Paying Handyman for Carpentry Work

[Dalton Dellinger]

Hello BP. I have a handyman with a technical degree in Construction Management. He has been working for me for about a year now and I am very impressed with his work. Normally I pay him hourly at $15 an hour, which is a pretty good wage in my area, Southern Indiana. This weekend I want him to replace some framing members, repair termite damage, and build a staircase for me. My thoughts are: since he is doing specialized carpentry work, he should be paid like a carpenter instead of hourly. What are your thoughts on this? I like to pay people based on the amount of skill required to do the job. Is this thought process wrong?

Thanks

[Steve K.]

@Dalton Dellinger is that $15/hr cash or on the books? Is he licensed and insured? If it’s cash and he’s not licensed and insured I wouldn’t feel bad at 15 if that’s a good wage for the area. Why would you pay him a regular carpenter’s wage if he’s not a bonded, licensed and insured carpenter? Just because he’s doing a few things a carpenter normally does, does not make him a carpenter by default in my opinion. It’s unlikely he’ll work as quickly and efficiently as an actual carpenter, also the final product probably won’t be as high-quality as it would if completed by an actual carpenter who has been doing this every day for years, so I wouldn’t feel bad at all paying him less as long as he is happy with the wage. Maybe just throw in a surprise bonus at the end, buy him a tool or something if he does a great job on budget and under timeline.