5 Tips for Finding a Handyman

Finding a handyman - a good one - is like panning for gold in the Atlantic ocean.  Finding a handyman that doesn't charge an arm, leg is even more challenging. Most people think of the handyman as the jack-of-all-trades.   Some handymen think that as well.  No single person can know it all and the handyman that tells you he can do it all is giving you a big neon warning sign - "BEWARE!"  It might be more accurate to say that a handyman is the man - or woman! - who can do the job you need done.

The modern handyman doesn't look like a guy named Daryl (with another brother Daryl).  They are a variety of shapes and sizes, both genders, all colors, with a variety of skills.  The professional full-timer will have a larger range of skills and charge accordingly.  Part-timers are usually more narrow in their skills but cheaper.  Either might be able to help you depending on your project.  The real trick is to make sure that you don't push the handyman past his comfort zone.

Onto the 5 tips for finding a handyman...   Tip 1  on Finding a Handyman

Have a clear idea of what you want.  If you don't know how you want the project to turn out, your handyman isn't going to know.  He might be able to give you some ideas but ultimately you need to be in charge.  Make a list of all the projects you want done whether it's cleaning the gutters or building a cabinet.  Talk it over with them and make sure that they can handle the types of work and the total work load. Talk with them, discuss their experience and favorite projects.  Get a feel for what they can accomplish.

Tip 2  on Finding a Handyman

Make sure that the person you want to hire is on the up-and-up.  Any legitimate handyman will be carrying insurance to protect himself and you. He should also have the proper business licenses.  You'll want to talk to more than one handyman  - three is usually enough to get an idea of the costs and scope of the services that they can offer you.

Tip 3  on Finding a Handyman

Check their references.  Handymen live and die by reputation so don't be afraid to ask them for references - and don't be afraid to follow up on them.  You need to know who it is that you are inviting into your home.

Tip 4  on Finding a Handyman

You need a contract.  It's a nice thought to be able to get work done on a handshake and a nod but in our modern world, you need a contract.  The contract should define what the handyman is going to do, for how much, how he's planning on charging you (flat fee, hourly, etc.) and when payment is due.  If he offers a guarantee on his work, get it in writing.  It's a "Trust but verify" world out there.

Tip 5  on Finding a Handyman

Avoid the handyman that calls you up and offers any sort of special deal, sale, or "we're in the neighborhood" work.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of scam artists that are very slick at separating people from their hard earned money.  Be leery of deals that are too good to be true.  If you followed the steps above, you should be able to avoid these guys.  My first instinct if I'm getting unsolicited offers is to assume that someone wants to take advantage.  Be comfortable enough with your intuition to "just say no."

Inspecting Sidewalks

Okay, I admit it - I tried to find a duller topic than inspecting sidewalks.  It might not exist.  Insulation - close but vermiculite might have asbestos and asbestos causes cancer which is definitely worth a look-see.  Paint - maybe but at least it's colorful plus you can get it in a semi-gloss even for the exterior.  Mrs. Duffau suggested floors but that immediately brought to mind Italian tile which lead me to regular tile, hardwoods then to carpets and, ultimately to a collection of shag carpets we saw once when house shopping; deep piles of shag in every room, neon lime green in one room, neon purple in another, neon hot pink shag in the master bathroom.  We bought a different house. So we're stuck with sidewalks.  Personally, I like them.  They go places and I always seem to have a need to get somewhere.  I get the same feeling when I watch planes overhead.  Where's it going?  Planes, however seem to involve expensive things like tickets and the TSA.  Advantage, sidewalks.

When I look at sidewalks, the first thing to remember is that someone needs to be able to use them.  How they need (or want) to use them will vary.  I did not realize that a lady that I know had aged until I walked on the grass as she walked on the narrow walkway.  There wasn't room for both of us and I am, at least for now, more stable than she.  When she reached the steps she slowed, took each one deliberately. There were no handrails. She could have used them.

So size does matter.  The usual recommendation is a 36 inch wide sidewalk.  That will accommodate a stroller, a walker, a wheelchair.  Except that isn't wide enough.  All of us have seen those older couples, married for sixty years and still in love with each other.  If she is using a walker, where is he?  That's right, right next to her, a guiding hand on her elbow.  They won't both fit 36 inches of walkway.  So, when planning for senior living spaces, we should be making the walkways wider, much wider.

And they should be flat.  Seems evident but not a week goes by without me writing up a trip hazard on a sidewalk.  It doesn't take much cracking and settling to cause trouble.  A lip of 1/2 an inch has put me on my head.  Tree roots and frost heaves will do damage but the main culprit is good old-fashioned poor workmanship.  Add in weeds growing in the cracks and a flat smooth surface is not a guarantee.

Lighting is another area that we should check.  I like solar lighting for the backyard but that was for our old dog who was getting scared of the dark.  His eyesight dimmed and he worried about getting separated from the pack in the dark when the wild things were out.  I would have put them along the front too but we have streetlights and they cast enough light for now.  Later, I can add more solar or, if I have the money, put in permanent lighting running off a house circuit.

And finally, what should we build the sidewalks with?  Concrete is the old standby though with the development of stamped and colored concrete our options have grown from the standard hard grey stuff we grew up skinning our knees on.  Brick is always nicer but not as smooth and sometimes slick with growth.  Pavers are just precast concrete is thin pieces but we can make decorative shapes and styles with them to show off the sidewalks.  Wood chips?  Comfortable to walk when you still have the balance but not very practical for walkers, strollers or wheelchairs.  Young kids love them.  Wood planks?  Wood rot and slippery when wet. Each material has it's own unique advantages and disadvantages. Flagstones are pretty but treacherous because they are so uneven.

It also isn't set in stone that the sidewalk must be straight.  A curve, a gentle radius is not only attractive but can actually make the walk safer to transit.  In that same vein, the surface really does need to be non-skid.

Planning a new sidewalk or planning to adapt a sidewalk involves taking all these characteristics into account.  Inspecting them does to with the added need to understand who's walking the walk.

Preparing for Winter

Preparing for winter when you're a senior or approaching that time of your life entails a bit more planning than when we were 22 and invincible.  Winter isn't yet snarling and slashing the windows with sleet but it's lurking close by. It's 40 degrees outside this morning and 32 up in Pullman and Moscow.  It won't be long.... A couple of thoughts on winter preparation for those of us not invincible.

Servicing the Furnace

It time.  You should be servicing the furnace at the beginning of every winter before the worst of the weather gets here.  If I've learned anything in a half century, it is that Murphy's Law is the true controlling force of the universe.

If you don't get it serviced and it fails, it will do it at the worst possible time - the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas or during a blizzard.  So, call up your heating company, have them tune it up for the winter and swap the filters so you have a clean one headed into the closed house season.

Arrange for Snow Removal

If you are no longer able to shovel your own sidewalks and steps, get help.  Set it up ahead of time so that when it snows, you're not calling the same person that 47 other people are calling.  Somebody isn't going to get helped if they wait.  Don't let it be you.  Preparing for winter means not waiting until the last second.

By the way, this doesn't have to be a paid service.  I shovel the walkway for Darlene, my neighbor two houses down, every year.  We don't get much snow and I am still pretty fit so it's a task that doesn't overwhelm me.  Talk to your neighbors and your church - see if they would be willing to lend a hand.

Stock Up on Supplies

Earlier this year, large parts of India suffered huge power outages.  The Indians were used to having power outages and were prepared.  We're not nearly so use to outages but we can expect far more of them than in the past.  When the outages hit the East Coast this summer, they were devastating.

Our power transmission system was built in the fifties and sixties.  It's getting old in many places and we haven't done some of the upgrading that would "harden" the power grid and protect it.  It's vulnerable to everything from winter weather to solar flares.  Add to that, we are losing a huge amount of power generation due to EPA regulations and we can expect more outages.

Have extra food on hand that doesn't need to be cooked.  Have a second source of heat in your home.  If you are relying exclusively on electricity, you have the potential to be left shivering in the cold.  As always, you should have extra batteries, working flashlights, a safe supply of all your medications (enough to last at least a week). Preparing for winter means preparing for the unexpected.

Check In

Have a time and day set up to check in with friends or family especially if you are living alone.  If you need to, set up with a service that will check in with you.  Let people know that you are okay.  It won't just potentially save you in an emergency - it will give your loved ones a small measure of peace of mind.  It's hard to admit that we may need a bit of looking after but we all do, to one degree or another.

Do the little things now to make this winter easier to manage.  It wouldn't hurt to hope for an early spring....