Handyman Services

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. Chapter 12. Contractors License Law

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE DIVISION 3.

CHAPTER 9. CONTRACTORS

ARTICLE 10. HOME IMPROVEMENT BUSINESS

Home Improvement Contract Form
7159. Contract requirements; effect of noncompliance; violations This section applies only to home improvement contracts, as defined in Section 7151.2, between a contractor, whether a general contractor or a specialty contractor, who is licensed or subject to be licensed pursuant to this chapter with regard to the transaction and who contracts with an owner or tenant for work upon a residential building or structure, or upon land adjacent thereto, for proposed repairing, remodeling, altering, converting, modernizing, or adding to the residential building or structure or land adjacent thereto, and where the aggregate contract price specified in one or more improvement contracts, including all labor, services, and materials to be furnished by the contractor, exceeds five hundred dollars ($500).

What is the difference between a handyman and a licensed contractor? The clearest answer I can give is that a Handyman is not defined as having a "specific" skill. A licensed contractor on the other hand generally has a specific skill, such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical, painting, etc. Handymen generally handle a wide range of other repair and maintenance jobs. And because they don't pay the costs of licenses and union fees, handymen often charge less than many contractors.

A licensed contractor is not likely to offer the services that a Handyman does. For instance the list below is an example of some of the jobs that I will do for a set fee, none of which are listed as licensable by the state according to the law.

Replace Toilet Seats
Repair old wooden gates
Hang or remove Christmas lights
Wash windows
Clean and organize a garage, attic or cellar
Clean Gutters
Paint and/or repair lawn furniture
Pressure wash concrete
Hang pictures/mirrors
Assemble childrens toys
Assemble boxed furniture
Refinish furniture
Repair chair rungs
Clean and scrub a hot tub
Detail a automobile or truck to prepare for sale or trade-in
Teach computer skills
Build a simple Web site
Host a simple web site
Computer repair/maintenance
Plant trees, bushes, shrubs or other plants
Hang towel racks, light fixtures and shelving
Install mini-blinds and vertical blinds
However, because I am accomplished in many things, I can also perform more involved services. However, due to the stipulations of the law, in California a handyman cannot "contract" for work and according to Section 7159 of the California Business and Professions Code,
"...where the aggregate contract price specified in one or more improvement contracts, including all labor, services, and materials to be furnished by the contractor, exceeds five hundred dollars ($500)."
According to the California laws regarding contractors and licensing here is what I can and cannot do with regard to a job that could be considered as coming under ARTICLE 10. HOME IMPROVEMENT BUSINESS of the California Business and Prfessions Code.
What I CANNOT Do
Cannot contract for any amount of money where the aggregate of labor, services, and materials exceeds $500. UNLESS, I am hired directly by the homeowner, or property owner. The homeowner does not have to apply for a contractor's license. In this example the homeowner assumes the position of "Owner-Builder."
Furnish materials for any project where the cost of the matierials may exceed $500. Again, unless I work directly for the homeowner as "Owner-Builder."
Cannot work for a contracted amount that exceeds $500, unless I work directly for the homeowner under the stipulation of "Owner-Builder."


What I CAN Do
Can work on large and extended projects for an hourly wage as your temporary employee. Basically you are paying for my labor. I can do any job you want me to do, that I am able to do, as long as I am working directly for the homeowner under the stipulation of "Owner-Builder."
Can furnish materials as long as the aggregate of those materials does not exceed $500, or you can buy the materials yourself and I can pick them up and deliver them to your home.
Can combine work that is considered contractor-type work and non-contractor work. An example of this is: Build a fence, hang pictures and wash your car all in the same day.
Now you probably have some questions. Let's say you own a rental property and the tenants have just moved out. The property needs a lot of repairs such as painting, new light fixtures, new toilet seats, some general cleaning; maybe a little wall repair, door repair, dig up that old dead rose bush--nothing major, but the aggregate of all of it would be, for example, in the area of $1500.00. Some of the items named above certainly come under those things a contractor would do, such as painting, while others, such as digging up the old rose bush, or replacing toilet seats would not. The owner of the property, you, do not want to hire ten different people to get the job done. So you call a Handyman. However, under the California law, how can a Handyman work for you without violating the law? The answer is, pay him hourly or stipulate that you are the owner of the property and you are hiring the Handyman as the Owner-Builder.
The Handyman can certainly get the materials for you, as long as you tell him what to get and you pay for the materials directly. If the Handyman estimates that he can do all the work you need and his hourly rate will not cost you more than what you want to pay, then hire him and pay him regularly based on his hours. If all the work you want the Handyman to do will take him several days or weeks to complete, require that he keep track of his hours and what he has done. Pay him regularly. You can pay him by the day, or at the end of the week. The best practice is to pay your Handyman either at the end of his days work or a couple of days. Never let the amount you pay him accumulate to more than $500 at any one time.

Again, ALL of the California Contractor Laws become a moot point if you, the homeowner designate yourself as the "Owner-Builder."

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. Is the job done right the first time?
100% RISK-FREE GUARANTEE
Your job is done right or it's free

You shouldn't have to take any chances with your home improvement provider, Nothing is more important to ClearChoice Handymans owner, than your complete and total satisfaction with every home repair or improvement I do for you. So every job comes with an ironclad, 100% Risk-Free Guarantee. What does this mean? Simply this: You have the personal guarantee of me a local owner that if you aren't happy with the work, I will redo any item for FREE. And if I can't make it right, you can deduct that portion of the project from your bill. NO hassles! NO arguments! NO hard feelings!

Do you GUARANTEE to clean up
HOME CLEAN-UP GUARANTEE
I leave your home clean or you deduct $25 from the cost of your project.

I respect your home. Nothing is more aggravating than to have a bigger mess after your project is complete than you had before it started. So, I guarantee that your home will be left as clean (or cleaner) after I em finished, or you'll deduct $25 from the cost of your project.

Do you have a workmanship GUARANTEE
3-YEAR 'PEACE OF MIND' GUARANTEE
ON EVERY JOB
For 3 years from the date of completion, I will immediately correct any defects in workmanship at no additional charge to you. You deserve to have the job done right or to have it redone. You also deserve to have a guarantee.

One of the advantages of working with ClearChoice Handyman is that I will always onner your guarantee. Flyby handymen come and go, but ClearChoice Handyman is your neighbor - who take pride in delivering good service and value. So your guarantee is with your local ClearChoice Handyman - office who will never be a flyby individual - and that gives you 'Peace of Mind'.

Do you GUARANTEE the price you quoted
NO MARKUPS ON MATERIAL GUARANTEED
To help keep your home improvement costs down, I let you shop for the best possible price on your home improvement materials.

Many companies and independents will want to add the materials to your bill so they can charge a 20% to 100% markup on top of the cost of the materials. At
ClearChoice Handyman, I only charge you for labor, and you decide whether or not you want to shop for the materials on your own or if you want me to do it for you.

If you need help picking up materials, or aren't sure of what to get, or how much, I em there to help in any way possible. Either way you get to choose the quality and price you prefer and you'll never be charged a markup on the cost of materials.