What Is Your Average Invoice Dollar Amount?

Handymanservice

I know what you all are thinking, none of your business. I have been lurking and have read over 100 back pages and I realize you all are not that fond of Handymen. I own & operate a professional, full time Handyman Service in California.

I do not do remodel work, roofing, major electrical or major plumbing. My specialty is jobs under $300.00. In California, we are allowed to perform jobs under $500.00 (mat. & labor total) without a license. My average repair order is $327.60. Now I can hear you all saying "Hack", but I assure you, I am not a hack. I do everything by the book and am very good at what I do, Handyman work is what works for me and my family.

The reason for this post is this - when was the last time you were interested in swapping out a customer supplied garbage disposal or hanging a ceiling fan for a minimum charge of $134.95?

Most specialty or General Contractors won't even answer their phone for this amount of money. I urge you all to find a quality handyman that you can refer all of your "small" jobs to, in turn, that handyman can get you jobs that he can't do because he lacks the licensing or the skill set to do it with. In today's economy, we should all strive to help each other and help our business' grow and prosper. The economy is only as bad as you believe it is. Trust me, 1/3 of the homes in this city are foreclosed, but we are having an excellent year and growing by being an ally of several contractors from specialty trades.

Just think of all of the opportunities you would have with a guy that stops at 2-5 houses a day, handles all of their minor repairs satisfactorily and then recommended you for their new bathroom, kitchen, addition, roof, windows, etc.

We are looking for the work you guy's don't want and we can't do the work you do want. Next time the phone rings and it is for these types of repairs, schedule the appointment or drop your handyman's name, it will be paid back to you tenfold.

If you are a Contractor in my area, email me and we can work together.

mickeyco

tree fitty











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chris n

The last 3 months $78

easymoney

We were just discussing this at the shop today.


Last years average was $12,000...
this year is gonna suck! (no bonuses, no paid days off, and some more lay offs!)

greg24k

I know what you all are thinking, none of your business.

Sounds like you have insecurity issues and you have no idea what anyone is thinking

I do not do remodel work, roofing, major electrical or major plumbing. My specialty is jobs under $300.00. In California, we are allowed to perform jobs under $500.00 (mat. & labor total) without a license. My average repair order is $327.60. Now I can hear you all saying "Hack", but I assure you, I am not a hack. I do everything by the book and am very good at what I do, Handyman work is what works for me and my family.

The only person who said you a HACK, is you

The reason for this post is this - when was the last time you were interested in swapping out a customer supplied garbage disposal or hanging a ceiling fan for a minimum charge of $134.95?

Hanging a ceiling fan you have to be a licensed electrician, as garbage disposal goes, I live that for a plumber.

Most specialty or General Contractors won't even answer their phone for this amount of money.

I answer the phone for any amount of money, and if it is something that I do, I will not turn the job down, if its not, I will give the HO a number who to call.

I urge you all to find a quality handyman that you can refer all of your "small" jobs to, in turn, that handyman can get you jobs that he can't do because he lacks the licensing or the skill set to do it with.

I work only with a few licensed Handyman for many years, in Jersey, all Handyman must be licensed.


If you are a Contractor in my area, email me and we can work together.

Are you sure read the rules right? Maybe it was under $500 you don't need to have a written contract? and NOT that you don't need to be Licensed to do work under $500? I would double check that...

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IHI

Me sediments exactly, legally handymen cannot do a thing in our region since legally EVERYTHING must be permitted, and to get a permit of any sort you HAVE to be liscenced, HAVE to be registered with the state, HAVE to carry a minimum $500K liability policy, and while i'm a liscenced builder meaning i can build new, remodel, and roof i cannot do electrical, i cannot do plumbing, i cannot do HVAC since those are all in their own licsencing catagory to which i have not the time, money, or want to purse since i can just pass along the work to my subs that i use in daily operations..so we pat eachother's back's instead. Nothing at all against a handymen, but technically here all they can do is mow lawns, shovel sidewalks, snow rake roofs...they cannot get inside a home and make any changes unless your talking swapping out mini blinds or sweeping/vacuuming.

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easymoney

IHI, Your facts are as good as your grammar and spelling, In California any job under $500 (materials included) can be performed without a license.

Licensed contractors must demonstrate at least 4 years of experience/education in the field they are licensed, be fingerprinted, have a FBI Background check and be bonded. No liability required, except for certain trades.

Just because General Liability Insurance is not a State requirment doesn't mean you don't need one... Commercial buildings for example, typically wont deal with anyone with less than a 2 million dollar policy and vehicle insurance.

IHI

That's what happens when i type this crap out like a secretary on speed, put me on your ignore list if it bothers you.

The real problem then lies in the island you live on then, and one only needs to look at ALL the difficulties that island is having on ALL fronts to see that the under $500 rule is flawed and allowing guys that think they know an easy buy in to call themselves handymen and carpenters...as much as i hate and i'm sure everybody required licsencing hates all the money associated to participate in the trades, it's also there to protect not only the contractors, but also the home owners from getting getting guys that THINK they know, but have no idea.

Our area used to be lax yrs ago too, until we started getting all sorts of retired men thinking they too could be handymen by building decks, installing water heaters, replacing this or that, and then shortly after having all sorts of issues causing undo financial problems for the HO they performed the work for. Eventually insurance companies stepped in and told the city's "hey, something needs to be done, we're growing tired of paying claims due to hack work" so then our cities took it upon themselves to require national testing for licsencing in order to get permits so the city's could look over shoulders to ensure jobs were performed correctly and safely.

I've seen all the pictures i've ever needed to see online, dealt with all the problems to last me two lifetimes from these gus that think they know, but have no idea trying to charge customers for work to ever think you or anybody else is going to convince me codes and licsencing is a bad thing...not only that they help to level the playing feild since we as licsenced contractors are all in the same boat to an extent financially since we all share roughly the same licsencing, bonding, insurance costs....leave the handymen for clean up, since in the big picture, these are the same guys that brought the hammer down all over the country.

I'm not saying all handymen are hacks, some are more anal then some contractors i know with perfection and doing things correctly, and that's just life in general, a licsence does'nt mean 100% quality 100% of the time, but allowing any tom, dick, harry onto a job to perform work is scarey and i'm sure plenty of fellas on here will back up that claim as well. and there is no way you'll ever convince me Kal-E-Forn-E-Ah has anything figured out that makes any sense...how's your island's budget going, how's your state incometax return working for ya?? nuff said

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Mike Finley

Isn't the under $500 rule and basically all rules in California set up to protect all the poor under-privileged and down trodden people there from the rich who will take advantage of them all if the state doesn't step in to protect them? (can you say illegals?)

I saw a news program that showed how f'd that state has become and brought all their problems upon them selves through their highly liberal legislation.

They show a woman trying to start a hair salon -- she need 11 licenses or official government process in order to cut hair.

Chris Johnson

And I'm betting one of those was a 'water use' permit since we have a drought this year.

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Chris

Stone Mountain

I've done exactly that for years. I reccomend a couple of local handymen, and the customer is happy. Once in a while I get a refferal, so it works for me.

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send_it_all

Wow...what a warm welcome for the new guy.

He is doing NOTHING illegal.

Buck25

Hmm,

Moved to the California Sucks forum.

Deicide1

Hey, I see nothing wrong with a guy doing the odds and ends.


Us guys that do bigger work don't generally want to miss a day doing little things that we cannot charge for.


Good on you for working and making enough for you and your family. I can't find anything wrong with someone for doing that.

threaderman

Welcome to the forum.I know some really talented folks that consider themselves a handyman.

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Chris G

To answer the OP original question.

I do some handyman work in the winter. Today I did some for one of my retail clients. I service 20 of there stores. I charge $85/hr + $50 truck charge. Travel time is paid door to door if over 1/2 hr My Invoices for handyman work range from a min of $135 to around $800. On average, I would say $325. But I have never really calculated it.

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genecarp

Welcome to CT, there is a place for everyone. it is true that often the small job will go unanswered. I am guilty as charged. G

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send_it_all

Is deicide your company name?...I can see the potential to lose a customer or two with that one...lol.

DavidC

As a remodeler I am very interested in repeat business. When we remodel a kitchen we work towards getting the first call when it's time to do the bathroom(s) or build a deck, etc. Handyman work is a great way for us to stay in touch with the clients, keep our name on their minds and an eye on our own work.

We have a nice hourly rate and a set minimum that makes sure we don't waste our time and strive to provide the level of service that makes the client know they haven't wasted their investment. Just last week we had 32 billable hours of handyman work for a repeat client.

Handyman can be a very lucrative and respectable business. Oddly enough, there is also plenty of licensed/insured hacks out there.

Good Luck
Dave

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Deicide1

Flaherty Construction


...and yes, if people were smart enough, and I did have that name, I probably would lose some business.