What do I need to start a "fix-up" business?

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm starting to get real antsy w/retirement....
(Did I mention I hate it? ;) )

In looking around, there seems to be an awful lot of home repair opportunities available.
Not major renovations or remodles - but - more like the "quick fix" type that they do on Ask This Old House.

Doors that don't fit quite right, minor things.
Things that are typical on a "honey do" list.

Since these type of jobs occur in an occupied house, I imagine some sort of bond would be a good idea.
I'm stuck on what type though.

I've got the insurance part covered.

Other questions:
LLC?
Licences?

Since this would have to be on the up & up w/all income reported...
Sales tax?
Where can I get info on that?

Any and all help would be appreciated.

[Neil Brooks]

A quick Google led me to this book:

http://www.handyman-business.com/

and a few sites like these:

http://www.startahandymanbusiness.com/

http://handymanedge.com/

http://www.buildhandymanbusiness.com/

Meaning ... I would THINK you could go on the used book websites, and find yourself a little library of cheap guides that -- if you take the best and leave the rest -- would get you started.

Good luck !

[David G Baker]

Don't know about starting a business but I do know that there are a lot of folks with money that do not have the skills or ambition to do their own fixes. If you are good, word of mouth will keep you working.

[Bonnie Campbell]

If you lived closer I know I'd hire you!

[Belinda Barfield]

Business license, bonding to the limit you feel comfortable. Check with your state Department of Revenue regarding sales tax laws. In Georgia some labor is taxable and some isn't. You can go to the DOR website online and get a lot of your questions answered. Establish up front what your payment policy is going to be and stick to it. Start off with Quickbooks for your accounting. Name it Honey Do Repairs - easy to remember and the women will love it!

[George Beck]

Hi Rich

Good Luck to you. You may find that very soon, you will have more work than you can keep up with. As one who retired and started a little business, I can only offer this advise; 1)All capital ventures require capital. Have some realistic ideas about money and set some aside for the stuff that will come up (fees, taxes, licenses, etc.) 2) Go see a good CPA and discuss the organization of the business (LLC, sole prop etc)and taxes. 3)Go see a good lawyer. This can help with advise on liability, contracts,zoning, hazardous waste, bonding and such. Starting this type of business relationship can come in handy. 4) Talk with a good insurance agent about making sure you have protection for the business. You can even insure against loss of wages (if you can afford it).
I did these things before I ever retired and I am glad I did. I did not even know about business entity reporting and such. In working in peoples homes you can get into things like lead, mold and asbestos and such. There are laws regarding these things and the high priced folks I mentioned above could really come in handy.

[Rick Potter]

You know, a related service might be to be a one stop, renovation business for rental homes. Landlords need someone they can just give a whole job to, rather than one for minor electrical, one for kicked in doors, and one for plumbing leaks. You could do the parts you want to do, and build a network of part timers for the other work.

A lot of rental owners go with the cheapest crappy repair man they can find, but there are also a lot who just don't want the hassle of working a month every time a place goes empty.

Just a thought.

Rick Potter

[Anthony Whitesell]

You know, a related service might be to be a one stop, renovation business for rental homes. Landlords need someone they can just give a whole job to, rather than one for minor electrical, one for kicked in doors, and one for plumbing leaks. You could do the parts you want to do, and build a network of part timers for the other work.

A lot of rental owners go with the cheapest crappy repair man they can find, but there are also a lot who just don't want the hassle of working a month every time a place goes empty.

Just a thought.

Rick Potter

The one stop shop is a good idea, but you'd have to check on licensing requirement for plumbing and electrical. In many states homeowners and licensed trades (electrical and plumbing) can do a lot without an inspection. I'm not sure the same applies to "hired help". If you're not licensed and not the homeowner, you may find that even repairs need to be permitted and inspected.

[Rich Engelhardt]

George,
Yep - got the insurance, start-up capitol, lawyer and CPA all covered. My wife and I already run a small rental business on the side.

Belinda,
Honey-Do is a good suggestion. Hubby for Hire is already taken.(matter of fact, that's where I got the idea for this venture from - a firefighter started doing odd honey-do jobs in his off time & it quickly grew out of hand on him).

Bonnie,
Thank you! I take that as high praise!



You know, a related service might be to be a one stop, renovation business for rental homes. Landlords need someone they can just give a whole job to, rather than one for minor electrical, one for kicked in doors, and one for plumbing leaks. You could do the parts you want to do, and build a network of part timers for the other work.

I'm a landlord & have a pool of contractors I use. I don't want to be too aggressive in what I take on & get into competition with them.
My idea is to do the jobs that are too small for them to do & if need be, call them in or refer the customer to them if it looks like the project will become too involved.


Also - as George pointed out above, there's a real spider's web of regulations and requirements when it comes to lead and asbestoes.
The fines for fiddling around with anything that contains lead are enormous.
That might put the kabash on the whole idea.
It's something I'll have to check into a lot further.

[Belinda Barfield]

Another idea, but I don't know if it would work in your area Rich. Around here (Hilton Head Island and Tybee Island, further south Jekyll island and St. Simons Island) there are tons of vacation homes and rentals. I knew a guy who lived on Hilton Head a couple of years ago who made a significant amount of money "servicing" vacation homes. Easy work, good money. Based on his clients wishes/needs he would check on the property weekly or monthly, make sure the toilets weren't leaking, the refrigerator was working, etc. Some clients had him drive their car around once a month or so. If a client was coming for a visit he would go to the home the day before and set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature and basically get the house ready for them. Some clients faxed or e-mailed a grocery list to him and he would stock the fridge and the wine cooler, etc., for them. He also offered a cleaning service before and after the visit.

Low liability, no asbestos issues, and he got to drive some really cool cars!

[Rich Engelhardt]

Great idea!
I don't think there's much of a market for that type of thing around here, but, it's worth looking into.

The town just to the North of me is fairly upscale. I might be able to do something in sort of reverse.
Watch their houses hee while they Winter in warmer weather.

Thanks! I'll look into that also.

[Belinda Barfield]

Glad you like the idea. I'm sure it would work in reverse. I've tossed around the idea of getting into the business but taking it a step further and having a nice lasagna or something like that warm in the oven when the homeowner gets there, but that gets into the whole area of food prep and health department inspections, etc.

[Jamie Buxton]

In my neck of the woods, you need a contractors license to do anything more than $500 worth of work to a home. Even doing little fixit jobs, you can get up to $500 pretty quick. Getting a contractors license here is a big hurdle.

[Dave Ogren]

The most important thing is "Customers"

All the other stuff comes after "Customers"

Good luck,
Dave

[Rick Potter]

I'll give it another shot, Rich. I have a friend who helped me on fixing up rentals for several years. He always talked about starting his own handyman business, but could never pull the trigger. I finally talked him into just giving it a try, he had all the tools and knowhow. He did it two years ago, got a business license from his town, had some cards made up with his name and number that just said 'Handyman', thus no DBA needed. He started out doing some work for a lady he knew, who referred him to another, then another. He is semi-retired, and says he is working more than he would really like, but people keep calling him.

No advertising, just word of mouth. He has a Chevy work van he bought at a phone company sale. He didn't even bother putting a sign on it. He likes it that way, since he parks in his driveway, and doesn't want an eyesore for the neighbors.
He only takes smaller jobs, although sometimes they grow.

What have you got to lose trying something like this?

Rick Potter