charge to fix their mistake?

I like to hire guys for smaller jobs, and get to know their work style, attention to detail, quality, and business ethics. Knowing that, and knowing the job at hand, seems to make it much easier to place them correctly to jobs on bigger renovations.

And of course, with all new contractors or handymen doing anything bigger than tightening a screw on a door knob, there are some great ways to safeguard yourself:

-Hire top rated workers (Angie's List, Home Advisor, or referrals from other investors or contractors)

-Ask for and vet proof of license, bonding (if applicable) and insurance

-Get contracts with specific scopes of work, timelines, and payment schedules that match up to completed work.

Wow. Forgive the novel.

I see you've flipped a couple of houses, @Drew Denham . Awesome! I imagine you have thoughts on contractor vs handyman, as well?