SoCal Handyman here also. I factor in how much gas it will take to get to a customers house and back home. I also charge for my time getting materials for the job. I found out the hard way when I first started my Handyman Business, you must charge for that, Or you will be losing money on every job. I also specialize in small jobs. In and out is what works for me, and has made the most money.
Thanks so much for posting this. I started doing handyman work a few months ago and have kinda settled on the $125 service call/first half hour. Most people don’t flinch, some have kicked back. It’s kinda hard to hear people complain about that fee when I have a bunch of costs to cover just to show up. Thank you
How I work the charge into my business, depends on the work and the client. I am in So Cal so $500.00 a day is pretty easy. I have many full time clients and usually ask for a full day of repairs/installs, so no minimum charge there. New clients I always estimate per item/work that needs to be done, this way the client can decide what they want to pay for. I never mention a minimum charge but I figure all work around $125.00 an hour, but that depends on history of that client. Yes I only do small jobs, too old, so no more remodel work and I don't build entire kitchen cabinet runs. I like to be in and out in one day...
I'm a licensed handyman in New Jersey. I like small jobs too. I make more money. Sometimes I get a really pleasant client. Like the one I have now. I'm painting the entire interior of his house for $5,000. I only go two days a week and he gives me $1,000 every week. It'll take 5 weeks.
Think about all the benefits you automatically get when your employee like medical, paid days off etc, as business owner we dont get these so this along with vehicle costs and other overhead is why every job needs a minimum.
In another video you mentioned $75 for tv mount and ceiling fan. Was that then and now you charge $125 min for anything or still $75 for things like that?
If I have a job with multiple items, I'd charge $75 for a basic tv install on the wall. If I get a job and the only item on the list is a tv install then it would be $125 as that's my minimum charge.
When you first started, where you also employed full-time or was there enough work to just make the leap into your handyman business? I live in a pretty large city and I am surrounded by large affluent neighborhoods...would love to just jump in, but I need a stream of income of at least 60k/year.
I also charge a minimum fee of $120 (1st hour + trip charge). I'm in the DFW area, and mostly work in Dallas county. However, my question is do you collect a deposit before going out to the location, or wait to get paid after the job is done?
I always get paid once job is done. So far, I haven't had any issues. The minimum charge weeds out all the problem customers as they wouldn't be willing to pay that much anyway.
I live in central FL. My minimum to crank my truck in the morning is 600$. I run a floor removal service. I have 2 employees 3 kids and a retirement I need to plan for. After employees are payed and fuel for the day alone I only put about 100-140$ in the business account. That’s without me getting payed. I think most guys forget to factor in that we don’t get retirement plans or 401k’s. (Yes you can do a self direct IRA but most guys don’t). When we got the age of 60-65, whatever is left in the business IS YOUR RETIREMENT.
that's crazy bud, is all the stress worth the 140 per day minimum net profit?. You can easily net more than that by just working by yourself without the extra hassle unless you're trying to build up a brand.
I usually have 2-4 minimum paying jobs a month. Most of the time we have bigger jobs for the size crew I have. The 600 is just to make sure I never lose money unless I underbid a job or something. I would definitely down size and cut the employees if I had a lot of small stuff lined up
@@utubehandyman it ranges between a couple of different factors. Like tools, required, the company the service is for, and skill set. At 50 miles it's between $125 up to $175. I do troubleshooting and installs for tech companies. Thier clients are retail, resteraunts and sometimes residential (depending if I'm in the mood to bid on those).
@@utubehandyman nice,heavy on gas though right? For now my Honda Element is cheap,good on gas and fits everything I need. But may need to upgrade at some point
Yeah, if its been a while since the original paint job, even if it were the same color out of the same can i bet it wouldnt match. Cigarette smoke, cooking, etc.
Did you know if you take a piece of the paint from what your going to paint to Walmart they have a machine that will match the exact color. Take a piece of the paint when you go to Walmart.
that means, going from the house (or previous job) to the clients place, getting a piece of paint then heading to get it matched then heading back to get the actual labor done. I dont see 125$ covering that.
Great info. Thanks... Starting out, new handyman buis. I work in central valley calif.. Done my research. Any suggestions from anyone in the area on charges? Such a wide range in this area. Thanks. J
@@theamerican4609 When you go to the store and see the same item under different brands with higher prices, do you call their 800 # and complain to them they're being dishonest?. Bidding a job high is simply an incentive for me to do something I don't want to do. I show up when I say I will, do good work and even offer a guarantee. Customers don't have to hire me, they can pick the lowest bid.
@@utubehandyman That is a very sad comparison. We are in a service industry and offer estimates, not prices on a shelf...and people can generally tell if a product is overpriced and have choices...usually on the same shelf. Handyman availability is limited. Clients generally don't know what is a reasonable price for a particular job they need done. It is incumbent upon you, the pro handyman, to offer a fair price for your work. It can be on the high end, but doubling your price or whatever in the hopes that they bite is taking money from the naive ones who will pay your hiked up price. We shouldn't do what other contractors do. I hear of family, friends, and clients who get crazy high estimates in the hopes that someone bites. This is a dishonest practice and it gives the handyman "industry" a bad name.
I like the concept of $125 for the first hour. What do you charge per hour, if the job goes over the first 1hr? 🤔 Knowing the market for a handyman in your specific area is important to getting the pricing right. It's also important to ask yourself, "who is your target customer?" ...for me, my ideal customer has the money but either doesnt want to do it, doesnt have the time or the skill or the tools to do it themselves...or a combination of these. Time, no skills, skills and time but no tools or they just don't wanna do it.
$125 minimum I do mainly to weed out the customers I don't want. I mainly charge by the job rather than hourly. If someone wants a faucet replaced, 125 minimum. A light bulb replaced, 125 minimum. A garbage disposal $150 eventhough it may take me 30 minutes. Anything that requires "skill" I charge more even if it may take less than an hr.
People are cheap got a text for disposal install, I told them $100 then they stopped texting lol. They think we should work for free. How do you get away with $125 first hour people will complain for sure. The real reason they complain is that they don't value you.
