Helping Hands

[Greg Wieskamp]

At the time I retired, I was working for a local contractor. We would build garages, room additions, decks, replace windows and doors and various other things. He has long since retired and moved south. A couple of months ago I received a call from a lady we had done work for in the past.She asked if I would be interested in replacing a storm door for her. I told her I would come and look at it, and in the end, I replaced the door. Shortly after that I got a call from an acquaintance of hers. She asked if I could repair a basement window. I could, and I did. I got to thinking about what other people might be out there that had small jobs that contractors were not interested in doing. I decided to place a few flyers around town advertising "Helping Hands" handyman services. I haven't been flooded with calls, but to date, I have also replaced a kitchen faucet, light fixtures, a window, and installed a range hood. I have 2 more storm doors to install, and repair a porch railing.
Then my wife got to thinking about insurance liability, so I called my insurance man and explained what I was doing. He and his brother own several rental properties. He said they could probably keep me busy all by themselves. The insurance is about $1000 a year. At this rate, I should take in more than enough to cover that several times over.
While I am not looking to get rich, or have a full time job, this extra income sure helps fund my woodworking hobby. Even though I don't have as much time to devote to it as I once did. Maybe others out there wood like a little extra income to fund their hobby. Just thought I would share.

Greg

[Jim Becker]

One of the nice things about that kind of arrangement is that you can pick and choose what you want to do and how much time you want to spend doing it. Just be prepared to say "no" when it feels like the right thing to do. And kudos on dealing with the insurance...it's so important these days, even for part-part-timers.

[Jim Koepke]

Sometimes it seemed like my insurance agent was making more from my business than me.

I let my business license lapse this year.

jtk

[Stan Calow]

Greg, do you live in an area covered by NEXTDOOR (a neighborhood bulletin board service)? The one I'm in has multiple requests every day for people looking for handyman services, and seems a good way to connect. Mind you, its also full of crazies, lost pets, and complainers, but it would be something to look into.

[Tom Bender]

When I do handyman jobs it's usually in my own house but sometimes elsewhere. I never charge for anything beyond materials. The thing that gets me is I always want something that I don't have to hand. A different pair of pliers, a screw, whatever. At that pace I could never make any money. It would be different if the tasks were repetitive, like changing water heaters, but with a wide variety it seems impossible.