Hourly rate for handyman? What do you pay?

Question

Looking for information on what people are paying a handyman hourly? Or do you pay by the job?

I know the location makes a difference and I am looking for information for both the Sacramento foothills and Albuquerque where we own properties.

Plumbing repairs: replacing faucets, garbage disposals, replacing bathtubs or toilets, other minor repairs but not digging up pipes type stuff ect...

Painting inside including patching holes

Carpentry: installing doors, cabinets, deck refinishing and repair (not replacement), building/installing/repairing metal or wood gates or fencing

Flooring installation: tile, bamboo or wood

Changing light fixtures, switches, outlets, ceiling fans ect..

Basically anything that will not require a permit

Thank you for your help!

DJ Dawson · Answer

@Sacha i always suggest paying by the job. By the hour tends to....extend the job if you know what I mean. By the job it incentives them to finish quickly

Ronald Starusnak · Answer

I charge a minimum of $60/hr for small repairs plus materials. That's only for people we work with a lot. Everything else is bid by the job. I have a $350 minimum for roof repairs even if it's a 3 minute job and we have minimums for a lot of other things as well. It's not possible to run a viable business of little $60/hr side jobs. The people who are going to do those for you are just beer money contractors.

Karen Margrave · Answer

As a licensed GC I always request bids from subs by the job, and won't pay by the hour. Also, every region is different, depending on the current demand for services, time of year, etc. Check on Homeadvisor, Angies list, Craigslist, etc. As always, be sure to get references and check them. Ask to see actual photos of their work, don't assume what you see on a website is their work. If you are in a state requring licensing, check licensing, bonds and insurance.

Dustin Mathenia · Answer

@Sacha LaCossDefinitely pay per job if it takes a day expect to pay 200-300. Not sure how you inspect their work if you're out of state. Also I would never let a handyman do tile or flooring. Probably not electrical either.. anyone can tile but not everyone is good. Another quiiiiick tip. Ask them what they're best at, not if they can do something, because they will all say they can do everything and then you turn around and see a guy having 9 pencil lines drawn on 1 piece of drywall that just needs a straight cut.

Frank Geiger · Answer

If you are looking for affordability, a handyman isn't the person you want completing all these jobs individually. They are expensive labor. It is better to give the scope of work to a licensed GC and have their laborers do it or handyman may cut you a deal on the entire project. I wouldn't pay hourly like others have stated.Give them the entire scope of work and make them bid on the job.

John Morgan · Answer

@Sacha LaCossI pay my guy $160-$200 cash for every trip he makes. I’m in Texas and that’s probably on the high side, but I know he will always be there for me on weekends, nights and holidays. I scratch his back, he scratches mine. I manage my properties myself so I don’t have a problem paying a few bucks more for handyman stuff. If it’s a big problem, he just tells me how much it will cost and I always pay what he says. His prices to fix major things like plumbing, electrical etc seem reasonable so I pay it.

Matt P. · Answer

I put an add on Facebook market place to find someone to install a couple cabinets, 2 6' pieces of counter, cut the sink hole and drop it in and install about 140 sq ft of peel and stick floor. I was offering $850 for about 8 hours worth of work in my estimation and I had more than one person try to tell me I was being cheap. There were some pretty hilarious exchanges on that post. Ended up finding a guy to do it for $650, took him about 6 and a half hours and came out great. Normally I would never hire someone to do this but the project was just taking to long and I was ready to get it done. I pay my day laborers $15-20 an hour and I'm there working with them and overseeing everything.

Dennis M. · Answer

15-20$ an hour

Jeff Slipko · Answer

@Sacha LaCoss most contractors prefer getting paid by the job, but we've structured our on demand maintenance service for landlords to be exclusively hourly rates because we feel it adds more transparency and leads to better outcomes. Rates definitely vary by area, so you can try referencing sites like Thumbtack and Home Advisor to get an idea of what's fair. For example, you can browse the rates for handyman services (link) directly on Thumbtack and get a good idea of what you should be paying. You can run similar searches for other trades. Hope that helps!

Account Closed · Answer

@Sacha LaCossAround here a red seal carpenter makes $28-$32/hr, and a plumber makes $30-35/hr. I don’t go over $20/hr. And if it’s weed whacking or lawn mowing or something I may go less. Having great neighbours in great B+ areas means I always know a teenager or two who wants beer/weed/girlfriend money.